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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  Magnificent Jag - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By MrJaguar - November 17 - 7:30 am

  Most stunning, attention-getting car on the road. Clean, sleek and simple exteior. Looks and drives fast. All around handling is incredible. Really holds the road on turns, great suspension, silky smooth transmission and awesome brakes. Comfortable, luxurious interior, great quality throughout and easy- to-use, uncluttered instrument panel. Makes some of its competitors look like little old lady cars. In fact, a friend who recently saw my Jag (an indigo blue coupe) was almost ashamed to admit he owned the BMW 650i.

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  aluminum road going spitfire - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By georgek - November 15 - 10:00 am

  The "I Love to Walk Up to It, Get In, Drive it Everywhere All the Time And No Longer Rent To Cut Mileage On Frequent Cross-State Trips" factor is overwhelming! It is the Worlds Best Car, for me. It has dramatically ameliorated if not erased my life long "Bently Thing" (the dash especially is that fine --and fun). I took a leap of faith they have, in this ground-up new vehicle, erased the incontrovertable Jag demons; with 12,800 HARD miles in 7 months and nothing of consequence wrong, I believe they have. Its brilliant, tough, fun, luxurious, complex yet intuitive; and blisteringly fast! An Aston Martin with a baby seat next to the rear door!

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  BEST VALUE in the WORLD !!! - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Anthony - November 15 - 3:20 am

  SEXY + GORGEOUS + FAST + RELIBLE !!! NOTHING BETTER as far as VALUE and I have owned and driven EVERYTHING else !!! Anthony, Temecula, SoCal

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  Stylish and Performance for 30k$ !!! - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Doolie1 - November 1 - 10:00 am

  I own the 3.0 and it has power to spare..great pickup and on the road will run with more than enough power to land you in jail! The car also has very tight cornering and nice breaking while still having a smooth ride. You do hear a bit of road noise inside the car though. The interior is nicely done(for a car in this price range especially) although I do agree with others that the seat belt "snaps" are cheap and plastic(directly out of a ford). Otherwise the leather is great, nice shifter and dash. Bottom Line, this car is not a 50,000$ car but offers styling on that level. It performs excellent for the price and seems to be nice quaility.

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  Jag Be Nimble Jag Be Quick - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By geecheewheels - November 1 - 10:00 am

  I went to buy a G35 but bought the X. More features and comfort for the money.I was somewhat surprised to catch Edmunds comparisions incorrect. Several of the features were listed as N/A or not all, (now corrected). Because of what the auto reviews were saying, I thought that I would be getting "less performance" out of the 2.5 . Ive had my X for 9 months now and no complaints as I rip off the white line!

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  Very Satisfied - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By XJ8 - October 25 - 1:00 am

  I went from a Carrera Cabrio to this large flagship sedan. I have had no issues and have been very impressed with handling and gas mileage. My 04 XJ8 is high mileage at 64k miles. It is like new, makes an entrance, not just another ordinary Lexus pulling into the office or valet. You do feel like royalty when driving. Style, quality, reliablity, handling, and gas mileage makes a strong package. Would buy again.

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  Beautiful Car - 2007 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Paul F. - October 22 - 12:36 pm

  It may not appeal to the more contemporary types, but the Jaguar XJ8 is the most satisfying luxury sedan money can buy. It has style, it has ultra-luxury and comfort, it has unshakable ride quality, a silky-smooth 300hp V8 mated to a fantastic six-speed automatic, and all the features anyone would ever want or need. All in all, if you dont want your average BMW or Mercedes, this is the car to get.

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  2008 XJR - 2008 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Dave - October 22 - 3:40 am

  Got on order list in July for this 2008. Liquid silver with charcoal interior, climate package and sirius. This redesigned car is awesome. Looks like something from a custom shop. The 20 inch 5 spoke cremona wheels and ground effects give a real aggressive stance. Test drove mercedes, audi and BMW. These sedans dont even approach the interior class or the road performance of this rare machine. And I do mean rare, few are being built, is a plus. As prior owners of a M5 series BMW, this jag is leaps and bounds above the rest. And the supercharged V8, is faster than audi, mercedes and BMW, but 26 miles per gallon on the highway, no gas gusler tax on this cat, unlike the other three tested.

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  Simply the best. - 2011 Jaguar XJ
  By frisko4me - October 11 - 9:31 pm

  I have have had the privlidge of owning many luxury cars. BMWs, Benz, and Jaguars. This car is superior in every way to its predecessors and to its competition. It sets the bar very high for the next generation of luxury performance autos.

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  Great surprise! - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Dave S - October 7 - 10:00 am

  I finally realized how fun this car can be with a 5 speed! I love the navigation system. The car looks incredible as well. It is black with black tint all the way around with the sport package. Very sharp. The car is quiet and well behaved. I wish the tires were Z rated like the S-Type.