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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  What is Edmunds Thinking - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Kurt-SpringTx - August 31 - 10:00 am

  You guys at Edmunds need to get together and reevalute this sexy, sleek car. What were you thinking? She is at least a 8. You really dont know what you are missing until you have driven her. BMWs and Mercedes should watch out. The Cats are Roaring.

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  Run from the 2000 S-type 3.0 - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By S Type Owner - August 31 - 1:33 am

  After reading the other reviews in here (very few of which were positive) I can concur with almost everything. This car, though gorgeous, is a mechanical nightmare. I bought mine used, its almost paid off, and I will get rid of it asap. If you ever by an s- type 3.0, youd better have a great warranty to fix the common issues seen on almost all s types eventually: (coils fail, o2 sensors fail, coolant seals fail, headlights fail, headliner falls, oil leaks, transmission problems, weak brakes, plastic parts eventually fail, rear window tracks fail.) if you do your research (like I should have) youll see negative comments all over the web about this model car. Buy it if you can afford many repairs!

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  Luxury Defined - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Jim from NC - August 28 - 1:40 pm

  Luxury, luxury, and more luxury. having owned MBZ S Class, BMW 745i, and other Luxury cars, you cannot beat this car for the money. Very comfortable and luxurious, fast, great handling, and surprising gas mileage along with stand alone looks, make this car the leader in flagship sedans in my opinon. select Edition used is best program in the industry and Jaguar tied Lexus in recent reliability polls.

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  Love from first mile - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Barbara Fromm - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This is a wonderful car. It handles so smoothly and corners like a dream. Many compliments from friends and neighbors. Interior is very comfortable with a good sound system.

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  The GOOD, the BAD,and the UGLY - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By scat - August 27 - 2:00 am

  The GOOD: Looks great, all-wheel drive works well, good acceleration. The BAD: 3.0 w/auto transmission no good--do not buy it! The tranny cannot handle the torque and horsepower of this engine with all-wheel drive. Mine blew at only 9,000 miles, many others had same experience. Should have been recalled but too many cars were affected, Ford was unwilling to spend the bucks. The UGLY: Customer service at dealership was appaling right from the get-go. You are buying Jaguars cheapest car, and they treat you as such. Service dept. horrible!!

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  Looks good, reliability not there... - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By terse - August 27 - 2:00 am

  First 12 months: 3 breakdowns, three tows to dealership, car out of service 27 days. Horrible experience w/dealer on third time, wont go back. Plus side: good ride, decent power, looks sharp. Negatives: Automatic transmission terrible, poor fit and finish.

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  My mistake - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Rick van Rijssen - August 27 - 2:00 am

  My first Jaguar will be my last. New transmission at 2600m. Problem not identified after repeat visits to dealer. Whirring sound at low speeds annoying and alarming. Back seats cramped and headroom very limited. Gas mileage awful at average 17mpg, not what Jaguar wants you to believe. Trunk space about half of that in our 99 Acura TL. Mini spare tire did not improve my opinion of Jaguar. Great snow car! All wheel drive works well, sticky tires seem to claw their way through snow up to 18 inches. On icy hills we passed sliding SUVs BMWs and Mercedeses, as they were struggling to keep their footing. Passing reserve at higher speeds is good.

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  SUPER JAGUAR! - 2006 Jaguar S-Type
  By PCardali - August 24 - 6:06 am

  The 2006 S-Type R is one of the worlds most underrated cars. With 400hp the car defines "Performance Luxury Sedan". The cars power and handling will amaze you the first time you drive it but the luxury and styling will make you fall in love. Technically the car has everything that any car lover would want: Nav system, Bluetooth compatible, satellite radio without the hassle and annoyance of the German brands. Avoid the iDrive! The cars interior has improved in terms of the quality of the materials compared to earlier models. This is my 2nd STypeR and I love this one even more. Jaguars STypeR is the automotive equivalent to Clark Kent--underneath the surface lies something SUPER.

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  My Jag - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By Sancho - August 23 - 7:23 am

  Vehicle was delivered with grossly over-inflated tires (50lbs) ... should be approx 30lbs. Have a standard transmission; am a conservative driver; have yet to get over 22 mpg combined city/highway driving. Car handles great; takes turns smoothly and requires minimur of braking on sharp turns. Excellent on snow and rain. Developed a high-pitched sound; failed to repair correctly on first try; tape recorded sound and the Dealer replaced the DRIVETRAIN... have not heard sound in approx one month since this repair.

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  Welcome to my gentlemans stage of life - 2013 Jaguar XJ
  By cbrandi - August 22 - 3:41 am

  Ive owned performance oriented cars of all stripes. This is my first tilt into the luxury side of the equation. Ive had two previous Jaguars and loved them, being fast, comfortable and beautiful. I like the fact that these cars stand apart from the German crowd. They offer color choices and interior choices unlike the German boredom. BTW Ive owned several German cars too.