Overview & Reviews

Jaguar cars have a long history of elegant styling and sporting performance. The brand was born in the United Kingdom, and for years its vehicles were synonymous with the old-world luxury of the British upper classes. More recently, Jaguar has been under the ownership of other automakers, but Jaguar cars will always bear the unmistakable gleam of traditional English refinement.

The company traces its roots to the Swallow Sidecar Company, founded in 1922 by Bill Lyons and William Walmsley. Based in Blackpool, England, the company produced a popular line of aluminum motorcycle sidecars. Swallow eventually switched its focus to automobile production, changing its name to SS Cars Ltd. in 1933. The first vehicle to carry the Jaguar name was the SS Jaguar 100, released in 1935.

After World War II, SS Cars switched its moniker to Jaguar so as not to be associated with the Nazi paramilitary organization that bore the same initials. Its first postwar offering was 1948's Mark V. The luxury sedan was joined that year by the XK 120, a sports car that was the fastest production automobile of its day — its name indicating its top speed. The XK 120 proved quite popular, and helped Jaguar establish a strong presence in the sports car market.

By the 1950s, Jaguar had begun exporting luxury vehicles to the United States. Created just for the American market, the Mark VII Saloon was introduced in 1951 and was a hit with stateside motorists. In 1956, the car took the prize at the Monte Carlo Rally. Later in the decade, Jaguar added the Mark VIII and Mark IX to its lineup. Meanwhile, the XK became the XK 140 as performance increased. Then came the XK 150 which was obviously even faster, though not quite as curvaceously alluring as the 120/140 models.

The 1960s saw the launch of one of Jaguar's most well-known models. The E-Type (or XK-E as it was known in the U.S.) debuted for 1961. The new sports car, available as either a coupe or convertible, provided performance and refinement wrapped up in an undeniably sexy package. The success of groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and icons like Twiggy the fashion model made British culture a hot commodity during the '60s — a fact that likely had positive implications for Jaguar's popularity in the U.S.

A decade later, Jaguar introduced the XJ6C and XJ12C coupes to join the sedans. At one point, the XJ12 was the fastest production sedan of its day. By the mid-'70s the lovely E-Type was replaced by the relatively bland XJ-S. The 1980s saw Jaguar continuing to raise the bar in performance with the launch of the XJ-S HE and a true world supercar, the XJ220.
By this time, however, Jaguar's cars had also built up a reputation for questionable reliability, electrical problems being the chief source of owners' angst. Increased competition from German automakers and adverse exchange rates didn't help matters either. Without much capital to work with to improve matters, the company decided to pursue a partnership with another company. This decision ultimately led to a full buyout of Jaguar by Ford in 1990.

Ford's influence (and financial support) was evident with the 1997 launch of Jaguar's XK8 and supercharged XKR sports cars. Powering both was Jaguar's new AJ-V8, a compact yet powerful engine that was also used in certain Land Rover vehicles. A few years later, Jaguar made an effort to broaden its product line with the introduction of a lower-priced, entry-luxury compact sedan known as the X-Type. Unfortunately, this model sold poorly, as its modest European Ford sedan underpinnings proved to be a liability. Around this time, Jaguar's old-school traditional styling grew stale as competitors moved into the new millennium with cutting-edge, modern designs inside and out.

Sales plummeted, and Jaguar's financial problems caused further headaches for parent company Ford, which was also experiencing financial turmoil. Ford cut its losses and sold Jaguar (and fellow British premium brand Land Rover) to Indian manufacturer Tata in 2008. Though reliability still remains a concern, new models like the XF and redesigned icons XK and XJ seem to indicate a bright Jaguar future, as they feature modern designs sprinkled with a fair share of classic Britannic charm.

User Reviews:

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  better than beamer - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By rufo - January 7 - 2:00 am

  Previous car was 740IL, and I was looking for something exciting (since BMW has ruined the 7 series from design and techno standpoints). My new Vanden Plas is all I could have wanted and more. Nimble, elegant, pretty and fast. Comfortable cabin, wizardry is functional for the most part, and truly fun to drive. Road feel a little squishier than 740, but still great!

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  Great car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By ann boyle - January 7 - 2:00 am

  I owned a BMW M3 immediately prior to buying the Jaguar X. The X is far superior in handling, fuel economy, and comfort. I love driving it and it is dynamite on ice and snow. I didnt put snow tires on it and have had no trouble whatsoever getting around in bad weather.

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  Wonderful Car!! 2002 Best Year Yet!! - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By katee314 - January 4 - 3:36 am

  I have had my Jaguar for about 22 months. It has been excellent to drive and thrill to ride in. Interior should be a little more roomier in the rear. I love the memory seats and dual temperature settings. Not to mention the heated seats are wonderful. I do wish it had remote starting. I agree it is the best looking car I have seen. Even for the newer model cars for 2006/2007.

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  Jaguar S type 4.2 Sport package - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By R. Leverson - December 31 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car a short time and put 2500 miles on it. This was more than enough to tell I made a good choice. It handles like it should have no fenders and paddle shifters (just kidding). Seriously the best handling sedan I have ever driven and I have owned three BMWs in the past 15 years plus a cadillac STS which was somewhat of a dissapointment in all respects. This car has looks,performance, and handling. What more could you want.

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  A beautiful experience - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Nick Stafford - December 27 - 1:16 pm

  I moved from Mercedes to Jaguar and will not go back. I cannot fault the S- Type in any way and it looks beautiful. It will certainly be a classic one day, but for now it has everything for today. The build quality is perfect. The performance is powerful for a large compact. The sat nav and other extras are very practical and integral to the design. Driving it is as smooth and responsive as any Mercedes or BMW I have ever owned. The interior leather and wood trim is classy. Also the reliability data for Jaguar are as good as any other luxury car and I hope this becomes reflected in the resale figures. Full marks Jaguar.

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  love it - 2006 Jaguar XK-Series
  By yuo ming - December 27 - 7:40 am

  this is probably the best car EVER... it is the nicest looking car, it is fun to shore off and drive, my friends love it and want me to drive when ever we carpool.... if you are not sure about getting one i suggest getting one because they are awesome.

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  X 2.5 Sport - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By JS - December 20 - 2:00 am

  Ive put over 27k on my 2.5 X-type sport and have had few problems. Typical windshield jet seeping and trunk popper button are the only things Ive run across. Drove this through a huge snow storm in NY (from Boston to Detroit) and was blowing by SUVs. This car grips the road like none other and is a blast in the corners. 2.5 could use a little more kick, but w/ a 5 speed manual/Sport Pkg. its still a blast to drive. Great looks and awesome in the Michigan winters....wish I had opted for the heated seats though!

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  Amazing!!! - 2006 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Jeramy - December 20 - 12:03 am

  Its a great car to drive, nice easy- going stability, acceleration is very fast. Its a semi-auto car. You can choose the power from 2 to 5 or for automatic put it in D or Drive. It says that itll go top speed: 170. The thing that I didnt like was it doesent have automatic and manual its only semi-auto its not where you can put it in M and shift like in a Ferrari.

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  2000 jaguar xj8l - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By kevin bick - December 14 - 10:00 am

  Great car, great styling very comfortable, handles better than any car Ive driven

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  Great little Jag - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By wm - December 13 - 10:13 am

  Traded 2000 S-Type, hated to let it go, perfect for 130000 miles+. But needed wagon type AWD vehicle, not SUV. Still get admiring glances, although not as many as we did with S- Type. Comfortible, beautiful, classy, great in snow. Plenty of power, and most luxury features found in higher priced cars. Carpeting and sunvisors are cheap jack, but overall cars lives up to its image. Wife loves to drive it, and feels very secure doing so in adverse weather.