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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  #1 - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By max f - July 10 - 10:00 am

  this is the number 1 car. it is very fast and it is not loud.

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  mechanical problems - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Tonnia R. Hawkins - July 9 - 2:23 pm

  S-Type 2003 Jaguar- I bought this vehicle in November of 2003 and in January the vehicle started giving me problems. I was at the dealership every other week with the same problem. The problem was with the the motor. They had to put in another motor, so obviously I was not happy with buying my new car and the motor goes out. So, after battling back and forth with the dealership, they decided to find another car for me. I was very happy! The car I have now, which is the very same make and model, has done well for me. I havent had a problem. It runs well, its pretty and it has a great gas mileage. Most of all, I am very happen with my replacement car. Thanks!

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  First time Jag owner - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Carlos C. Cardenas - July 8 - 9:13 pm

  The car style and curves sold me for a high quality 4 door sports car. I quickly experienced sluggish transmission issues. Then I started having interior electrical issues that started with the heated seats then cig. lighter now the moonroof is malfunctioning. I have kept an optimistic view that these were just minor issues. I still have a jerky and slow responding transmission after several visits to the dealership over a years time. I have to say that I like the responsiveness on the highway and the ride is comfortable.

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  Good value but has drawbacks - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By S. Chapman - July 8 - 9:46 am

  Bought this car as it had excellent value for resale and was AWD - others tested were the Audi A4 & Volvo S60 - the Jag just seemed like a better value for $$$ - the 3L V6 engine delivers smooth cruising power but has enough pickup punch to pass slower trucks/traffic on the highway. The AWD is great in poor weather and snow (make sure you check to see if its equipped with Traction control - mine was not and feels somewhat like a RWD car in heavy snow - light tail end). Also the name brand: Jaguar - it has a lengthy pedigree and the car is not very common on the road - unlike other executive BMWs & Audis - which seem to be everywhere.

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  The Red Kitty Cat - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By Albert - July 5 - 7:00 pm

  Found this car in my local newspaper of all places. With about 55K miles on it and perfect condition. Lost the right front wheel bearing about 1 month after purchase. 56K miles and the right front window regulator at about 63k. I have taken the car on two trips from Cincinnati, one to DC and the other to the Outer Banks and both trips were pure fun. The current tires are useless in snow or ice and I park the cat when the freezy skid stuff falls.

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  2004 XType - Very Disappointing - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Bob - July 2 - 4:53 pm

  I have the 2004 X Type for a year and a half now and cant wait for the lease to be up. Both key remotes have broken at different times. Both headlights have gone out at different times. The wipers stopped working and had to be serviced with a new motor. The car now started emmitting a whining noise from the rear and now has to go back. The seats are very small and uncomfortable. The heated seats and rear defroster shut off at 15 minte intervals which is annoying. Horrible sounding stereo. Cup holders are made it appears for cups of British tea rather than water bottles. Rear seat is cramped. Great AWD in snow. Ample HP with 3.0 engine but nothing exciting. Hood ornament is best feature!

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  Awesome - 2003 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Klooser - July 2 - 2:00 am

  Has sweet acceleration and every thing you can think of.

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  Great car - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Ntwing007 - July 2 - 2:00 am

  I just bought a 2.5 automatic X-Type. I live in the Philly area and we have been getting some snow this winter. This car handles the snow like it is not even there. The AWD is great! The car also stands out and gets a lot of looks from others. I have been very happy with this car and would highly recommend it.

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  Disappointing glitches in new luxury car - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By ps2 - July 2 - 2:00 am

  The X-Type is an excellent all-weather car with tons of Jaguar options. On the negative, the build quality is disappointing - coolant leak, driver seat repairs, interior trim rattles & squeaks, and the car is less than 3 months old. Jaguar is good about fixing the issues & service is what you expect from a high-end car company. Even with those issues, I still rate it very high -- the rattles dont impact the all-round performance of the car. It beats the SUVs in poor weather performance & fuel economy, not to mention the status of being a Jaguar. Oh yes, the price was less than most SUVs too.

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  2.5 X-type - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By curtiskp - June 26 - 10:00 am

  fit and finish is excellent, handles like a dream, more tire noise than i would like, could use a few more hp.