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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  Jaguar S-Type R - 2006 Jaguar S-Type
  By islam7 - March 10 - 10:49 am

  I have 105,000 miles on my Jaguar S-Type R and its still runs like new. My Jaguar never broke down. The only money spend is for brakes pads, new tires and oil changes. I use only Mobil 1 synthetic oil for the oil change. Next month I’m going to have spend some money; for the 100,000 service (New Spark Plugs & Belts). This is the best car I owned.

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  A Classic in Silver - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Bob Varney - March 10 - 10:00 am

  After two years, our outstandingly beautiful silver S-Type remains in the same perfect condition as the day it was delivered to our home. (We still talk about that.) The car continues to turn heads and verbal compliments are common. All the reliability Ford promised to bring to Jaguar products appears to be present in our car. Drives and looks great!

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  The Class with the Flash... - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Gary Brint - March 4 - 9:03 am

  Fun to drive. Will come out of the hole like a boy dog. Stand flat footed and jump a 5 strand barb wire fence. All of that and then some. Will be trading my wifes new Caddy in on one of these new breeds of X-Cat so that she will have one as well. We both loved our first two XJ-6s but these X-3s are the ultimate driving machines. There is only one way to look at it - when in doubt, take the Jag.

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  Finally a Jag for the Snow belt - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By sjp1 - March 3 - 10:00 am

  For years I have driven Jaguars and Have dreaded winter. Despite the low gear lock out I still had difficulties in winter. When I brought my last Jag in for routine service, my sales person, knowing where I live showed me a x type and asked me if I would like to try it out. When we came back I did not want to give back the keys.It has all the pleasures of the other models,but also has the handling for my climate in Northern New York, where snow can last in to mid may. I had some unusual things happen, a stress crack in the windscreen, and I needed a new program chip for my navigation system. All fixed and in a timely manor,Thank you Jaguar.

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  Great Sedan and Reasonable to Operate - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By GE1024 - March 3 - 5:23 am

  CATS air suspension really provides for a wonderful ride. The car sails on the highway with better gas mileage than you might believe for this 300 HP V-8 (I routinely get greater than 28 MPH highway and and average of 24 MPH with some in-town). The interior is lush. The experior appeal is super. Navigation works extremely well (get the 2007 disc). Sound system is super. If you happen to find one with the rear control-DVD system in the headrests, you will have the complete package.

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  Very Pleased - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Steve717 - March 3 - 4:06 am

  Will keep this short & sweet. Build quality is great, performace is more than adequate. Its a fun car to drive with just enough mix of luxury and sportiness to make it interesting. Would highly recommend.

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  Best used car value ever - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By nate93460 - March 2 - 5:41 pm

  We purchased this car 2 years ago with just over 90k on the odometer, and couldnt be happier with it. now with over 100k on it it still looks and drives like it just rolled out of the showroom. The leather seats hardly show any wear at all, there arent any odd squeaks or rattles, everything works exactly as it should. The only thing that may need attention in the future is the headliner, as it is pulling away from its backing in a couple small patches around the sun visors. not really noticeable unless you look for it. Fast, smooth, nimble, outrageously comfortable, and thus far, exceedingly reliable as well.

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  2000 S Type - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By bkalin - February 25 - 2:00 am

  The console storage is small, there are too many squeeks and rattles for a car of this price, and the rear window motor gave out with less than 20,000 miles. The car handling is excellent for a vehicle of this size, acceleration is quick and with the upgraded tires wet weather handling is very firm. I was hit on the passenger side by a Ford F350 duel wheel pick-up with very little impact into the passenger compartment. The car is very sturdy. No passenger injuries at all. Unfortunately, it cost $8000. to repair my car, and took over a month to get the parts. I still consider this a great car for the price!

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  Electrical problems like any other Ford. - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By tgapoz - February 23 - 5:23 am

  This has been a great vehicle however maintenance is costly. Expect several hundred dollars for the simplest of repairs. My particular annoyance deals with electrical. Why would someone tie in the moon roof, interior lights and blower into one module. $300 to trace the problem and $500 to replace module. I refuse to replace and let this issue remind me to never buy a Ford product again. The work around was to unplug the module but that means no interior lights or moon roof. Oddly enough the blower worked. $1300 for brakes, $700 for an oil pan leak.

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  Great Car and a Great Deal - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Luv The Jag - February 22 - 8:46 am

  Bought this car in December and I have 5000 miles on it now. No problems and love it more every day. Outstanding looks, good performance, improving gas mileage with age (now up to 26 Hwy), and a level of exclusivity that you dont find in the competitors. Great in the snow and ice, handles great and is smooth and quiet. Great leather interior. If you can get your hands on one of these cars, go for it. The best kept secret in cars.