SickRob asked: "Do I want a blonde, brunette or red head? Big ***** or small? Tall or short? Slender or curvy?"
My answer: Yes!

 

Love never dies. I’ve been driving my SVR a lot lately, and I realized how much I love this car!!! It’s power delivery, ride quality, handling, steering feel/accuracy, sound, and looks makes it unbelievable. I

I was interested in the M5, but at the end of the day it’s a teched up sedan with a huge motor. Nice car, but not enough when compared to an SVR.

That said, PAY ATTENTION JAGUAR, Stop trying to be German!!! Here are the must haves on the next gen F-Type and probably all future Jags:

1. Cutting edge, yet elegant styling. F-Type has it, XE and XF just missed it.
2. Flawless and modern infotainment. This has been such an Achilles heel to this company. Sad.
3. Premium materials. My original XFR was such a high water mark when it came to materials and presentation, that it shocks me how bad the current batch ot interiors is.
4. Bring back Bowers and Wilkins. Meridian doesn’t cut it.
5. Establish your subbrands. What happened to R? Jaguar has been languishing with no direction. There is an F-Type R and XJR, but nothing else. Then, there is 2 SVRs, F-Type SVR and F-Pace SVR, but nothing else. Then they have R-Sport on different models. Just a silly hodgepodge taking bits from the Germans, and throwing it against the wall to see what sticks. These executives and product planners are not earning their salaries. So, restablish the R brand, on some cars it will be high power 6 cylinders and others it will be 8 cylinders. There is room for electrical boost to be an R only feature. Then, save SVR for the top line only on select models with crazy curb appeal and power that makes good press as halo cars. And, please ...get rid of the XJR575 name...what was that?? Half step to SVR further confuses the issue.

7. Be anti-German. Don’t unbundle your options. A couple of packages but have most of the good stuff standard. Don’t be like Porsche in that everything is an option. Give value! Make buyers say, “why am I paying for this when I can have that?! And I actually really like that!!”

I hope someone is listening.....

 

Isn't that contradictory? We all have different definitions of "good stuff" so by removing options buyers are more likely to say "why am I paying for this when I can have that?! And I actually really like that!!" Unbundle all options - no "packs". And drop the base price as a consequence.

 

So you want everything. This is going to cost a lot, probably $100K for base and up from there.

This is complete waste of resources trying to reinvent the wheel. You have a smartphone, buy a smartphone mount and use that instead of asking them to build another one into dash. Also, why do you need to be infotained all the time? Focus on driving instead.

All car companies wasting money and effort trying to provide second-rate and soon-to-be-obsolete infotainment. This is to put it mildly idiotic, as there is no way they could keep up with Google, Apple and so on that are on yearly upgrade cycle. Your car's infotainment is already obsolete the moment the very first car hits showrooms.

In my F-type most valuable infotainment feature is a physical button to turn the screen off. Newer models don't have that, and in my mind this is substantial downgrade.

 

I really like your idea, but it's impractical because it would require that each vehicle be optioned by someone: the purchaser, the dealer or manufacturer. Having ordered a Jaguar myself (2013 XF), I can attest to the lengthy process, not to mention that your order may be optioned such that it may be hard to sell to anyone else if you back out, thus requiring a larger deposit and less of a discount (especially compared to cars sitting on lots that need to be moved.)
When I finally reached the end of my ability to suffer the indignity of Ghibli ownership I decided to eat a mountain of depreciation and purchase another Jaguar. As it happened, the ordering period for 2018s was closed and orders for 2019s were not yet being accepted, so I was left with having the dealership find me the closest match available. Of course, that vehicle had a few options I wouldn't have ordered and lacked a few that I would have.

 

Car options are just like airline fees - bullshit way to extract more money from you. In my mind the only legitimate options are engine trims (e.g. V6 vs V8) and interior trims (e.g. full leather vs. cloth).

I think back when they had base, S, and R trims that dictated features and options was optimal and what they have now (a salad of options, trims, packages, R-type badges) is awful.

 

Once upon a time, just one model year ago, the appeal of buying a Jaguar was that you got everything and then some.
Unlike Porsche that would nickle&dime even its top of the line model.
In my model there were no options. If you got the R (in any model) you got everything. Even the air conditioned seats were included.

 

The snag with "getting everything" is that you have to pay for it. For example, I don't want to pay for an expensive premium sound system in my car, I never even turn mine on. And as for all the "driver aids" that merely encourage people to not bother to concentrate on controlling their 2 tonnes of killing machine, that's grossly irresponsible.

 

Firstly I'm not bashing the M5 having owned one for 3 years but here's my personal opinion having bought an SVR.

Firstly you have to consider the absolute gorgeous looks of the Jaguar, the awesome sound, the magic instant response! This is what the M5 didn't have. Also the Turbo lag was bad enough to annoy and the exhaust sound was dismal. The performance was less exciting than the M3 I had prior to the M5 (brilliant 4L V-8). Yes the M5 has a trunk and 4 seats (I didn't use/need) and a brilliant Hi-Fi system which I do miss (B&O), and the Navigation system is miles better than the Jag. But as attractive as these features were, I really missed the true performance, style, handling of a sports car - not a quiet luxury cruiser like the M5. Plus the brake dust on the M5 was simply terrible. 1 day and the wheels were black, I found myself driving with minimal braking so I didn't have to clean them so often! This meant I never really used the performance! Catch 22! The SVR also gets better mileage in town and on the open road when driven as it should be. I love my SVR every day I see it and drive it. nothing brings a smile to my face more than that exhaust and instant throttle response! I get 10 times more appraising looks and comments than the M5. Only enthusiasts know what an M5 is. To everybody else it's another 5 series BMW.

So it's a personal choice but be careful what you wish for! Yes, the new M5 with 4-wheel drive is much better than the F-10, but it's still 700 pounds heavier than the SVR and bigger and the shape is still a 5 series!

My problem is what to replace the SVR with in 18 months time? Only Aston Martin comes to mind for pure beauty and lust!

 

The basic Jaguar formula is correct: grace, pace and space (not too much, but just enough). I bought an 11 XF SC over a BMW 550xi because the looks were better (headlights notwithstanding), the V8 power was instantaneous with great sound, and it simply had better steering feel (the 11 BMW's in particular had some serious issues). The SC was also a greatly optioned car in base form. .I would have put lowering springs or stiffer sway bars on it or some change to minimize the body roll, but decided on the F type as it was gorgeous and had the better handling I was looking for.

I have to disagree on the looks of the XF and XE not being up to par, although it's tough to design the back of a sedan and they should of outdone BMW. Audii probably leading the pack there with the A7, and Mercedes has some coupe styled sedans that are elegant. I think the original XF with the my12 headlights was a beautiful sedan. Then due to some review (or whatever) they made the back seat about 1-1/2' deeper and screwed up the coupe look of the car. It doesn't take much when you have the right line and style. Porsche fixed the hump back Panamera with the 2018 model, and it is quite elegant now. Saw one in person recently and was thought what just a few nips and tucks did for that car. For Gods's sake, never, never stick an ipad on the dash. I like the looks of the Audi A7, but it has an ipad on the dash. Mercedes and BMW has that too. Jaguar's should also have really nice leather (which mine has) and better feel on the controls and fit and finish matching Porsche. Jaguar's should be instant classics in the looks department. Not asking for much really. If they lose their style, I'll be in a Porsche.

 

Don't! Just keep it.

 

I agree that they completely messed up the looks of the XF. The new XF interior is bland and has no character. The materials are subpar, and the tech now is only adequate but still behind. Lastly, no V8....c’mon....

Jaguars need to be special to attract buyers away from the Germans.

That said, I’ve been really enjoying my SVR these days. It’s like falling in love all over again. Certainly, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S make the car better.

 

The biggest mistake folks make is not realizing that things dont always evolve, in fact just the opposite.
I have a saying that explains it, the same water never flows the river again, and it only gets more polluted.

The reason is that the environmental conditions that existed never repeat themselves.
You look at something like the Mercedes SL gullwing, they could never repeat it.
How it happened in the first place explains it; Germany had incredible talent that was idle and had only one master to please, themselves.
Subsequent SL models had to work in many countries and strong-armed by the biggest spenders who often have very counterproductive values.

My car for instance was made when Jaguar never wanted to give up on its heritage. It has everything the Ftype has and more.
But that was it, those dueling conditions never existed again. Jaguar never made a luxury sports coupe (the thing that Jaguar always stood for!- like a Porsche does a boxer engine). Nor will they, they have got folks used to not having cooled seats nor do the buyers exists that would appreciate stunning interiors.