Jaguar’s compact executive saloon was introduced in 2001 as the brand’s first move into a smaller, higher-volume segment. Revealed in late 2000 and launched publicly at Geneva in March 2001, it was developed during Jaguar’s Ford ownership era and shared much of its underlying engineering with contemporary Ford products, a decision that made it one of the most debated Jaguars of its time. The model arrived first as a four-door saloon, with the five-door estate joining the range in 2004, giving Jaguar its first factory-built wagon in series production. Over its life, the car broadened Jaguar’s lineup with four-cylinder, V6, diesel, front-wheel-drive, and all-wheel-drive versions, while also serving as the company’s entry point for many buyers who wanted a smaller Jaguar than the traditional XJ. It remained in production through 2009, when Jaguar ended the nameplate after a run that established the model as a significant chapter in the company’s modern history.
MODEL HISTORY