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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  Ocean to desert round robin - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By proflovell - September 12 - 5:23 pm

  The only reason I did not give the interior design a 10 rating is because, at 61", I have tended toward larger cars. That said, a recent 1200 mile journey to Death Valley & return was our maiden trip to put the "darling little car" (my wifes description) through a gentle test run. We tent-camped in Furnace Creek, hauling all we needed in the cargo area; freeway driving was a fun run for a change with the sport-feel of the road; country curves & desert "thank-you-mums" were even more pleasurable with the X-Types road- hugging & shorter wheelbase handling. Our 25 mpg average on this trip was most welcome in light of the $3+ pump prices; a fair exchange for a downsized wagon.

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  Motoring Delight - 2001 Jaguar XK-Series
  By NiceWheels - September 12 - 9:40 am

  The car is a fantastic machine with timeless styling. The generous use of high quality wood and leather make it a pleasure to sit in each and every time. Rear seat is absolutely unusable even by my toddlers. Should not even be there. I still look forward to driving the car which is more than I can say for most cars after the initial euphoria wears off.

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  Very Affordable Jaguar for the Masses - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Joseph L - September 9 - 10:00 am

  Re:Jaguar X type AWD 2.5 auto, sunroof, heated seats for invoice OUT THE DOOR. Because of the $2k incentive that dealers are getting from JaguarNA. Power is 3rd in class behind BMW & Audis. Goto the 3.0 if u need to race. 2.5 V6 is sufficent for mix hwy/city. Well made & put together inside. Quality seems to be improved in 2nd year of production. Weird is the free included service schedule calls for oil changes @ 10K interval Yet, the car doesnt use synthetic oil!! If u plan on keeping the car for a awhile...stick w/ 3K miles oil changes @ YOUR expense. Very good package for the price esp. now that car market is full of competitors.

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  great car - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By melbourne - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I was in the automobile business for 25 years and this is the car I leased. The quality is there and I am very pleased with the dealership as well as the automobile.

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  XJR: a sports car in a sedans body - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By donfenn - September 4 - 10:00 am

  This car has been a wonderful driving experience for my first few days of ownership. It is fast, quiet, smooth, and very responsive. It is a very slick, attractive vehicle, but it is clean, elegant and understated. The supercharger offers the power when you want it, but it is very driveable in normal city driving. I am getting about 17 mpg on the first few tanks of gas---- which seems good for a 390 HP V8 in city driving!

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  Gorgeous car; ugly repairs. - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By indiansummer - September 2 - 6:11 am

  Bought this car in January of 2011 with 13k miles on it. Always wanted this model. I knew what I was getting myself into but was stubbornly optimistic. I wanted to believe Jag had improved their reliability over the years but was quickly disappointed. The performance is beyond reproach and I admit I am now spoiled with its power and plush interior. But by 20K, one of the shocks blew. By 30k, the air suspension compressor died. By 40k, another shock blew. By 45k, the car died mid-ride (thank God I wasnt on the freeway). The dreaded "engine systems fault" light illuminated. Dealer couldnt figure out the problem and it magically cured itself; promptly traded it for reliable Lexus.

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  Wyoming - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By cut7 - August 29 - 2:00 am

  I have never driven or owned a car that gets to the speeds as fast as my XKR does. I own 3 Jags (68 E, 90 XJS conv.) and the XKR is by far the fastest. As with all Jags, the looks are very sexy.

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  Quality midsize performer. - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Flyingweightech - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Although classed as "Midsize" its quality seating makes the interior seem small. Should the driver require all the available seat adjustment, it gives very little room for the rear passenger. As a drivers car, it has few equals. The All Wheel Drive gives great confidence in all weather conditions. The superb road handling can give the impression the car is on rails! Powered by the zesty 3.0 litre engine it can leave you with the impression that you are behind a turbo charged V8! Take your foot off the power and you are driving a luxury limo. Put your foot down and the smooth powerful engine puts you in the Ferrari class.

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  seventh XJ since 1969 - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By JHB-2 - August 29 - 2:00 am

  My most exciting XJ was 1973, series 2. The 04 revives the excitement. It is quick, quiet and comfortable. The competition was the 04 Audi A8L Audi hadmore rear room, but was not as cofortable nor as responsive on curves.

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  Best car ive had - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By MXRIDER - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Great car, inside and out. Sporty exterior, and user friendly interior. Relatively smooth ride with great handling and respoinsiveness, and the engine has plenty of "get up and go" considering the size of the engine. However, a faulty thermostat and faulty cooling fan regulator have both left me waiting for flat bed :( . In both cases, the warrantee covered all repairs and labor charges. Another drawback, the stock sound system is very weak for a Jag, I was very dissapointed. Overall, I LOVE THIS CAR!!! VERY FUN TO DRIVE! Now im just waiting for the 05 introduction of the X TYPE R :)