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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  Great car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By ann boyle - January 7 - 2:00 am

  I owned a BMW M3 immediately prior to buying the Jaguar X. The X is far superior in handling, fuel economy, and comfort. I love driving it and it is dynamite on ice and snow. I didnt put snow tires on it and have had no trouble whatsoever getting around in bad weather.

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  Wonderful Car!! 2002 Best Year Yet!! - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By katee314 - January 4 - 3:36 am

  I have had my Jaguar for about 22 months. It has been excellent to drive and thrill to ride in. Interior should be a little more roomier in the rear. I love the memory seats and dual temperature settings. Not to mention the heated seats are wonderful. I do wish it had remote starting. I agree it is the best looking car I have seen. Even for the newer model cars for 2006/2007.

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  Jaguar S type 4.2 Sport package - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By R. Leverson - December 31 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car a short time and put 2500 miles on it. This was more than enough to tell I made a good choice. It handles like it should have no fenders and paddle shifters (just kidding). Seriously the best handling sedan I have ever driven and I have owned three BMWs in the past 15 years plus a cadillac STS which was somewhat of a dissapointment in all respects. This car has looks,performance, and handling. What more could you want.

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  A beautiful experience - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Nick Stafford - December 27 - 1:16 pm

  I moved from Mercedes to Jaguar and will not go back. I cannot fault the S- Type in any way and it looks beautiful. It will certainly be a classic one day, but for now it has everything for today. The build quality is perfect. The performance is powerful for a large compact. The sat nav and other extras are very practical and integral to the design. Driving it is as smooth and responsive as any Mercedes or BMW I have ever owned. The interior leather and wood trim is classy. Also the reliability data for Jaguar are as good as any other luxury car and I hope this becomes reflected in the resale figures. Full marks Jaguar.

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  love it - 2006 Jaguar XK-Series
  By yuo ming - December 27 - 7:40 am

  this is probably the best car EVER... it is the nicest looking car, it is fun to shore off and drive, my friends love it and want me to drive when ever we carpool.... if you are not sure about getting one i suggest getting one because they are awesome.

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  JUNK - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By jcpil1515 - December 25 - 1:00 am

  This is the biggest piece of junk i have ever bought. it started breaking down the 2nd day after i bought it. its has been in the shop 23 times. Warranty just ran out and we are getting rid of this car as quickly as possible. i have had problems with brakes, transmission, ignition, main computer, door panels. My wife and baby have been stranded 3 times because the car wouldnt start it would say security enabled and the only way to reset it is at the dealership. which is 100 miles from where we live. When i had problems with the brakes it went on for 3 months they had to get the engineers who designed the brakes and fly them into the dealership to finally fix them. Bottom line its junk

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  Lucky to be alive - 2013 Jaguar XJ
  By trish78 - December 23 - 7:19 pm

  Ive had since Dec 2003(s done 50,000 miles and has been one careful driver - me- and sevice and checked by Jag dealer regularly. On Wed 13th November 2013 I was driving on a dual carriageway at 60mph when the car suddenly accelerated. I thought the cruise control was on and braked to cancel it, but the car just kept going faster. I tried switching to manual and forcing it into lowest gear with no effect, pumping brake and engaging the hand brake , but the car just kept going faster and I was rapidly approaching other vehicles. So I moved into the fast lane, which was clear, but then two cars pulled out in front of me to overtake a lorry. At 90mph I hit themand am lucky to be alive

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  S-Type Review - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By 01JagSType - December 21 - 3:16 am

  The Jaguar S-Type has treated me well the past 5 years I have owned it. However, minor technical problems do come up now and then. Its a good idea to get the extended warranty after end. Acceleration is not on par with MB, but handling is superb. The styling is more appealing than most. Interior quality is excellent, and even better with the 03 Revised models. The 19/24 fuel economy is just average. The car definately is a head turner, but it is quickly silenced with electrical headaches. I do suggest this car as long as it is an 03 or newer model. I plan to try trade it in for jaguars new XK. Overall, this car has met my demands and I can reccomend it.

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  X 2.5 Sport - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By JS - December 20 - 2:00 am

  Ive put over 27k on my 2.5 X-type sport and have had few problems. Typical windshield jet seeping and trunk popper button are the only things Ive run across. Drove this through a huge snow storm in NY (from Boston to Detroit) and was blowing by SUVs. This car grips the road like none other and is a blast in the corners. 2.5 could use a little more kick, but w/ a 5 speed manual/Sport Pkg. its still a blast to drive. Great looks and awesome in the Michigan winters....wish I had opted for the heated seats though!

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  Amazing!!! - 2006 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Jeramy - December 20 - 12:03 am

  Its a great car to drive, nice easy- going stability, acceleration is very fast. Its a semi-auto car. You can choose the power from 2 to 5 or for automatic put it in D or Drive. It says that itll go top speed: 170. The thing that I didnt like was it doesent have automatic and manual its only semi-auto its not where you can put it in M and shift like in a Ferrari.