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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  COSTLY TO DRIVE - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By Sharfire - February 10 - 12:36 pm

  My Jag has had the tires replaced at 15,000 miles at a cost of $860.00 and a front end alignment at a cost of over $300.00. I had new brakes on at 22,000 and that included new front rotors. Now at 30,000 need new tires again because the tires are very loud and wearing out even though I have had them rotated on a regular basis. My car is eating tires and picks up road noise. Also, screws are falling out and the cover to fuses under passenger side glove box fell off and the sun glass holder has been replaced three times and it still wont stay closed. It has a surge in the engine that the dealer cant fix. The Jaguar decal on the front fell off (came unglued)

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  Beautiful car! - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Robin Sue - February 10 - 9:13 am

  This is the best car I have ever owned,including 500 series M-B, 700 series BMW, Lexus, as well as Jag XJ. Great balance of everything I was looking for. Love the look, performance, handling and ride. The retro styling is perfect.

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  I love my Jag - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Love my Jag - February 9 - 1:53 pm

  I bought my used Jag with 40000 miles in April 2009. Since then a few minor repairs, nothing crazy, but the ride and the looks are all worth it. Hitting 80 mph is too easy - watch out for the police because I have been at 105mph several times, turning heads is easy with this car.

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  A very good cat - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Maria Parelta - February 8 - 10:00 am

  I recently purchased this vehicle in July and I have been in heaven ever since. I just love this car so much that I look for reasons to drive. Everything is so perfect and the car screams luxury and british carm. People have complained about the reliability of Jaguar and I think that they are wrong. This car feels safe and reliable and is powerful.

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  $350 hood emblem! - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By lcatchpo - February 6 - 7:23 am

  Not once but twice Ive had the hood emblem stolen. Ill never own another Jaguar because of this. They could at least have mounted it differently instead of putting a spring inside. Its such a shame because this car is really a dream car. Luxurious and sporty and affordable but youll need the savings to replace your emblem every few months.

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  A beauty! - 2007 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By John - January 29 - 5:13 pm

  A beautiful car inside and out. A very British look makes heads turn when you drive it. Smooth powerful engine that gets excellent gas mileage - typically 28mpg highway driving. Navi system a bit difficult to use and has a great display.

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  Just traded - 2005 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Jagman - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Five months ago I traded my 2002 XKR conv. for the 2005. The only available was the same color: black. I can pass it off as the same car, if I want. The upgrades are subtle but significant. I thought the 2002 was the best car I ever owned, the 2005 is now the BEST. More power, more torque, 1 more gear, better handling, better looking exterior. I really look forward to driving every day. This car has the power available when you want it. It is also very comfortable on long trips. The 2008 may be next, when my warranty expires in two more years.

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  Best certified car out there - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By P Medina - January 28 - 10:50 am

  I just purchased this 2004 Jaguar X- type and so far I love this car. I was looking for a nice affordable luxury car and decided to check out Jaguar. I was very impressed with the style of the car. The interior is very nice and comfortable with all of the options a nice luxury car should have. I love driving a 5 spd and love that the x- type has it. I can not wait to test the awd in the bad weather. I have had the car for a short period of time but love it so far.

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  Nice to drive but typical Jag quality - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By PS2 - January 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car because of its handling and appeal. I love the drive, particularly in bad weather (40/60 split awd is amazingly good) and on the highway. BUT, the build quality is the worse Ive ever had to deal with. Ive owned about 15 cars, most bought new and this is by far the worse. Even before the car was delivered the cooling system sprung a leak. Since then, Ive had many problems with trim rattles/squeaks/broken parts and the engine runs rougher at idle than old Hyundai Pony.

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  Super Cat - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Gabriel - January 25 - 9:53 pm

  What a wonderful car to own and drive. I upgraded the wheels to the XJRs 18" and had a cone air filter installed to take off the restrictione. It opens up about 30hp and really lets the engine scream. Huge difference. The car is at home both in city or highway use. I wish it had a more modern navi system like the newer ones, and that gas cost $1.50 other than that, this is my dream car. Everyone that has ridden it loves it. Very, very solid. Get one if can. Dont even consider a Germany car over this, they do not compare.