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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  Simply the best. - 2011 Jaguar XJ
  By frisko4me - October 11 - 9:31 pm

  I have have had the privlidge of owning many luxury cars. BMWs, Benz, and Jaguars. This car is superior in every way to its predecessors and to its competition. It sets the bar very high for the next generation of luxury performance autos.

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  Great surprise! - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Dave S - October 7 - 10:00 am

  I finally realized how fun this car can be with a 5 speed! I love the navigation system. The car looks incredible as well. It is black with black tint all the way around with the sport package. Very sharp. The car is quiet and well behaved. I wish the tires were Z rated like the S-Type.

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  In and out of the shop constantly - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By CHRIS - October 5 - 4:43 am

  This is a beautiful car. If it only ran as good as it looks. I had a 2001 S Type which was an excellent car. However, the reliability went south on this one. It has been in the shop many times - sometimes for weeks. Jaguar was not particularly responsive or compassionate about selling me a lemon. I wont buy another jaguar.

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  Janets XK8 Kitty - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Janet S. Leon - October 4 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned this type vehicle for the past 14 years, buying annually to semi- annually. I have that much faith & love for these machines. Not much maintenance, just menial things like oil changes, filters & maybe a computer glitch this year on the transmission (first time!) Overall, because I dont have a dealership in Corpus, it still doesnt concern me much about repairs. They are all small enough to extremely enjoy this great car that sounds like it purrs when youre driving into your big garage! I love the feel, elegance, drive, reliability & social status you receive when buying this vehicle. You cant afford to miss out on this car!

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  Robert - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By robert - October 3 - 12:43 am

  Number one when I tell people I bought my wife a jaguar x they think I spent a lot of money but not really. The car is a lot of fun to drive, holds the road great, fast when I need it, stops great also. I feel safe. The warranty is very good and the company contacts you on every thing. But two things I dont like are brake dust on the wheels and it looks like the Ford Taurus sometimes.

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  Elegance & beauty - 2003 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Sonni - September 26 - 12:36 pm

  Beautiful sleek profile--I love the look and style. Gorgeous wood dash. Fabulous power--gotta watch the speed. Strangers stop and stare and comment that they love my car--me too. Even the 25-26 mpg was a pleasant surprise.

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  Fords version of a Jaguar - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By nypsych - September 25 - 2:00 am

  Took delivery of my new X-type in December. The motor runs well, the car is quiet. Handling, however, is not good. The car and steering wheel bounce and rumble - perhaps the AWD gears arent smooth. As a result, the car has very poor feel of the road, since the steering wheel bounces on its own, along with the car freame - worse as the car speeds up. Ride is adequate at low speeds, however. The seat was loose and the tires underinflated and way out of balance as delivered. Handling improved a little when I had the tires balanced, but still not right (see above). Still a Ford, and a great disappointment.

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  Best car I ever owned - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By Colonel D. - September 23 - 11:02 pm

  Every popular magazine and website dissed the Jag wagon when it came out. Boy, were they wrong. I bought mine used, have owned it for eight years, and NEVER had a major maintenance issue with it. Performance is tops, just like the day I got it, and it now has 130k miles. Small and nimble, but with the extra room of a wagon and every extra you can imagine. Sweet ride. Car & Driver called it an "exotic" since less than about 1500 were made between 2004 and 2008. They were right about one thing: its a head-turner and a conversation starter with knowledgeable Jag owners. If Jag still made these, it would be my next car.

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  Cat, Subies and Bimmers, 70K update. - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By kkakear - September 22 - 11:46 pm

  OK, so said I wouldnt buy it out of the lease and I did anyway. It was the cheapest thing to do. Just put shocks, struts, tires and front brakes on it, all wear items. Havent had any other problems other than a front axle seal leak, covered under warranty. The cars style stands out in a sea of styling mediocrity and angry kitchen appliances. Gas mileage stands at 23 MPG on premium fuel over 71K miles. Never any major problems, just a bunch of annoying small ones and it has never left us sitting, unlike every Japanese car weve ever owned.

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  Awesome, look no further - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By shr100t - September 20 - 8:46 pm

  I have driven Jags all my life and every time I buy a new one it only gets better, I now own a Super V8 and wow the power, the luxury - absolutely awesome. I would love to see in the next generation XJ a backup camera, to me this is all that is missing. The car is fun to drive, plenty of power and just so British, fit for a king. If you are thinking of owning one, go test drive one, before you waste your money on other luxury models, you wont be sorry. Happy motoring and enjoy.