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 first Jaguar - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By mike - June 25 - 5:40 am

  This was my first Jaguar and I was thrilled to own it. It is an amazingly beautiful car. I still cant stop looking at it. The interior is very pleasing and comfortable. However, my car visits the shop on average once a month for stupid things like locking making noises, trunk leaks, gas door wont open, oh and 2 transmissions later.

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  Rakish Roadster - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Peppy - June 23 - 3:13 pm

  Incomparable, stunning exterior. Sleek, clean and simple design that is beautiful, yet looks utilitarian. Turns heads and leaves em speechless. Very quick, ultra smooth and fast transmission, awesome brakes, quiet, comfortable, great suspension and cornering, neat and clean instrument panel, incredibly easy to use touch screen and luxurious appointments. Everything fits and looks right. Exceptional quality. A joy to drive. Exceptional in every respect.

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  XK Coupe at 55,000 miles - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By X150 Lover - June 22 - 2:10 pm

  A good looking, smooth running, GT car which can dice with the best out there on the back roads. Its quiet when youre cruising, but barks when you thrash it. The normally aspirated engine is adequate for public roads, and with the DSC off, all the power can be safely used for an exhilerating drive, the car cornering flatly and being able to balance under steer and over steer with the throttle. The fuel economy is very good, and the maintenance costs are low. So far, reliability is excellent.

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  Dream Car - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Maggie - June 22 - 1:03 am

  Have wanted a Jag since the first time I spotted an XKE when I was a child. Its beautiful, fun and now I cant imagine not having one.

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  Nice - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By oc - June 17 - 10:00 am

  I got a really good deal on this, so its hard not to like (25k). They were getting rid of them for the 2005s - right place right time kinda thing. Whats not to like when you get a car like this for a price like that. Even if I paid 30 to 32 for it, thats what this car feels like driving. I like it a lot more than the Mercedes. Something about jag that puts it apart. The car is heavy/solid feeling, but Im taking turns at more than twice the speed of the sequoa (truck) and I dont even notice it. The interior is absolutely gorgeous - a very non- cluttered open feel, but while your sitting in there sitting just off the ground, its like a race car

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  SKIP this Model! - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By sammyg - June 14 - 8:33 pm

  This is not a real Jaguar- Never had a Jag before, and after having all sorts of problems with my Audi A6 (no dealerships on Long Island could figure out what was wrong with the car), I swapped it for the X-type. What a mistake! The instrument gauges work intermittently (YES, sometimes they are just still, reading 0 MPH when on the freeway, etc.), the car SQUEAKS over every bump and dip in the road, the automatic headlights only work when they want to, and the dashboard vents curl up (had these replaced under warranty twice, still curls up! Ive given up on these). The rear park sensors dont always work. NOT acceptable for a $36k car. Look elsewhere when shopping in this category.

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  X is the way to go! - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By ED - June 13 - 9:40 pm

  Yes, its not an $80,000 luxury car but its still a Jaguar. Its fun to drive, handles well, looks great and I have no complaints.

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  Finally: Distinction! - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By JetDealer - June 12 - 9:10 pm

  At last, a car with truly unique style, excellent performance and a comparably reasonable price. After 12 years lounging in the top Lexus and Benz models (looking more generic every day) I couldnt be more pleased with the 4.2. Comments from public daily. The multi-adjust cockpit seating is virtually build-to-suit ... very comfortable. Exceptionally balanced handling.

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  My XJ-8 - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Sumner - June 12 - 5:20 pm

  great car to drive... lots of gadgets, can be confusing. Bucket seats could be more comfortable. Excellent fuel mileage, up tp 32 mpg. Superior exterior finsh. Very steady at high rates of speed and difficult to stay within speed limit.

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  My XJ-8 - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Sumner - June 12 - 4:46 pm

  Great car to drive... lots of gadgets, can be confusing. Bucket seats could be more comfortable. Excellent fuel mileage, up tp 32 mpg. Superior exterior finish. Very steady at high rates of speed and difficult to stay within speed limit.