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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  I love this car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Mrs. TJS - January 27 - 10:00 am

  This car is fun, fast and has great handling. My husband has a 2002 Vanden Plas Turbo Charged, and even he loves driving this car. My previous cars were a Mercedes SLK and a Mercedes C280. I like every aspect of this Jaguar better.

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  An Incredible Car - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By My First Car - January 23 - 11:33 pm

  The Jaguar XJR was a gift to me from my father for my 16th birthday. It is my dream car of course next to the Rolls Royce. However the ride is amazing and the heads turn when this baby come down the street. If i could change one thing it would be a gadget in the cabin that released the hood orniment and a brushed aluminum instead of wood option.

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  New X-Type - 2007 Jaguar X-Type
  By cm1 - January 21 - 5:00 pm

  I really enjoy this car. Its sporty and fast. The interior comforts are beautiful although a little small (but Im coming from a Sedan Deville.) There is a lot of power and the trans is smooth. The size is perfect and Im impressed with the safety, including side curtain airbags. Its a got a beautiful paint job and nice leather- great radio with CD. Corners perfectly and really holds the road and its good in the snow. So far Im very happy with my new car.

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  Luxurious and some - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Harry Brockington - January 17 - 5:10 am

  Im a previous owner of a jaguar x-type of 3 yrs. I liked the service I received from my dealer, so I decided to move up to the next model that jaguar offers. I now feel like Im driving a luxury car. From the smooth ride to the quality build and extra room, I just cant complain about any thing. Im getting better fuel economy as well. Its been 29 days of pure delight. The car has everything I need as far as options goes, cd, nav system, moon roof, 18 inch wheels and some. Im looking forward to a long rewarding experience with my 05 S-Type 3.0. There may be other vehicles out there that out perform mine, but you cant beat luxury, style and class.

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  X-type Owner - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Larry - January 14 - 9:46 pm

  It a good looking car with class.The only problem I have had is the paint job. It seems to chip right down to the primer with the littliest bump. I am having this looked into too, as it is obvious a bad paint job, otherwise the car itself is well built and gives the driver the feeling of being in control. I am a previous owner of two Lexuses and have decided to make a change, I am looking for good customer service as well as dependability in a vehicle. I find that to be most important overall.

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  Raves for the S type - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Irakeats - January 13 - 10:00 am

  The styling is both striking and beautiful with a reto flair that exhudes an elegance not found in other automobiles today.

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  great car - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By gary kir - January 13 - 10:00 am

  Really confortable, and fun to drive, Most power and at the same time best gas milage auto, i have ever owned.

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  nice ride and cheap - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By momomo - January 6 - 2:00 am

  a better value than BMW and MB Ive owned both. The 10k savings is better spent on other things

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  more than i expected - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By eguck - January 6 - 2:00 am

  i did alot of comparing before settling on the jaguar. i finally reached my decision based on looks and overall performance. the 227 horsepower is very responsive and the engine sounds beautiful when called upon. there are safety features galore, 6 very smart airbags. my daughter can sit in the front seat in a pinch and it shuts off automatically because of her weight. the car is much more than i expected.plus it looks great in my driveway!!

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  My xkr and its performance - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By gpkingfish - December 31 - 2:00 am

  I went from a 1997 xk8 to my 2003 xkr and I love it. It has a lot of power and it has the same design as the 1997 and I think that this is a plus. It handles well on curves and rough roads. It is small and somewhat cramped and you cannot sit in the "backseat" area.The drink holder needs to be re- designed.