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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  x - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Don K - December 31 - 2:00 am

  Its the dealer that has made this car a great buy.

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  Head Turner - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By brucelee - December 30 - 8:46 pm

  I love this car. Im 64" 330 lbs guy who is comfortable when driving this car. I have recently went to look at the Jaguar XJ8 and now I will buy it soon. May I warn any potential buyers, people will talk about the jag but would love to be in your seat driving the jag. It is fast and dependable. The gas is great. It cost 27 dollars to fill up tank with 93 octane. That is great. This car is an attention getter. It cost to be the boss. I went to local dealership for oil change and was amazed that you only need an oil change every 1 year or first 10,000 miles. So you save money. At this moment no problems with vehicle. I wish I had a navigation system and this would make this a total package

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  X-Type - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By nikestud785 - December 21 - 10:00 am

  This car drives and handles well, and it has exceeded my expectations. The car is adequately equipped, and it looks more classy than any of the cars in its peer group.

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  X-Type review by a Brit - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Barryl - December 17 - 2:00 am

  I bought the X-Type for my own 50th Birthday! So far I have covered just less than 1000 miles, so it is admittedly a little early to say, but the car has been faultless, both on delivery and in use. Mine is a manual Sport - I didnt want the auto on this car. The car is much quieter than I expected and very refined, such that now I tend to listen to classical music! Lots of extras made the car rather expensive - these are mainly individual in the UK, not big option packs as in the States. Would definitely recommend the reverse-park sensor which I have, as rearward visibility is not too good. Standard headlights are quite good, but I wish now Id bought the Xenon option.

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  A Perfect Car - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By thomdm - December 15 - 10:00 am

  Great Style. Quick Acceleration. Smooth transmission and incredible stereo.

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  Love My Jag - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By SPG - December 13 - 7:30 pm

  If you are thinking of purchasing a 2005 Jag, this is the one to own. I get over 25 mpg city driving, I have never taken it on any trip, so hwy mpg is unknown. 3.5 years of ownership and no problems. I think Ill own this for a long time!

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  XJ8 - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Stanley Langbein - December 9 - 4:56 pm

  Its good, the car is very fine, its fun to drive, and accelerates very smoothly.

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  The Editors Dont Get It - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Noel cab - December 7 - 10:00 am

  Excellent all around vehicle. Will outclass, outrun, outperform the German cars in its class in any road condition, any weather. I know. I have two other German marques that are useless with the slight pour of rain or snow. Not for the masses. Purrfect car for the Northeast. I really dont care what editors say. Excellent dealer service too.

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  "My Last Fling" - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Black Diamond - December 3 - 7:53 am

  This car is so exciting to drive and to look at that I call it "my last fling". When Im behind the wheel, I feel like I never need to own another car, ever. Driving it is like cruising down a ski slope on fresh powder. You glide along until you decide to exploit its power with a burst of acceleration. The sexy growl of the engine when you push the start button and the power of the engine when you shift it into gear and accelerate let you know that this is no kids toy. This car is for the enthusiast who cant wait to find a stretch of open road.

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  A real road hugger - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By w.taylor - December 1 - 10:00 am

  Love the way the car handled a close call on snow and ice. Saved me!