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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  Love it - Hate it - Dont buy it! - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By Karl in Florida - August 19 - 7:36 pm

  I fell in love with the lines and appearance of the S-Type when they first came out, so I bought a used one several years ago with less than 40k miles on it. Thats where the love affair ended. This car (as are most S-Types) quickly became a mechanical nightmare (and I take care of my cars and am an easy driver). With less than 12k miles on it, I had issues with the brakes, coolant leak, gasket leak, radiator leak, failed headlights, issues with front brakes, failed cig lighter, failed O2Sensor, failed catalyst...the list never stops. Jag quality was bad, but Ford didnt help!

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  nothing but PROBLEMS - 2002 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Russ122 - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I have put less than 40000 miles on this car and have nothing but problems. The rubber used in the tires is very soft - I have put on 13 tires due to flats (they are not cheap either). The coolant systems had to be replaced, the engine uses 2 quarts of oil a month (and the dealership argues that nothing is wrong with the car). The leather is splitting in the front seats. It costs over $150 for an oil change.

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  Infotainment is outdated and unreliable - 2016 Jaguar XJ
  By Bob D. - May 9 - 11:08 pm

  I have now had my 2016 XJL Potfolio for 1 year. I love the looks of the car and it’s driving performance and luxury. However the infotainment system is years behind Merecedes, Audi, and BMW. I had an Audi A8L prior to this and this is a step backwards as far as the electronics. The worst part is that The Bluetooth and hands free system have never worked properly since day 1 and are completely unreliable and dealer had not been able to get it resolved. Also my ability to get it to play my music from my phone is equally unreliable. Just way too many electronic glitches with this car. Getting assistance from Jaguar and the dealer has also been a big hassle. I am going to take a hit and get ride of this car in the next few months, tired of the glitches and their inability to get it resolved. As a whole I have been very disappointed with my experience and the quality of the car and Jaguar’s service. I would not recommend getting this car unless you have lots of patience.

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  What a Lemon! - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By paul - April 27 - 2:33 pm

  We purchased used in 06.3 1000 miles. Fair price.Cool looking car. My wife thought it was the 2nd coming,I couldnt get her out of it. Thought this was a good investment for years to come. Thought it would be reliable, considering it was a jag.The first 2 years were ok-the tranny and oil pans were leaking, minor really. We had them repaired.The last 1 1/2 years have been difficult to say the least. The car has had its instrument cluster put into a fridge, dash lights have done off/on while driving at night, cd player problems, heating controller malfunctions,exhaust issues, other elect issues, and most recently the lower control arm needs to be rpl-it leaks($1100.00) Show me the money-looks great!

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  Need re-engineering - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Cliff - April 27 - 1:10 am

  What a disappointment this car is. A lot of cheesy engineering. Transmission died at 45000 miles, cost $7200. Need new brake job at 42000 miles, cost $1,200. Can only be done by Jag or you can expect to hear brake noise, even with genuine pads and rotors.The vent cover pops up all the time near the windshield and makes noise, the driver seat moves forward 1/4" - 1/2" went stopping, the middle console rocks side-to-side like its going to come apart.

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  classic jag style with poor quality - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By pfmurphy - March 17 - 2:00 am

  vehicle has serious and repetitive defects-dealor stocks few parts-post warranty will be a expensive car to maintain

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  Possible lemon - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By been xd - March 12 - 10:00 am

  Within 12,000 miles the transmission went. I had to be towed via flatbed truck after only 14 months of ownership. The car never had any pep. Now it needs a totally new transmission at 12,000 miles. I should have stayed with the Camry.

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  Love Hate Relation! - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By sharat11370 - January 8 - 1:42 pm

  This is my 5th Jaguar! Right from owning my first Jaguar in late 70s, I promised myself that I would never buy a Jaguar but the one that I have is the fifth. This is like love-hate relationship! Like I do not want you but cannot live without you. Like husband and wife, always bickering and not functioning properly!

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  Worst Car Ive Ever Owned - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Ted Watson - July 21 - 8:13 am

  I purchased this car new in August of 02. The first week set the tone - it went back to the shop for a leaky oil cooler. Since then it has been in the shop 20+ times for a total of months and months. It the last year alone it has stranded me three times. You name it, its had it repaired/replaced - oil leaks (still), new front and rear suspension, radio, gauges replaced, computers, xeon headlights, door panels, cooling hoses, door latches (over and over), rattles,squeaks, etc, etc. My warranty is up in 4K miles, so Im car shopping. However, I will never, ever, buy another Jaguar!!!!!

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  Jag-Plunk - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jag-plunk - May 6 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my X-type for 18 months too long. The only good experience Ive had is that its allowed me to drive other cars while itin the shop. Terrible craftmanship and poor fit and finish make it feel like Im driving a Pinto!