Jaguar is a British automaker that specializes in premium and luxury vehicles. As a multinational car manufacturer, Jaguar makes elegant executive cars in a variety of different segments. The current offering from Jaguar includes an entry-level sedan, executive sedan, compact SUV, premium SUV, and even a two-door sports car.
While the new offering is certainly impressive, Jaguar is not a brand that can compete with the established premium brands within the industry. While they may look amazing, the German manufacturers are lightyears ahead when it comes to performance and reliability.
If you want to learn more about what it’s really like to own a Jaguar, here are 10 things Jaguar owners will never tell you.
10 Poor Resale Value
While you can expect any car you own to depreciate in value, some of the leading manufacturers hold most of their value for the first few years. While brands like Mercedes and BMW can expect to decrease around 20% in value in the first few years, Jaguar owners can expect this to be closer to 40%.
This is because of the reliability and maintenance costs associated with the brand. Unlike Mercedes, BMW, and Audi, Jaguar parts are a lot rarer. This means that if anything were to happen to the car, it will take a lot more money and time to fix the car. This translates to lower resale values for Jaguar across its entire range.
9 Lagging Brakes
The most important safety feature of any vehicle is its brakes. While the modern Jaguars have upgraded brakes and modern safety technologies to auto brake for you, there is a significant lag compared to the other cars from Jaguar Land Rover.
The braking system is even worse in the modern I-Pace. This electric SUV from Jaguar comes with innovative regenerative braking. This means that when you hit the brakes, the car will automatically use that to charge up the battery. While this is useful, it does create a significant lag that could potentially be unpredictable and dangerous.
8 Chunky Interiors
Jaguars are known to be classy, modern cars. While this was true before, the modern Jaguar brand is clearly behind some of the market leaders. The Jaguar range features innovative touchscreens and digital instrument clusters but doesn’t offer the same amount of customization and clarity that Mercedes and Audi offer.
This is a huge issue due to the price you have to pay for a Jaguar compared to some of its competitors. Jaguars also tend to have very bulky interiors that are covered in leather. While this used to be very stylish in the past, modern cars are more minimalist in their design language.
7 Heavy On Fuel
The entire Jaguar range tends to be excessively heavy on fuel. While you can expect modern SUVs to be heavy on fuel, Jaguar’s sedans and sports cars are just as bad. However, things may be changing for the British automaker as they have decided to push PHEV and MHEV variants into all of their models.
Jaguar has also extended their product range into the electric vehicle market. They did this with the new I-Pace. While many may agree with the shift to electric cars, critics around the world can agree that the I-Pace is also one of the ugliest cars on the market.
6 Frustrating Infotainment System
The infotainment system in the Jaguars is directly taken from the Jaguar Range Rover Group. This group works similarly to Volkswagen, where they share technology in order to save on development costs.
While the modern systems all include touchscreens, critics have noted that the system is not as quick and intuitive as Volkswagen, BMW, and even Mercedes. When it comes to features and compatibility, BMW’s iDrive system is still light-years ahead of Jaguar.
5 The Price Tag
Jaguar makes premium vehicles. While you can expect to pay a premium price, the price Jaguar charges for their cars are in some cases higher than what you would expect to pay for a Mercedes-Benz or BMW.
If you were getting a better car, this would not be a problem. However, Jaguar is known to make less reliable cars that will decrease in value much faster than their German competitors. With the money Jaguar is asking for, many agree that you may be better off with a Mercedes or a Range Rover if you need an SUV.
4 Poor Off-Road Performance
While the Jaguar SUVs may look and sound like real off-roaders, they are very much city cars. Jaguar makes some premium vehicles, but any idea of them being capable of off-roading is not very accurate.
Jaguar does not try to make any claims about being an off-road vehicle, either. This means that if you want a premium vehicle that you can use in the city and on weekend adventures, the best option for you is still a Range Rover.
3 Engine Reliability
Jaguar may be an exclusive brand, but they are also known to make stylish cars that don’t last. From engine trouble to reliability issues throughout the transmission and electronics, Jaguars are one of the most unreliable cars within the premium sector of the auto industry.
While there have not been any major recalls, the Jaguar F-Pace did experience quite a number of overheating issues. Owners around the world commented on surveys, noting that the engine temperature would skyrocket randomly without any official solution from Jaguar.
2 Expensive To Maintain
Jaguar parts are incredibly rare. As a premium vehicle from the United Kingdom, Jaguar does not make as many cars as its German competitors. This means that the entire manufacturing capability of the group is significantly less than other automakers.
The rarity of the parts doesn’t just mean that it will take longer for you to fix your Jaguar, it also means that it will cost you a lot more. This increased maintenance cost makes Jaguars depreciate at a much faster rate.
1 Far Behind Range Rover
Jaguar is part of the Jaguar Land Rover company. This company shares information and technology so that it can comfortably create the best possible cars. While Land Rover makes SUVs, the sedans from Jaguar are completely unique to the brand.
Despite sharing technology for SUVs, Land Rover makes more durable and reliable vehicles that can effortlessly be used off-road. Range Rover, the executive brand within the group, leads the industry in technology, reliability, and even performance. This makes Range Rover the obvious choice for anyone looking for a premium SUV.