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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  Exceptionally nice car - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Terry - June 6 - 5:00 am

  I was very surprised at the increased room and comfort of this new body style while retaining the classic and timeless Jaguar styling.This car is gorgeous inside and out. Perfect fit and finish reflect the meticulous care that must have been used in the design and construction of this car. This car is truly excellent in every category I can think of and it is reasonably priced. It beats the competition by a mile!

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  Fun Car - 2007 Jaguar X-Type
  By Ray - June 4 - 11:53 pm

  Absolute comfort and power. Real eye catcher. I get more looks and positive comments than I ever received with my BMW, Audi, MB 320C.

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  Amazing! - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Peter - June 2 - 3:40 am

  This car has amazing fuel economy for a 300HP V8, is deceptively light on its feet, and is light years ahead of its predecessor - all while retaining a characteristically Jaguar design. The downsides - the seat cushions are uncomfortable for my slender 62 frame, the automatic climate control seems to take too long to kick into gear, and the paint quality is sub par (worth noting is that mine is a black car that spent its first four years in Columbus). I bought a warranty with mine but question whether I really need it.

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  The Lightweight Cat is Great - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Virage - June 2 - 2:00 am

  This is the eighth Jag for me in the past 10 years (have had V12, Convertibles, XJR and XKR) and this is by far the best yet. Superb interior, fit and finish are exceptionally good and the ride is tops.

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  Joy to drive - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By NYJAG - June 1 - 10:00 am

  The 2.5 is a pure joy to drive. I have the manual with a premium package. The only complaint is that the engine is a little bit on the weak side and that it comes without seat memory. Wonderful road stability

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  love that jag - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By kiwi - May 31 - 2:56 am

  Feels great to drive. Holds the road very well. My wife cant stand it when I take it around turns at a little bit faster than our other cars:- ).

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  Class - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By dmragonese - May 28 - 10:00 am

  It drives like ice skating it glides and it is smooth.

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  KABOOCH - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By KABOOCH - May 28 - 10:00 am

  You have to drive one to understand the appeal of this automobile. Ultra beautiful interior. Braking and power superb. Great fit and finish. Quiet.

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  Beautiful Look - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By Ashraf - May 23 - 10:00 am

  I had GM, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda before. I was looking for an Accord or a Camry. I saw this beautiful used Jag including 3 years extended waranty that I can get for a price new accord or a Camery. No Comparison. No comparison. No comparison. Do not hesitate. This is a beautiful piece of art. Head turner. Jaguar should work a litle on Gas. 12.4 litters for 100 km in Canada in town. Rick Koch, thanks for recommending this car to me.

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  IAM SOLD - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Ronnie - May 19 - 11:26 am

  Iam sold to Jaguar for now on. I first walked into the dealership telling myself that I wanted to purchase an S-Type but I took one look at the XJ and completely changed my mind. The take off is awesome. Its way faster than my Mercedes S430. I love the low sports car feeling when I sit down in the front seats. The car gives you a low feeling with high doors and a high center counsel. The wood and leather are top notch and I love the carpet feeling of the headliner and pillars instead of that cheap threaded cloth that Mercedes uses. Jaguar also updated this car with more hightech gadgets but didnt overdo it like BMW and Audi.