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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  Awesome - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Snook - October 7 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for about nine months and I havent had any problems. The car performs very well and is certainly a head turner. I have had many people say that they really like the way that this car looks. I appreciate the new renovations this year as opposed to the last years model.

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  Love My Jag - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By braceand - October 6 - 10:00 am

  I have owned and driven, Cadillacs, Lincoln Continentals, Mercedes Benz and Porsche. Although these are all fine vehicles, the Jaguar XJ8 is the most complete as far as reliability, comfort, ease of driving and maintenance.

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  The grin still hasent left my face! - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By Tedd - October 1 - 5:30 pm

  What a great car! I just finished driving the X type from Kansas City to L.A. I ventured off the interstate often and hit some great winding mountain road (pine to palms hwy) and even went off road into (yes, into!) the grand canyon on a gravel road/creek bed! Went from rain and snow (in Flagstaff) to desert heat. The car was loaded down to the hilt, driven hard, thrown into corners, cruised at high speed, and every component performed perfectly! (except the rearview mirror vibrated out of position on the rough gravel road leading into the grand canyon) I never had a more fun drive! BMW should be worried!

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  first time buyer - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By jaglovr - October 1 - 2:00 am

  Bought a 99 a year ago. Its certainly beautiful, get lots of compliments on it! When a teenager (35 yrs. ago), wanted and loved the XKE. Told friends one day that Id have a Jag, now have two, Vandenplas and this one! When I get tired of the rougher ride, I go to the big one. Have had no problems so far. Love the looks and the looks we get!

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  Classic look cars - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By RICH HART - October 1 - 2:00 am

  I think my car handles very well has plenty of spunk and has the look of a classic car. Also not too bad on fuel.

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  I love it! - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Robins - September 29 - 3:03 am

  Where else can you find a prestige vehicle with more class than a BMW, a fun 5 speed and AWD? Those who criticize the are certainly not drivers. This car is fun to push! The AWD is great in the rain and aids in acceleration. I negotiated a very low purchase price – I recommend this car to all who enjoy driving!

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  SUV/Crossover most fun to drive - 2018 Jaguar F-Pace
  By P Back - September 27 - 3:54 pm

  Best looking suv one on the market. No comparison. Bought S trim with supercharged V6 and 380hp and is super sporty. Same engine as the Jaguar F type. A little pricey but comes with a lot of standard features. Handles great. It really hugs the road. Pick up is great and very responsive. Very smooth 8-speed transmission. Interior very nice and intuitive. If you don’t want a typical suburb suv that looks the same as most others and want your time on the road not to be boring then consider this car or get the R Sport trim with the V6 340 hp engine. Has most of the options, but not the exceptional feature of configurable adaptive dynamics and adaptive surface response systems for the engine. There are many good cars in competition out there: Q5, Macan, X5, XC 90, GLE 300, etc. Tried them all. None drove as exciting as the F Pace.

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  XJ8 Luxury Class Leader - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Doug Finch - September 25 - 6:36 pm

  The totally new XJ8 is a truly enjoyable luxury car! It has everything a luxury car needs to have. Jaguar didnt leave anything out when they redesigned the XJ8. The option list is small since just about everything you need is standard. The available options truly can turn your car into one that you will meet the needs of all the occupants.The car feels so lightweight due to its aluminum body. It is very stiff and firm. The ride is very smooth and controlled with its computer controlled self leveling suspension. It will be interesting to see how Jaguar will improve such a fine automobile.

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  Corvette in a Tuxedo - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By pbomgardner - September 20 - 2:13 am

  This car has been a dream to own. It has required nothing other than the normal maintenance, and even that has been surprisingly inexpensive. The car is elegantly understated and is very subtle in appearance. However, all of the subtlety changes when the gas pedal is used. This car is a rocket - like the title idicates, it is a Corvette in a tuxedo! It handles superbly, goes like the wind, and it does it all with style and grace. I could not ask for a better vehicle, and when it does come time to trade, I am going to have a very hard time deciding what to replace it with. HMMM - maybe a pre-owned Supercharged FX is in my future! This Jag has it all - elegance, performance, and reliability.

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  Great Car - 2003 Jaguar XK-Series
  By BabyCakes**Kimi** - September 18 - 2:00 am

  This car is a great car. It rides very smoothly and you cant feel the ground when you are riding/driving this car. Once I drove this car I never liked another car again.