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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  Complicated! - 2016 Jaguar XJ
  By RKW - January 30 - 9:37 am

  I have had this car for about a month. It looks great and it gets compliments from total strangers. It is fun to drive if you are just driving on a highway. Good value for the price I am paying. However the car is quite long and I have trouble parking it. The park assist is helpful but can not be relied on totally. The car has quite a few glitches, I believe in its computer. It takes about a minute for the computer to boot up, almost like a PC and not like my Mac Book Air, for comparison. The Park assist is difficult understand. Is it on all the time or does it require manual turn on? However the main issue we have is with the AC. It does not cool as well as the Lexus SUV we are used to. Also the AC sensors may be at times having difficulty figuring out what to do. Even when we turn the temp dial up to 80 to stop the high speed of the fan (in AUTO mode )it keeps going. The navigation etc and other tech features will take some time to get used to, unless you are familiar with jaguar. I am probably half way through, that too with the essentials. Over all it has been a good experience and my brother who drove it a thousand miles to bring it to us enjoyed the drive and did not feel tired, even from the long trip. I may ahve to take it back to my summer home since parking space in the winter place is a tight fit, needing quite a bit of careful maneuvering. Since I do not have to be in a hurry any more that is ok!

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  370 HP ALL THANKS TO A SUPERCHARGER!!! - 2003 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Jagz Rule - January 19 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my 2002 Jaguar XJR 100 in June and it is amazing!! Love the red stiching, navagation is excellent. The supercharger whines like its a cat (PURRRR). Sport mode is also very fun!

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  Against the grain - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By baisley1 - January 16 - 2:00 am

  Much better car than "experts" say. Drawbacks are in two areas: 1) Not enough oomph: care must downshift to get away from itself. 2) Rear seat legroom is grossly inadequate. Big plus is the tremendous first rate service of the dealer (Heritage Jaguar, Freeport, NY)

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  If you dont drive a Jag you dont drive - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By GillyBurksJag - December 27 - 2:00 am

  I just recently bought a 2004 3.0liter all wheel drive Jaguar. For all of those disbelievers, and people who say this car resembles a Ford "POS" Taures you have another thing coming. The #.0 specifications includes a 227 motor which is the equilivance to a Subura Impreza WRX. The car off the line is a little weak in the 1st gear, but as soon as u shift into 2nd, you realized you are getting your moneys worth. I paid 31,890 out of the lot for this vechile, and it was worth every penny. Take a test drive and you will be hooked.

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  Fun Jag - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By fs - December 26 - 10:00 am

  My experience with my x-type started out poor with my Jag locked away in the shop for two weeks because of sound coming from Drive shaft. What we all found out was the prop shaft has bearings that were exposed to salt air which caused the vechile to make a loud noise when reving about 2500 RPM in cold weather. The problem was fixed and the car rides great,it has a growl with the dual exhaust,but the car is quick. The exterior look it great,and it rides like a true sports car with the AWD their is a degree of confidence. I would recommend the all weather package and Premium package for those areas that need it. I love driving the car and would buy it again.

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  If you like Jags - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By xjr - December 25 - 4:06 am

  Folks I am 62 220lbs, if you have my dimensions dont buy - you will always be uncomfortable in the bucket seats. The car has a very attractive exterior, and the engine will blow anything away in its class, but lets face it folks this is a super ford, and everyone knows it. Remember folks if you drive, and spend time in the car, prepare to hire a massage therapist for your back and thighs. I cant wait to sell the damn car. Just my thoughts.

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  2004 Jaguar - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By James - November 27 - 6:16 am

  The odometer on my X-Type just turned 60k w/ no major problems to report. The car has had a loud squeal which appears to emanate from the underside of the car since the day I brought it home. The dealer told me its normal, that all Jaguars make noise and the decibels are acceptable. A sound shield was installed to muffle the noise, but I still hear it. Aside from that, the dash vents popped off. The dealer replaced them, citing a defect in the plugs that secure them to the dashboard. Overall, the car is nice and is a pleasure to drive. Relatively short money for a luxury vehicle. Id likely buy another, but will make certain it doesnt squeal before I drive out of the dealership.

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  Black Cat - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By TwoTwenty - November 21 - 10:00 am

  This car is a completely emotional purchase. The S-Type has always been a beautiful car, but now the same can be said for the interior, which is a vast improvement over earlier models. Sure a Benz may be roomier and by far more technically advanced, built with typical cold Teutonic efficiency. The Benz is a logical purchase. But who cares? Just look at the Jag...

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  The Jag - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By russell r x jag - November 15 - 2:00 am

  The jaguar X type is one of the most fun cars to drive. Vert reliable Quite comfortable very spacious. Needing no introduction to the genius of the nodel it has a high quantity

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  SuperJag - 2004 XKR Coupe - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By JON - November 1 - 5:26 am

  I recently upgraded my xk8 to a 2004 xkr - what a machine! The growl of the supercharged V8 alone, is worth the ownership fee. The Jag is an almost perfect mixture of grace and pace, its truly lovely. Its nice to see people still taking such an interest in the car when you take it out - it just oozes sex appeal.