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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  Fun car, build quality weak - 2003 Jaguar XK-Series
  By bobsmith - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Performance and styling are outstanding. The factory quality has declined over the previous jaguar I had. The interior headline is impossibile to keep clean and the boot for the top is antiquated.

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  Its the little things! - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By gar - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Over all its a good car but its the little things that bug me. After a recall service there was a rattle in the dash. Serviced it twice and it wont go away. Same thing with wheel noise. Sounds like backing plattes for brakes. The chrome door handles here in sunny Florida get too hot after a few hours in the sun. Oh, please get rid of the sliding arm rest. I also have trouble reading the odometer in bright sun behind the car. Even in normal circumstances I find it hard to read when wearing sun glasses, which is most of the time in S. Florida. Id trade it in over these annoying little things but the resale is not in favor of that move.

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  The critics arent always right. - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By Trenton Critic - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Critics are pretty tough on this car but I disagree. The car is beautifully styled. The interior looks great. The seats are extremely comfortable. The wood trim is gorgeous and the controls are generally easy and intuitive. The engine is powerful enough particularly with the manual.Brakes are powerful, handling is balanced and precise. All wheel drive is a definite plus-no slipping, skidding or torque steer. Unfortunately, there are still some quality control issues. The shifter cables had to be replaced due to very sloppy shift quality. Also the clutch is difficult to modulate and too abrupt. Overall tho, this is an excellent car at the right price.

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  Baby Jag - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By DC - March 5 - 3:03 pm

  X-Type is solid and a great performer. We looked at BMW-3, Mercedes C, and Audi. The Jag handled and rode better than all of them . Its plusher inside and the ride was very solid. Definitely drive one !!

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  Gorgeous car - seats not comfortable - 2007 Jaguar XK-Series
  By socalh2oskier - February 29 - 2:23 pm

  Sexy ext., and interior is best ever on a car - perfect combination of wood and leather. Super handling and ride - although car is rather large - 188 in. long and 75 in. wide - it drives smaller - turn radius shorter than BMW 3-series. Wind buffeting virtually non-existent. Excellent stereo and super quiet ride with top up. Seats are better than prior years, but still uncomfortable - headrest is rock hard, lumbar too high - Corvette, BMW, and Porsche all have better seats. Complicated integration of radio, A/C etc thru NAV screen - cannot see it with sunglasses - and too many screen required to make changes. Should have HUD like Corvette so eyes can stay on road.

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  Lemon - 2002 Jaguar X-Type
  By Mr Mike - February 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought a new X-Type in Jan 02. After just one day I had to return the car because of a faulty drive shaft. New one was faulty and so on. After 4 replacements it work. Oh, did I mention that the car had a missing Head light when I picked it up. Next problem the heating system stopped working. Sun roof needs re-cycling from time to time. Now the car is back with the Dealership to try and sort out a bad noise from the roof. Worse car Ive ever bought. I did suggest to the Dealership that they should replace the car after one week which they agreed too if I bought out the lease for $16,000! Avoid this car and Dealership.

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  A loveable car - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By t. williams - February 26 - 10:00 am

  This is my first Jaguar and it has been pleasure all the way. I recentley owned a Mercedes C230 and its no comparison. I love the leather, wood, and great looks. I sold to Jaguar for now on.

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  Excellent Choice - 2004 Jaguar X-Type
  By LongIslandAl - February 19 - 10:00 am

  Our first Jaguar after years of Lexus and Infiniti. So far the Jag is awesome. Great looking, great handling and an excellent overall choice. Interior appointments are first class and the ride is far better than we anticipated. Hugs the road and accelerates smoothly and easily. No hiccups in the transmission and braking is effortless. After considering Lexus and Infiniti, we are very happy with the huge savings and comparable performance.

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  Wonderful Driving Experience - 2006 Jaguar XJ-Series
  By Will - February 17 - 11:20 pm

  This is the most comfortable and best driving car that I have ever owned. The Jaguar styling is distinctive and classical in every respect. Unlike BMW and Mercedes, the instrument panel is not cluttered with complicated controls. I have the long wheel base model--the rear compartment is almost livingroom-like. For a car of this size and weight, milage is excellent; I have gotten almost 30 mph on the highway.

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  the cat - 2000 Jaguar S-Type
  By la1 - February 16 - 2:00 am

  Lovely car to drive and be seen in.No problems as of yet.Love this car