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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  My Jag - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By LLH - February 24 - 10:00 am

  Overall I love my Jag. You can not beat the look and style. Performance is great. I am big on squeaks and raddles: (check these things out before you buy - Paying $70K for a car should mean perfection) The dash trim did raddle at first - foam fixed. The trim going up along the front windows is not well mounted and raddles (looks easy to fix). At a low speed I hear a very faint high pitch squeal from somewhere in the dash that comes and goes. I have no idea what this is but it can be annoying. Drive very slow (5mph) for .5 to 1 mile to make sure you do not have the same issue.

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  Switch to Elegance - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By strant01 - February 18 - 2:00 am

  With the reintroduction of the classic Mark II and S type look in 1999 I knew the new Jag was my car. A redesign of the interior in 2003, and I pulled the trigger and got one in British Racing Green. We are now 4000 miles into the experience with no issues. The pedals are a bit crowded and on cruise control, where are you to put your feet? Punching the accelerator at low speed winds out the rpms before shifting can happen, and a lag occurs. Otherwise, the driving experience is decidedly royal class, and heads turn constantly. This is a car to keep going for a long time. It looks fast parked, and I hate to get out at my destination!

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  Lemon to Lime - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By Marybeth - February 17 - 4:20 pm

  I have had 2 X Types. My first one was an actual lemon, and Jag gave me a new one. This one also drops gears at 35- 40mph and has a heavy steering wheel shimmy, as the "Lemon" did. It is performing about 50% better. Jag has been good about fixing things thus far, lets see how fast I sell it once it hits its 30K mark. Do I like Jags, yes.. mostly a smooth ride, and I like the look. Could it perform better and get better mileage, you bet.

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  X-Type Jaguar Meets Expectations - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Pete E. Cammarata - February 17 - 4:53 am

  Rides like a dream. Brakes are excellent. Corners great. I have the small engine,(2.5)so I didnt expect spectacular 0-60 stats. Navigation system works superbly. Really happy with the Baby-J.

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  Fun and Style - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By Cancunense - February 16 - 12:46 pm

  Lets face it...! the type of car you drive reflects who you are. There is no way to have more fun and style than driving a gorgeous Jaguar... at least at this price range :) Love the way it sounds and the fast response from a 3.0 brisk engine. Interior is well balanced with leather and wood trimmings.

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  X-TYPE BEST SERIES BETWEEN BMW,BENZ - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By MARCO PIMENTEL - February 15 - 2:00 am

  ITS THE BEST CAR FOR THE PRICE.

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  Great Performance and Style - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By nh - February 15 - 2:00 am

  This car is startlingly fast! Despite being a 4000 lb luxury sedan it corners like a sports car. Breaks are great! I get tons of looks and compliments on the styling. The R has much better proportions than the standard S-Type. The wood and leather interior is very classy. I prefer it to the modernized XF interior. Dealer Repair costs are extremely high... especially if there is only one Jag dealer locally. Most independent shops refuse to touch this car, however even after 80,000 miles this car has only been to the shop a handful of times. My only real complaint is about the small size of the tank. I travel a lot and I wish I could go over 400 miles between petrol stops.

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  A Love and Hate Relationship - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Imuniq - February 12 - 2:00 am

  I like this car because its very stylish, but its not very practical for daily use. The trunk is too small to be useful, and the gas tank is too small, especially for the hungry V8 engine (I have to fill up almost every 3 days!). It has been very reliable except the VERY fragile and low foglight lenses have been breaking every 6 months.

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  Nice VDP - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By Todd - February 10 - 4:53 pm

  Purchased an elite VDP 3.0 with decked out rims, etc. Happy with car overall. Hit deer going 40 mph and car held up to impact surprisingly well - only cosmetic damage. Very sturdy car (had Volvo previously) - feel safe. Some transmission issues already. Fails to up/downshift causing annoying jerking to ride. Trans seems to slip. Premium stereo could be better. Would like more interior space - need to adjust seats for different size guests depending where they sit. Larger sun visors would be nice. Dont like the center armrest much.

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  I love it - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Doc - February 5 - 10:03 pm

  My cat had 30k miles on it when I bought it. I was very impressed with the power from a V6. As far as reliability goes--a bolt fell out of the J-gate at 35k, temp sensor failed,so no heat, a PLASTIC part of the self adjusting HID lights failed. All fixed under warranty. Now at 70K I have spent $1200 in the lst week to replace the PLASTIC radiator overflow tank and then a radiator hose with a PLASTIC part in it that broke. Jaguar- -do you see a trend here??? Great looking car, great driving car, comfortable and economical in the gas department. I drive on flat highways in Florida and see low 30s all the time. If you put your foot in it, it will growl and take off. I love the exhaust growl.