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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  Great car - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By meivogelmelo - June 25 - 1:23 pm

  When putting the top down it is the best convertible when comparing the cadillac XKR, Mercedes SL 550 and BMW. There is hardly any wind inside of the car which definately can not be said to the above mentioned cars. The car has enough power and the sound of the car is great. It is a real looker and many people think it is an aston martin. The best on the current market.

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  Best Buy! - 2002 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Jodie Stark - June 25 - 4:56 am

  This was the first Jaguar we ever purchased, we love the ride and comfort the car offers. My wife love the fact it is loaded with safety features. We are sold for life on Jaguars, dont think I can drive anything else.

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  Love the change - 2011 Jaguar XJ
  By Robert - June 22 - 8:06 am

  I have been a Jaguar owner previously (2), as well as Mercedes and BMW (2). I am thrilled with the design change with the XJ. I wish they had a better ad campaign, I believe more people would buy this car instead of Mercedes or BMW if they new of the change.

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  beats Mercedes in quality - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Samos - June 19 - 10:00 am

  The experience is incredibly positive. Performance, feel and quality are better than ever at Jaguars. I drove Audis and Mercedes before but they are no match to the XKR at all. Nice to let Porsche look strange too.

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  Truly awesome - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By Stuart - June 17 - 3:43 am

  This is my third Jag ( after 2 VDPs) and also follows 3 S-class MBs and a BMW 540. AWESOME is the only word for the experience. The first touch to the accelerator made my heart beat faster as this absolute masterpiece of automotive engineering roared onto the freeway. Could not imagine needing more power ... arrived at work (an hour plus drive) with no stiffness of the back or legs perhaps due to having been surrounded by the strains of Beethoven on a more than adequate stereo system!!

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  My Kitty Purrs - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By Onthefly - June 7 - 7:06 pm

  Bought it used with low mileage...perfect..Now has 66,000 mostly highway miles on it...Total bliss..Its my second Jag..First was 94 XJ6 and was so in love with that one that I didnt trade it til 125k and everything under the hood leaking and car locking itself without ptompting!..SO, this little one had big shoes to fill....It did..In fact, I like its easier handling due to its smaller size, and its highway performance has not suffered..I still get away from those big trucks when I need to and the hooks are great on these Jags...Just had its first repair...back passenger window fell off the track ..I always do the maintenance at the dealership.LUVIT!

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  XJ Offspring is wonderful! - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By rhassm - June 7 - 5:36 am

  My wife inherited a XJ12C that I eventually restored. I was aware of some of the older Jaguar "mythology". As I restored this vehicle, the craftsmanship and engineering made an impression on me; however, the design and styling were the best. After learning this older Jag, we could not stray too far from the classic style and comfort of Jaguar. The 2006 XJ L is a remarkable vehicle. We have experienced fuel economy greater than 25 mpg on the road, in some cases very close to 30 mpg. The nimble comfortable ride make this vehicle a treat to drive.

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  S-Type - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By JPW - June 6 - 4:06 pm

  I just love the car! I bought the car used and was very pleasantly surprised at all the options. I traded in a 2006 VW Passat that I did not like anything about. The Jaguars handling is great and make it a lot of fun to drive. The added touches of auto sensing windshield wipers, bluetooth, awesome stereo really complete the package. I was also thrilled to find out that the maintenance and warranty is covered for 4 years/50,000 miles. The maintenance was a true added bonus! Ive had the car for 4 months and have no complaints.

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  Love my Jag - 2006 Jaguar XK-Series
  By john webb - June 6 - 12:46 pm

  I looked at other mfgs like Benz and BMW. They just started looking alike. The Interior of the jag makes a statement and the body style stands out. Very large trunk space major plus over others and the backseat is very useful. It makes it easy to store items quickly. Back seat is a quick place to put items. The backseat was one of the feature that sold me.

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  Excellent ride surprisingly sporty - 2005 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Wendy - June 3 - 12:53 am

  Excellent ride, strong V8 and smooth transmission. More engine noise at high speed than S-class. Interior design and comfort is superb.