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 XKR - 2003 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Timothy A Reed - October 17 - 10:00 am

  I Live in Alaska and this car runs very good in snow and on ice and the CATS is great!

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  my x-type experience - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By charles Fillmore - October 14 - 6:06 pm

  If you are looking for a fun car to drive and service beyond exceptional jaguar has it in the x-type. The handling is unbelievable. The more I drive this car the more I realize I truly found the car for me.

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  Love this car - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By Jaglover - October 13 - 10:40 pm

  We purchased our Jag used a few years ago. It had about 48,000 miles on it at the time and had been a lease vehicle. We had some initial mechanical issues. But after we got those straightened out, the car has been wonderful. I absolutely love driving it and will probably keep it until the wheels fall off.

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  WOW! - 2003 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By eshipman - October 13 - 6:44 pm

  I bought this car last summer (2011) on a whim. It had 140K miles but only cost 5K. WOW! FUN to drive. Even with 140K miles is still tight, dependable, runs great & drives oh so smooth. I am looking forward to upgrading to a 2008 or 2009 in the next year.

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  Love my Jag! - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By Linda - October 12 - 11:30 pm

  I bought my 2000 Jag S-Type in 2008 with only 30,000 original miles. It now has 57K but has had some AC/Heater problems fortunately covered by the extended warranty which cost close to 4,300 to repair. The sensor in the gas tank seems to cause the Check Engine light to come on and off when the tank is full or empty. So I live with that knowing that there is a sensitive problem with the CE light and gas tank. The car is a real eye catcher and the ride is so smooth. I love the way the car seems to hug you too. My only concern is that I have left my car and come back and found my windows down and sunroof open. My husband believes me now since it happened to him also. Weird. I still love my Jag!

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  My Dream Lux Exotic Sport - 2016 Jaguar F-Type
  By Ken - October 10 - 1:09 am

  After drooling over this vehicle for over a yr finally took the plunge n it definitely lives up to the name I gave it - My Dream Lux Exotic Sport! Funny how when Im admiring pics of this gorgeous vehicle online now n suddenly realize oh wait I have one parked down below in my garage lol! I look fwd to driving this vehicle every day. It is a very driver focussed sports car that demands n engages ur attention behind the wheel. The reviews r all pretty spot on - the firmness of the sport seats may require some getting used to, the interior is quite a tight fit for passengers n the storage space for anything in the cockpit is scant but the trunk is pleasantly adequate n more than enough space to carry any n all road trip essentials. I love all the unique Jaguar signature features from the deployable rear spoiler, door handles, air vents, n folding rearview mirrors, to the cool gear shift missile launcher joystick! Oh n the active exhaust note! It all screams u r driving smthg unique, smthg special, a Jag! I was originally thinking this would be my weekender or occasional fun car but it is so much fun to drive it has become my daily vehicle n my Audi Q5 has been left sitting in my garage now for days on end! Highly recommended.

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  One Year Later - 2004 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Paul - October 4 - 7:03 pm

  Ive owned the XJ8 over a year now, and am still in awe of this machine. My only problem was a noisy accessory belt that would chirp when the engine was cold. Jag fixed it with the one year service. Jag has built a high quality car with personality and every trip seems too short. The power from the V-8 is more than sufficient, with excellent fuel economy for a large luxury car. You will find it easy to drive the car very fast, with the CATS suspension changing its setting to keep you on an even keel and comfortable. At very high speeds (I wont say how high), the car will catch a bit of a cross wind. You will feel like royalty in this car, nothing can match it for the money.

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  Great Car - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By CMcnam8163 - October 4 - 5:33 pm

  I love my car. I never have seen another one on the road. This car is so practical, I really hope they continue making them. Im really tired of SUVs and this car is the perfect alternative. Really stylish!

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  exellent - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By alias?mike - September 24 - 2:00 am

  its the best car I ever drove

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  great car - 2004 Jaguar S-Type
  By joel pugh - September 24 - 2:00 am

  great car lots of fun!! almost too fast.