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 Second X-Type - Amazing Car! - 2006 Jaguar X-Type
  By Lisa D - March 27 - 8:36 pm

  This vehicle is vastly underrated. I was determined to find a "different" luxury car this time around, but no other could compare in style and performance. If you remember the X-Type commercial where the snow plow follows in the Jaguars tracks, I can sincerely guarantee that this is the handling this car delivers. I am even more impressed with my new VDP Edition. The exterior styling turns heads and the interior is simply beautiful. A recent visit to the car wash reinforced the image of this car - even among the other top luxury cars, this car truly shines the brightest.

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  Great Car in need of pampering - 2003 Jaguar S-Type
  By WileCoyote - March 27 - 8:20 am

  The Supercharger makes this car a rocket and the styling over the normal S-Type is tremendous. That car flies and stops on a dime. The bake squeal drives me nuts as does the new steering whine. Overall that monster eats traffic for lunch. Its a great car that I think needs more attention that should have had been addressed at build time. Ill probably keep it for a while and then go for an E55 or M5. Its a great looking car that performs and Im glad I have not had the types of trouble others have had. It sure does turn heads.

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  Love that Jag! - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By NOVA Realtor - March 26 - 10:23 pm

  This is the third S-type Jag I have owned. I love the responsiveness and the easy handling. It is responsive and a fun car.

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  JAG Review - 2000 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Kev - March 26 - 9:13 am

  Beautiful ride. No issues in the last three years other than replacing brakes. Very dependable.

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  Lord of the Jungle - 2001 Jaguar S-Type
  By drak - March 25 - 2:00 am

  This car was purchased after owing 2 Stealths fr0m 91 to 2001.The drive was not quite as nimble as as Stealth, but the ride was smoother by far.I really appreciated the heated seats, all the safety features and the elegance.I never had a problem with it, except for the driver window went off track, but it was fixed in an hour and I was back on the road.I drove the Jag from Detroit to Miami and actually enjoyed it all,even after 10 hrs. on the road, I was thrilled to be cruising thru the Smokies.Great car. I recommend it.

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  Love my Jag - 2002 Jaguar S-Type
  By Lorna - March 23 - 1:50 am

  I love owning my Jaguar. Not only is it stylish to drive but its also safe and comfortable to be in. Also, most drivers on the road are careful driving behind me and next to me because they would hate to pay for any damages incurred so thats a plus also.

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  What an outstanding car - 2005 Jaguar S-Type
  By fa5tcat - March 18 - 3:12 pm

  I purchased this 2005 TYPE R a few months ago with 58000 miles on it. I deperately wanted the 05 s they made improvements to it and i had driven the 03 which was still an impressive car. It is by far the best luxury sports sedan i have owned, being British i wanted a car to match and this is definately above what i expected. The power and equipment are awesome and comes close to the MB BMW M5 equivalent. It maybe doesnt have the toys of the M5 but in comparison it feels bespoke and handmade in many areas and less clinical. I had a few fault lights come on for no reason but soon learned that the marine sized battery in the trunk was low on power and was ready to be replaced. Now it just WOW

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  Love the "baby" cat - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By oldengineer - March 14 - 10:00 am

  Have put over 5000 miles on X-Type 2.5 automatic with no problems. Performance is about equal to competition. Exterior styling and interior are more elegant. Cornering is excellent with AWD. Car has great traction in wet conditions. In my book BMW325 and little Lexus dont compare.

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  Jag Envy: Gen X - Type - 2003 Jaguar X-Type
  By dasan7 - March 14 - 10:00 am

  My first Jaguar. Ive always wanted a Jag, but didnt want the "old man" looking style of the XJ. I was looking at Mercedes, BMW. None of the models I looked at compare to this car! The style, and feel of driving this car blows away the competition. My neighbor bought a new Nissan of some type. He was livid, absolutely beside himself with envy when I parked my Jag next to him.

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  best in show! - 2004 Jaguar XK-Series
  By Michelle A. Calo - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I love my car its a little hard to get in and out of because of the low roof