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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  Refined class with blow em away power - 2002 Jaguar XK-Series
  By ed orgon - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Beautiful, unbelievably fast and pwerful

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  X-Type, A Great Breed of New Cat - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By sagestrike - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Great little preformer. Handles like a sports car but is comfortable enough to compete as a luxury car. It is a large departure from other Jaguar models. This one should be considered if you are looking at competing models from Audi, BMW or Mercedes. You wont be disappointed.

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  Triumph of engineering. - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Gruderian - January 28 - 7:30 am

  Designed for those who have enough experience with cars to appreciate all that it offers. Holds the road like glue. Power is more than enough for todays driving. Very comfortable for 2 people. City gas mileage is around 12 to 13 mpg. Highway 21 to 22 mpg. at around 90 mph with a lot of downshifting to pass. No problems of any kind so far. Feels like what it is, a luxury sports sedan, no matter where you drive it. Sound system is as good as I have heard in any car, regardless of price if you set it up right. This car is for the young at heart who like to experience excitement when they drive. One test drive will validate what I just said. Top value for the money. Highly recommended.

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  My Car - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Rick LeSage - January 25 - 2:00 am

  First car year for this model Firewall was not attached and water entered car transmissiona nd other related componets failure,very costly to reapir

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  Another Jaguar - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By JonMI - January 25 - 2:00 am

  I replaced my 2001 S-Type 4.0 with the XJ8. When I drove it I couldnt believe the differences from the past XJs or even the S-Type. It is fast, smooth and handles incredibly well. In fact, believe it or not, you might even say it is too powerful. If its even a remote thought of a car choice, go drive it and see what you think. The only negatives rest with the brakes being too sensitive and a couple of rattles. It certainly doesnt have the style differentiation of the S-Type, but its a car I will be pleased to drive for three years.

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  Stunning -- Performer,,,and Beautiful - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By DesertJag - January 24 - 9:10 pm

  What a wonderful automobile. I bought this for my wife after I had a great experience with my 2004 XJ8VDP. This car has the same engine and transmission and is a wonderful performer. Fit and finish is superb. The car park people put it in the front of the restaurant all the time. Jaguar dealer service is also extraordinary.

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  Great Car - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By PmFarber - January 24 - 10:00 am

  Great car. After six months, no problems, runs great, a lot of fun to drive. Holds the road like a cat, as it should. I look forward to the R version.

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  great car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By drummerphil - January 21 - 10:00 am

  Smooth, comfortable and very quick

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  X-Type - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By johnremax - January 21 - 10:00 am

  ITS IN THE SHOP MORE THAT ON THE ROAD. THE FINISHING WORK IS BELOW GRADE, I CAN GET BETTER WORKMANSHIP IN A HONDA. I EXPECTED BETTER FROM JAGUAR.....

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  Class of the road - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By peter Wirchanske - January 15 - 10:00 am

  This Jaguar S Type 3.0 handles beautifully, is extremely quiet, very roomy and the 6 speed automatic transmission is seamless with lots of power when needed. The very best styling on the road today. Not like every other luxury vehicle on the road.