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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  My mistake - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Rick van Rijssen - August 27 - 2:00 am

  My first Jaguar will be my last. New transmission at 2600m. Problem not identified after repeat visits to dealer. Whirring sound at low speeds annoying and alarming. Back seats cramped and headroom very limited. Gas mileage awful at average 17mpg, not what Jaguar wants you to believe. Trunk space about half of that in our 99 Acura TL. Mini spare tire did not improve my opinion of Jaguar. Great snow car! All wheel drive works well, sticky tires seem to claw their way through snow up to 18 inches. On icy hills we passed sliding SUVs BMWs and Mercedeses, as they were struggling to keep their footing. Passing reserve at higher speeds is good.

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  Not Impressed - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Happy_dadhusband - July 21 - 2:00 am

  I found the engine sounds tinny, like a turbo charged Civic, high piched. The leather seats seem quite cheep as compared with the Infiniti G35, the Volvo S60 or other competing cars. The car looks like a Taurus. If you want a sporty car buy the Infiniti G35 AWD, a safer, more reliable and more fun to drive is the Volvo S60. I dont like the Jaguar

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  sorry i got it - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By melissa ciminesi - July 21 - 2:00 am

  well every other week its in the shop , from my light falling out, to my locks locking me out, i cant even name then all, but the proplem i have is it looks good

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  $85,000 piece of crap - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By jagmanjimi - June 17 - 10:48 pm

  * Serviced Mar 2012 - electrical 36,558 miles * Serviced Jan 2012 - shift lever replacement 36,456 miles * Serviced Dec 2011 - battery 36,263 miles * Serviced Jun 2011 - battery 34176 miles In addition to the above service dates, within this mileage period the vehicle was serviced 3 other times for electrical and once for "top vacuum". While the dealer has been great for handling service issues under warranty up to this point, I am out of warranty now 1 month. With 37969 miles the top wont open or close. We will see how they will handle. Bottom line, within a 4K mile period the vehicle had to be serviced no less then 8 times. What more can be said!

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  Where did the grace and style go? - 2011 Jaguar XJ
  By JeffI30 - April 15 - 4:26 pm

  First let me say the only reason I bought this Jag was because of a particular business situation. Where has all the grace, style and beauty of the XJ series gone? Having a Jag always lent you a certain panache. Now with the new design, well to be blunt, I might as well have gotten a Chrysler. Well the back end of the Chrysler 300, with the front end of the Volvo S80. The XJ was an icon, not anymore. It looks like every other car on the road. Even the "leaping jaguar" is gone. What are they thinking? Are they aware of whats known as destroying a brand. Having a Jaguar meant you had reached a certain status in life, I guess they decided to become a any car brand.

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  My Car - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Rick LeSage - January 25 - 2:00 am

  First car year for this model Firewall was not attached and water entered car transmissiona nd other related componets failure,very costly to reapir

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  2002 - bad year for X-Type - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By tomas - January 12 - 4:56 pm

  The Jaguar X-Type I purchased had only 2000 miles on it when purchased. The dealer was excellent, however my car was in the shop for repair numerous times. Transmission rebuilt at 45000 miles, starter and alternator replaced at the same mileage. The rear axle had to replaced, at my own expense at a cost of $1000.00, because of sensor issue at 60000 miles. I had to superglue vent cover down on dash, sensor lights keep coming on, poor gas mileage, avg. 20 mpg. I would not recommend this brand to anyone.

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  Bad purchase - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By J Simmons - October 8 - 4:26 am

  The S type will make a person financially poor there is always a problem fuel system, a/c system. Every time I go in for an oil change there is a new repair problem.You can never get an assistance from the service department there a charge to tell you what is wrong with the car. The car is pretty and that is the only good things I can say. I will not purchase another Jaguar.

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  Be Warned - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By ccantrell - September 18 - 10:00 am

  Great Looks. If only they could make a car worth the $$. My car has been in the shop more than 45 days total. My MAIN complaint about the car is the amount of road noise and rattling (doors & dash). They have a design problem with the front heater vents; they pop-up and will not stay in place. The other problems I have had with our car is gas tank issue (service advisory), gas gauge, manual trans issues when cold, drivers interior door (re-design on clips). My recommendation is DONT buy. Better quality available for the same price. If you want the cat on the hood, look into the S-Type or higher. I feel like we paid $35,000 for a YUGO most days.

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  Worst car I ever owned!!! - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By jimjr11 - September 6 - 6:58 pm

  I bought my 2000 S-Type 4.0 new and have spent a fortune on it and had many days in the shop while still warranted as well. Dont believer I ever got out fr less than $800. I can count on one hand how many people have ever sat in the back seat, that window never is used, yet Im on my fourth window raising device. The car leaks and three trips to the shop they cant find the source carpet If the car stalls right after starting, it will never start again, have had it towed four times. Ball joints gone at 70k, trunk has leaked since it was new. the gas release has stopped three times, the mirrors dont adjust and theres a rattle in the center of the dash they cant find a solution for.