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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  Keeps on "Truckin" - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By pandahenry - February 2 - 7:24 am

  This is the Wifes "Dog and plant hauler" It is just a bit past 77k mi. and still works fine., in fact on the highway, the fuel economy is an amazing 27-28 mpg! The ride has deteriorated" in part to recent tire purchase ( TOO high performance) In the 9 years we have owned= only 4 problems.. #1.a brake boost seal (replaced under warranty.) #2. expensive performance components like the Special F Brake discs. #3 Passenger seat-seat belt buckle malfunction..= new and VERY expensive female seat belt clasp #4 the led light that allows view of temperature numbers is out and cannot be repaired easily I see many of these vehicles still on the road here in Coastal Southern California I know that this car is fast "like a Jaguar".....it is fun to drive "like a Jaguar" it has unique style and grace,"like a Jaguar We are glad that Jaguar has re-introduced the SportBrake " (as they call it in England) We wanted to order a new Sportbrake, however,we are looking at the F-pace because this Sportbrake-Wagon rides low to the ground and a few inches of taller ride would help us navigate the gauntlet of distracted drivers in Coastal Socal We might be selling soon

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  First Class Luxury Car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Alan - February 2 - 1:40 am

  This car is outstanding. All wheel drive, luxury and a beautiful body. Handles great, gets 26 mpg, has enough power to be interesting. If youre looking for a good looking sporty luxury cruiser, that wont be confused with some other car, this is the one. If you want a pocket rocket that looks more common, look at the others.

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  Excellent All Around Luxury Sports Sedan - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Charles R - January 31 - 6:13 pm

  This car flat out moves. Very fast acceleration and very good braking. This car has a nice balance of ride and handling. The one wheel drive will spin very easily though, positive traction should definitely be on this car. The fun part is that it will smoke the tires at will if you are into that type of thing (who... me?). The interior is gorgeous, the seats are uber comfortable and the car is very quiet... until you gas it hard, that is. People often complain about the loudness of the supercharger, but I love it. People stare at this car, it is definitely a head turner. Have had no problems with this car yet.

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  One word for the XKR Conv - AWESOME ! - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Dave - January 30 - 6:16 am

  Was considering ragtops like the BMW M6, MB 500, etc., until I stumbled upon a review for the XKR. Jaguar. If someone told me Id be buying a $100K car from Jag, I would have told them to lay off the "sauce". But after reading numerous positive reviews on this vehicle, I took the plunge and bought a 2007 XKR on eBay with 4500 miles in mint condition. This is one awesome car, in every sense - From its stunning looks (it gets parked in front automatically at just about every place I valet) to its remarkably comfortable and intuitive interior, to its great gas mileage for such a powerful car, and of course, the exceptional handling around town and on the track, this car is a winner.

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  Dont be misled by reviews - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By hatipa - January 29 - 2:00 am

  We were looking for an affordable sporty sedan a la Infiniti G35, Audi A4, Cadillac CTS etc. and were actually not planning to test drive the Jaguar given the mixed reviews regarding the early 2002 models. However, my wife pushed for a test ride; we were surpised to find ourselves hooked. The car handles very well. The 2.5 is plenty sufficient to keep things interesting. While maybe not as fast as the G35, the car is lots of fun to drive and has character. With the free service and our deal price of $28,000 for a base model/manual, the value is high. 1k on the car to date.

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  XK8 1999 to the XK8 2005 - 2005 Jaguar XK-Series
  By ric - January 27 - 10:00 am

  We have a 2004 S type R very fast, we also had the 1999 XK8 and sold it to buy the 2005 XK8. What a step up from the 1999. The 2005 ride is a lot better and the car is better built. The 99 was a very good car but the 2005 is so much better. I use to drive the S type R but now my wife drives it and I have taken to driveing the 2005 XK8

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  Beautiful, But I cant Trust Her - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By Anthony Gucciardo - January 27 - 10:00 am

  I have a 2004 E Class and Bought Used S- Type because I always wanted one! They look better then any other car on the road including Mercedes, Audi, Lexus, etc. The first week I had it didnt start cause the car thought it was being stolen. The next week the battery died, and other times there is a clicking noise that cant seem to be corrected. I love this Car, and get excited when I drive it, but its not dependable. The car will not shift out of park when parked on an incline and the engine pings even though I use Octane 93 Fuel. If you get an S-Type get a 03 or Newer!

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  * * X-cellent Jag to drive * * - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By otis - January 27 - 10:00 am

  i absolutely love my x-type. it has quick response from handling to throttle. i love the fact that all windows go completely down. get the premium alpine sound system w/cd changer...its awesome!

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  Jaguar vaden plas review - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By victor j palmucci - January 27 - 10:00 am

  great car no complaints

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  VERY NICE - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Nhl Kid - January 27 - 10:00 am

  The ride is very smooth, while remaining very sporty