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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  What a car. - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Robert Ives - April 27 - 10:00 am

  Ive been a proud owner of an X-Type for two years now and can honestly say that I am now a Jaguar owner for life. The level of service, the quality of manufacture, and the styling is unsurpassed. I have driven under every possible condition, to inlude city driving in Hawaii and 140 mph on the Autobahn in Germany. Jaguar has excelled in the design of this car. I am proud to own one.

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  Youre going to want one - 2008 Jaguar XK-Series
  By DeanR - April 17 - 9:46 pm

  This car is incredible. It is hands down, the sexiest, best driving, daily-driving automobile made, and it is a reasonable value. I also own a SL500, and aside from the hardtop convertible, not one item holds up to the Jag. Dont be fooled by the car magazine comparisons and ratings. While the Jag holds up pretty well anyway, the tests put too much emphasis on empirical performance, and ignore what most people really care about in a car, which are good looks, and how you feel driving it. The Jag has sufficient performance, a solid, rich feel, a growl when it needs one, and is downright beautiful. You cannot walk away from this car without looking back for a double take.

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  XKR2001 - 2001 Jaguar XK-Series
  By nbryden - April 15 - 10:00 am

  I have experienced zero problems with this car - it is well constructed and has a high quality feel to all parts. It has exceptional power and handles corners as if it were on rails. All instruments are easily viewed and the driver and passenger compartments are comfortable though not spacious - there is adequate headroom. I miss certain features that were included in the XJS, particularly the automatic side mirror tilt when reversing - the reverse sensors compensate but not completely. There are numerous blind spots when reversing. "Back seat" is almost useless except for bags, jackets and obviously insurance rates. Overall, this is the best performing and constructed car I have owned

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  Love the R - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By johnny - April 15 - 10:00 am

  Beautiful car. Has the perfect balance of power, handling and ride -- where others in this class miss the mark, or overcorrect. The back end, down by the exhaust is a negative design move. I actually feel the first 2 years of this model (03-04) is a more aggressive look (despite what many of the published reviews say). I miss the built-in fog lights upfront, and the wheels look less sporty than before.

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  XJ8 - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By BMW enthusiast - April 11 - 5:13 pm

  As a long time multiple purchaser of 7 series BMWs, I stumbled onto this beautiful auto. It is still to new to evalute for the long term, but what a wonderful highway drive and a reasonable performer. Not a 7 series for performance, but more elegant looking and interior comfort unmatched by BMW or MB, and $20k less.

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  XK 2007 - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Harry Culp - April 10 - 8:10 pm

  I have had little problems like the gas door will not open, wind noise because of the radio antenna, little wind noise otherwise, and the engine malfunction light illuminated one time. I love the looks of the car and overall am very pleased.

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  Amazing car for the price - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By disguay - April 7 - 4:14 pm

  I have owned my jaguar x-type (sport, lowered, 3.0, manual) for about 8 months and 12k miles. I have never been let down once with this car (even with 120k miles,) although other reviewers will say different. The only trick with this car is that it doesnt like to be abused. If you keep everything maintained via recommendations on forums and not the dealership, everything will continue to run smoothly.

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  First 90 days - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By cincinnati_X - April 6 - 10:00 am

  No problems; no regrets. I recommend a 3.0 over the 2.5.

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  A Beautiful Find - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By FreeMan - April 5 - 3:13 pm

  This is perhaps the best looking sedan ever made. The four round headlights and complimenting hood, surrounding a classic "tennis racket" shaped grille are distinct and perfect. The stance of the car makes it look ready to pounce. Pounce it does, with the powerful, smooth and modern 8. Jag got all the compromises right. Ride quality and handling are both superb without a bias toward one at expense of the other. The handling will greatly satisfy but the ride pampers, not punish. The power of the engine is always more than adequate, without need for high reving hysteria. Best, the Jag is as sexy as a sports coupe but works very well as a family sedan. Classic look and quality will age well.

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  Its the experience - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By jshrrh - April 1 - 2:22 pm

  Found my low-miles little old man owned black-on-black beauty. Drives like a dream, powerful, luxurious interior and a classic shape that makes a subtle statement that doesnt have to compete with the new swoosh shaped mobiles. The luxury for value of this slightly older car is amazing. Better still is the technology and appointments found in this car. Folks are astounded when I tell them that my 300 ponies in this extravagant car gain me 28+mpg on the highway... No need for an Optima. Jag can, and do it like no other. I compared Mercedes S500 (2005) when shopping and while I admire that car, its low fuel economy, complexity and lack of comparable character swing towards the Jag.