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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  Mixed Emotions - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By EarlyGo - July 26 - 10:00 am

  We love the way it looks. Ride is good. Handling/cornering is excellent. Plenty of power. Interior is very nice. Lots of bells and whistles. Integrated phone not present when delivered, installed two months later. Continuous chronic problems with phone/voice activation along with some of the other features of the touch screen. Repeated service has corrected some problems but still intermittent errors occur. Upshifting - 1st to 2nd - faults range from delay in shifting, to stumbles, and clunks. Downshifting 2nd to 1st - stumbles, clunks, and lurches (sometimes feels like being hit from behind). Multiple service - still not corrected.

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  Amazing vehicle! - 2002 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Bob - July 23 - 1:40 pm

  Wife and I found this car in 2006 with only 9600 original miles. I can hardly get her out of it! We have a 2005 Town Car, which rides great, but there is nothing like driving a JAG! What a ride!

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  Outstanding car - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By SGB - July 21 - 5:56 pm

  I have been extremely impressed by this car (2005 Jaguar S with 4.2 L engine). Beautiful styling inside and out, extremely stable on the road in all kinds of weather including ice and snow, tremendous handling, great acceleration, ergonomically efficient, good gas mileage, great safety features. The seats are firm but comfortable.The dials are easy to read, except in very strong sunlight. I had a 2003 S type before which had problems with the electrical system and noises from the steering column. This 2005 car has been perfect.

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  Good, but not Fantastic - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By jaguar Man in L.A. - July 20 - 10:00 am

  The X-type looks great inside and out. To me it looks like a mini XJ. There are several items that I would like to point out to potential buyers. I have the 3.0 Liter but it is weak with hardly any torque. Gas mileage is horrible. Much less than the sticker says. I drive about 1/2 city 1/2 highway, and average only 17 MPG. Also, the car has alot of rattles, and the springs are very squeeky. The car rides very harsh, especially on dips or rough roads. Overall a decent car, but the lack of build quality really shows.

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  Better than led to believe - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Jag person - July 15 - 8:03 am

  After reading the negative on-line reviews from professionals, I held my breath after buying my Jaguar. Perhaps because of low expectations, I was and continue to be delighted by my driving and ownership experience. Im not sure who reviewers think is driving BMWs and Audis and Mercedes, but the average driver is going to get plenty of performance from an X-type. I am a driving enthusiast who drives cars hard. If I had any more speed or handling than my Jag provides, I would probably have a fistful of speeding tickets. I sincerely doubt that drivers of the other sports sedans use the difference in performance that I will admit is probably there. And as for cachet, just try to beat a Jaguar!

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  If only there was a money back guarantee - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By nopesa - July 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought the 3.0 Sport because it visually appealed to me and on test drive was smooth, fast and quiet. But after 2 months, the Sport package has proven too stiff, the gas mileage is worse than a SUV...consistently average 13-14 mpg. The drivers seat shakes. Buttons here and there squeak and the car just doesnt make itself a keeper. My old Lexus was light years smoother and more sophisticated than this Jag.

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  Vanden Plas - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By hipir - July 12 - 10:00 am

  Very comfortable, quiet car. Not a head turner but if you are beyond that in your life, this could be the car for you

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  Looks like Ford, smells like a Ford... - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By ntstambo2 - July 1 - 1:43 am

  This car is joke. I have this car for a rental and I might as well bring it back for a Ford Contour because thats what this is. Its cheap inside, the engine is weak, and it hogs down gas. The interior is cheap and the controls are a jumbled mess. How can they calls this a Jaguar? Anyone that buys this car and thinks they have a Jaguar is just kidding themselves. Im embarrased to drive this and have people look at me and think its actually my car. The only thing this car has going for it are the cool looking headlights.

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  Jaguar x-type wagon - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Kate Maanning - June 25 - 2:46 pm

  This is my third Jaguar; an S-type and an XJ8 preceded the wagon. My husband was concerned about this car being too small...we were off on a road trip to AZ and New Mex. and had everything from golf clubs to a loom for weaving to a large painting plus all of our bags etc....it all fit like a perfect puzzle. Mileage was great and it drives like a little sportscar..... GREAT FUN !!! Didnt fare too well with a collision with a deer (I stopped; she didnt) but that was fixable. We LOVE this car. Thanks for building it.

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  Why the Bad Rap? - 2005 Jaguar X-Type
  By Adam - June 23 - 4:06 pm

  I read all the reviews before buying my X-type and I was a little worried as most seemed to give the car a bad rap. After owning it for 8 months I have found only minor things I would change on the car. Most reviews said the car wasnt as sporty as the other small cars in its class. While that may be true not everyone is looking for a sports car. With the 230hp engine the Jag will get you anywhere you need to go plenty fast. If youre looking to blow the doors off other cars go buy a Mustang Cobra for the same price. For the rest of us who are just looking to ride around in style this car is perfect. Drives nice, looks sharp, and I havent had any issues yet.