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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  Wow....Former Lexus Driver is wowed by - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By RST - May 14 - 10:00 am

  I owned five Lexus Cars before jumping to a Jaguar S Type R earlier this year. The folks at Lexus seemed to have no interest in retaining a repeat customer, (my wife and I both had them, LS 400 and RX 300). I am so happy I made the switch. The staff at the dealership is fabulous, they actually remember your name. And contrary to what folks have said in the past, this Jag works great, NO repeat NO quality problems. I cant think of a rattle or a squeak to complain about. You have to drive this car to appreciate it..a nice commuter car during the week and a hell raiser on weekends... Im a convert..I might just end up with five..

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  Nice car - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Gary Kirker - May 8 - 9:03 am

  This vehicle is fun to drive and comfortable. Best gas mileage for the power of this car I have ever owned.

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  Good deal for the money - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Abdoman - May 7 - 8:00 am

  My car has the sport package. Never really liked Jaguar before, but this car has really grown on me. Very good power, but the torque curve is too peakey - the real power is in the 3-4k range which kills gas mileage. The engine is the real downfall of this car. Dont get me wrong 0-60 in 6.6s is good. Handles very well and looks very good. Clutch is a little tricky, very good brakes.

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  My XJ8 - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Ed Piccolino - May 6 - 3:50 am

  A remarkable combination of agile performance, but not at the sacrifice of a very comfortable ride -- up to now, an impossible combination.

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  JAGUAR LUXURY - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By reddotone - May 5 - 10:00 am

  The S-Jaguar turns heads when you are driving. However the ride is rough in comparison to our Lexus. You have to push the doors hard for them to shut. The contour seats looks good, but the edges of seats when getting in are hard. Once in and seated, the seats are comfortable. The headrest are also hard. The car was purchase on 31 Jul 04. We had an engine check light come on in Aug 04. They had to replace the gas tank. No other mechanical problems with the car. Service personnel are very friendly. Great styling.

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  Very Pleased - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By pdalon - May 2 - 2:00 am

  A real "eye-catcher" and thrill to drive. Ive never owned an automobile that got more complements. I havent owned this car long enough to rate mechanically, but I have had absolutely no problems. Highly recommend if you want something everyone else isnt driving.

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  A fantastic car that could be even better - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By John - May 1 - 3:36 pm

  This is a wonderful vehicle, that has excellent luxury and comfort and great performance. It probably needs more power, as standard luxury cars are getting into the horsepower and 0-60 range of this car. I understand that Jaguar can get 550 bhp out of this engine - whats stopping them. An R version of this car should go 0-60 in 4.5 sec or less. Other than these issues (and the car is incredibly fast, it just could go faster), the car is fantastic.

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  here kitty - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Kevi99 - April 27 - 10:00 am

  the 2.5 x-type starts at 29,999 and it is a steal at that price. Great looks, 200hp v6, leather interior, all wheel drive, free maintance. Its a great alternative to a 325 or c class

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  finally got one! - 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By New Jag Guy - April 26 - 2:00 am

  The thing looks like its doing a hundred just sitting at the curb, and it definitely stands out in a sea of bubble cars. Soaks up the bumps better than even old Detroit sedans did, and yet is really a fine road car in the twists and turns. The reviewers like to say the XJ doesnt communicate with you like the German sedans. Theyre wrong. Seating position is great...you sit low, just like in an old sports car to really get that sensation of speed. Though regular XJ8s are cramped, the VDP is not. Definitely the way to go. Dont get this car if you want to go around town anonymously!

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  Transmission/Gearbox/Locks in park - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By BLUEBLUE - April 26 - 2:00 am

  My Jaguar was a gift from my husband. I love the body style of the car, however I am suprised that a recall has not been issued for the cars defaults such as transmission/gearbox failure. My cars has gotten stuck in park on three occassion, it happens on inclines.I have also experienced several small items breaking/falling apart on the car such as latch on opening to gastank,windows falling out, gastank replaced, seatleather redone. One other problem I have had was valves replaced. esomd