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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  Good, but not Fantastic - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By jaguar Man in L.A. - July 20 - 10:00 am

  The X-type looks great inside and out. To me it looks like a mini XJ. There are several items that I would like to point out to potential buyers. I have the 3.0 Liter but it is weak with hardly any torque. Gas mileage is horrible. Much less than the sticker says. I drive about 1/2 city 1/2 highway, and average only 17 MPG. Also, the car has alot of rattles, and the springs are very squeeky. The car rides very harsh, especially on dips or rough roads. Overall a decent car, but the lack of build quality really shows.

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  If only there was a money back guarantee - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By nopesa - July 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought the 3.0 Sport because it visually appealed to me and on test drive was smooth, fast and quiet. But after 2 months, the Sport package has proven too stiff, the gas mileage is worse than a SUV...consistently average 13-14 mpg. The drivers seat shakes. Buttons here and there squeak and the car just doesnt make itself a keeper. My old Lexus was light years smoother and more sophisticated than this Jag.

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  Bad transmission - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By rbinlex - February 2 - 5:00 am

  Purchased from original owner, low mileage. Beautiful car, best ride ever IF you can keep it out of the shop. Never could get the heater to work properly, froze every winter. Difficult time finding a "good" jaguar mechanic that could troubleshoot. It seemed to always be something. Every time it went to the shop it was $600-$1000. The final straw was when the transmission went out at 79K. Resale value was so low I chose to not fix the car. What a shame. Ill never buy another one.

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  lemon - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By steve centore - December 1 - 2:00 am

  dealership was not truthful,this car was a demo,which they didnt tell me that was in an accident.from day 1,ive had nothing but trouble.transmission stinks,constant vibration in the front end.the brakes are noisey,squeally,major engine parts have been replaced,repaired,the manager of the dealership is of no use,no help;i cant wait for the lease to be up

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  What a Mistake - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By LGross - October 9 - 2:50 am

  When we walked into the showroom my husband and I fell in love with the JagX. It didnt take long to find out we had made a mistake. In the two years that we have owned this car it has been in the shop 25 times. Rattles and noises have been endless. Many have been fixed just to come back again. We put on our third set of tires at 55,000 miles. Remote locks have been fixed 4 times. Dashboard has popped up 4 times and currently rattling again. Electric windows broke, wheel covers fell off, seatbelts jammed, wind leak in windows, door jammed from outside, Grinding/rubbing noise when stopping. Rattles everywhere! Looks nice but grrrrr! I will do more investigating next time I buy.

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  HATE MY JAG!!! - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By My Jag Experience - August 6 - 10:00 am

  Bought my Jag last month. Immediately it started to have problems. First, it wont shift out of gear when parked at any incline. That took two trips to the dealer, 10 days, and a new transmission. Got it back. First day, it didnt start! Dealer unresponsive. Their answer is "You got warranty. Bring it in and well fix it." Well, I dont want to keep bringing it in. I get to drive my car only three times since purchase and each time, I had a new problem. Dont buy this car!

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  WORST vehicle for QUALITY. - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By Sam - April 29 - 5:43 am

  Expensive repair required every 90 days. Every thing is repaired from trans/engine to things you can not expect. It is always a surprise. But best part is you will replace lot of window regulators. Recommend to STOP using window.

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  Stay away! - 2007 Jaguar X-Type
  By BlueMountain - April 28 - 8:10 am

  At 87K miles most would expect all parts of the powertrain to be intact but not with the X type. The dealership tells me I need a transmission, axle, transfer case along with water pump. I just fixed the wiper motor and the engine is pinging. I thought I just got the trouble car but I learned the transmission went out on 2 other owners I talked to in the Jaguar waiting room. No wonder they offer only a 50K mile warranty for such an expensive car. The one thing that hurts so much is the value drops like gravity. I owe 20K on this car and it looks nice and all but is only worth 11K according to KBB. Consider yourself warned. Stay away from this car.

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  To whom it may concern - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By towhothismyconcern - April 5 - 10:40 am

  I bought my jaguar a year ago used from a hometown dealer. The car only had one previous owner and was bought with 78k miles. i was so excited about my new car and i looked great driving it. The car was such a beauty. i later found out that beauty isnt everything when within the first year of owning this vehicle Ive had to replace the starter, water pump and transmission. this car has cost me 7k, almost more than its worth. i guess its a lesson learned. Im writing this review to help anyone anyway i can.

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  Buy new every four years - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By X owner - October 31 - 3:36 am

  Bought my Jag used with 12,000 miles. Dealer gave us two new tires. At 22,000 had to replace all 4, this was with proper rotation schedule. Needed brakes every 30,000. It has always hated cold weather even though it was garage kept. Major hose repairs at 30,000. New battery at 60,000. Key fob still unlocks, up close. Driver door lock system had to be replaced. Drivers door panel fell off due to broken clips, twice! Not to mention the constant repair of the passenger side defroster vent so it would not rattle. Also found rust starting on hood, almost one year after rust warranty has ended. Have 78,000 miles. The engine light is on again. Trading this week. What a relief! Kept cause no payment.