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 Luv my Vanden Plas - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By gomccall - November 21 - 10:00 am

  This sedan is without a doubt the best vehicle I have owned to date.As a former Jaguar XJ8 owner in the late nineties,and then a BMW 700 series owner, I can tell you the new Jaguar Vanden Plas is a joy to drive. I have 10k miles on it and have not had to have it serviced once.The computer assisted auto leveling air shocks perform flawlessly giving you that cushy ride without that swaying or bouncing feel.It has an extremely quite ride, in fact, it is much quieter than its brother,the XJ8 model.I could go on and on about all the excellent features this car offers but in closing I will simply say that Jaguar finally got it right this time.

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  From BMW to Jaguar - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Sandi Voigt - November 21 - 10:00 am

  I owned 3 BMWs and wanted a to try a Jaguar. I love it so far!It is a very nice comfortable car and handles well.

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  baby jaguar - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Rhode Island - November 21 - 10:00 am

  The little jaguar does everything you ask it to do and is a lot of fun to drive to boot. Handles great with the all wheel drive yet gives a pretty good ride. The longer you own it the better you like the car. It is not flashy but understated. I think people who dont own one just dont understand.

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  Pleased... Indeed! - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Sandra M. Lamb - November 12 - 3:40 pm

  First Jag ever purchased and I am very satisfied and pleased with its performance. Takes off at the drop of a dime and leaves everything behind it in its dust! Handles a curve in wet or dry conditions superbly. Comfortably seats my family of four including my 6 foot husband. Interior is butter soft and so classy and elegant holds true to JAG reputation. Interior works well with Liquid Silver exterior and mesh grill...heads turn when we drive by for a second look. Love the Sports car feel in a Luxury Sedan! Im truly PLEASED INDEED with this vehicle and strongly considering buying the XJ or XJ8 for my husband.

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  The Best Car - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Lawrence Sher - October 31 - 10:00 am

  I have never ever experienced such a nice car. It is well built, solid and drives so nice, the 4 wheel drive is fantastic, to all out there from and ex BMW and Mercedes the Jag is 10 times better and sitting on those leather seats smelling the rich leather wow, I just cant wait every morning to get to my car.

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  Excellent car!!! - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By johnadarin - October 25 - 2:00 am

  I love the power, the beauty and the 4 wheel drive in the snow and ice. The rear seats fold down which allows me to transport things on occasion. Great buy and beautiful fast car

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  S-type two years later - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By richardwechsler - October 24 - 10:00 am

  After comparison shopping (Volvo bi- turbos, BMW 540) bought a demo S-type in August 2000. Two years later I can report that the experience has been perfect - I mean PERFECT! Since delivery NOTHING has gone wrong with this car - not only no big things but not even a loose stitch in the upholstery or a rattle. Its been 100% reliable. I am an aggressive driver and appreciate and use the ABS and traction control features regularly. The engine is silky smooth with an appropriate growl which comes in at about half throttle. The transmission is good - not great. Slowly depressing the throttle gets you accelerated much faster with less fuss.

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  Awesome Luxury Car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jaguar man - October 22 - 10:26 am

  I just bought my first jaguar A 2004 Jaguar x type 3.0 With sport package And love it..It seems to ride great good pick up power all around great car a little expensive for insurance and plates but the car is well worth it..Love the heated seats and the seats are very comfortable I have put 3000 miles already on it... A very dependable car. I love the looks that people give when they see the car - looks like a million bucks very sleek look. The gas millage is not as good as advertised but I get about 20 miles to the gallon. I did do a lot of research on this car before I bought it and seen a lot of positive stuff about it

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  2004 Jaguar Vanden Plas - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By R Horkey - October 19 - 3:00 am

  For the money the best car I have ever owned. Perfect ride for my wife, a little soft, but the kick in the engine is for me.

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  Dream of an R/Car - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By elibruno - October 16 - 3:40 pm

  You fall in love with the exterior-nothing like a Jag. But it is the drivability of these autos that shock even the most avid BMW owners ( I have had 13!). No car has the luxo/performance bang for the buck even close to this R. Wish Jaguar USA would advertise this way, as one rarely reads anything in comparisons of mid-size euro sport/luxury sedans that includes what might be the best of the breed!!