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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  Janets XK8 Kitty - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Janet S. Leon - October 4 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned this type vehicle for the past 14 years, buying annually to semi- annually. I have that much faith & love for these machines. Not much maintenance, just menial things like oil changes, filters & maybe a computer glitch this year on the transmission (first time!) Overall, because I dont have a dealership in Corpus, it still doesnt concern me much about repairs. They are all small enough to extremely enjoy this great car that sounds like it purrs when youre driving into your big garage! I love the feel, elegance, drive, reliability & social status you receive when buying this vehicle. You cant afford to miss out on this car!

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  Elegance & beauty - 2003 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Sonni - September 26 - 12:36 pm

  Beautiful sleek profile--I love the look and style. Gorgeous wood dash. Fabulous power--gotta watch the speed. Strangers stop and stare and comment that they love my car--me too. Even the 25-26 mpg was a pleasant surprise.

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  Best car I ever owned - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By Colonel D. - September 23 - 11:02 pm

  Every popular magazine and website dissed the Jag wagon when it came out. Boy, were they wrong. I bought mine used, have owned it for eight years, and NEVER had a major maintenance issue with it. Performance is tops, just like the day I got it, and it now has 130k miles. Small and nimble, but with the extra room of a wagon and every extra you can imagine. Sweet ride. Car & Driver called it an "exotic" since less than about 1500 were made between 2004 and 2008. They were right about one thing: its a head-turner and a conversation starter with knowledgeable Jag owners. If Jag still made these, it would be my next car.

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  Awesome, look no further - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By shr100t - September 20 - 8:46 pm

  I have driven Jags all my life and every time I buy a new one it only gets better, I now own a Super V8 and wow the power, the luxury - absolutely awesome. I would love to see in the next generation XJ a backup camera, to me this is all that is missing. The car is fun to drive, plenty of power and just so British, fit for a king. If you are thinking of owning one, go test drive one, before you waste your money on other luxury models, you wont be sorry. Happy motoring and enjoy.

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  Dream Comes True - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By happy girl - September 18 - 11:33 pm

  The XJ was always a car I dreamed of owning, fell in love with the wooden dash and steering wheel back in the day. I love that I have this car but it scares me. I read lots of reviews before purchasing and felt confident in purchasing the 05 XJ8L. We started hearing a creaking noise overhead; it is now in the shop having the alumunium panels reglued, how scary is that. I have been reassured that this is minor but it sounds serious. Still in love and missing my car!

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  Entry Level? - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Danjag - September 14 - 10:00 am

  My oh my. They say this is an entry level vehicle? Think again. My wife and I are wondering what professional car editors have against this vehicle? We test drove the BMW 3- series and the Mercedes at comparable prices. IOHO there comparison to fit and finish. No comparison to the service. This look will remain classic for a long time.

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  New to Jaguar - and Loving It! - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Marketman - September 14 - 10:00 am

  I just leased a 2003 S-Type V8 as my new company vehicle and Im very impressed so far. The car looks great, commands a ton of respect and goes much quicker than I would have imagined. The fuel economy is not great and Ive noticed the brake dust problem as well but it sure is a heck of a lot of fun to drive!

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  Best Car in the world - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By nvosko - September 8 - 10:00 am

  Great ride, beautiful interior

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  sliding - 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By qbnrico - September 2 - 2:00 am

  the car is a dream unless there is some snow on the ground. when i say some snow im being kind,its actually any snow. aside from the traction, you could not have a HOTTER car. you feel like james bond when your in it.

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  Massive value in luxury sedan segment - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By Tranpark - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Awesome blend of styling, quality, features, performance, luxury, comfort, and reliability. Jaguars somewhat tainted track record of years past is no more; product quality and reliability has improved drastically since the buyout by Ford.