Just bought a 2006 x type 3.0 and I am in love with the j gate. I haven't been able to stop flogging it into 4!!!!! But I plan on changing out the stereo unit for a double din type with touchscreen and navi. For me its more cost effective and I can get true blutooth not just phone functionality of adding ACM. Any thoughts as to the unit that best fits style wise? Since there really aren't many power modifications you can make, I plan to get 18" Coventry wheels and a exhaust package. Does a standard model jaguar use a j gate too? If so...how does it work....?

 

Hi Cherry,
I love your enthusiasm for the car and congratulate you, as far as I know all the automatics have the J gate and I believe it's like the sequential gear boxes people mention on mercs and other automatic cars. The J Gate gives you a manual equivalent to more control of the gears as permanent drive is sometimes harsh on the fuel economy if you are accellerating hard to overtake, I tend to overtake using 4th with the J gate and it is also very good for heavy snow when you feel you can have more control of gears, torque and revs as the car will (in auto) choose to select gears you may disagree with when "you" can see the uphill slope or the downhill part and want a lower gear to apply more finesse and control, wet or dry rough or even, it gives more choice and is a brilliant car. I have the 2.5 and can see no better car, as for the modifications you seek, enjoy and good luck the specialists on here will be attracted to your post as I indeed was!
Keep the Faith and keep that Vibe, just like your X Type, it's a Jaguar and it's ALL YOURS!
Best Regards, Stu

 

Cherry, glad to hear that you are enjoying the car, but I may recommend you take it a little easier on the pedal as the transfer case is the weak link in the drive train and we have discovered that repeated use of the loud pedal leads to a final loud crunch as the transfer case fails. Once in a while seems to be fine. But, day in and day out, you are looking at an expensive repair (about $3000 for a shop to do it).

As for upgrading the radio, if you are looking to do the factory setup, I would recommend looking at something aftermarket. While you can swap in the factory stuff, it is not cost effective. There's lots of stuff that you have to add. Besides, the aftermarket stuff will give you more options. The only "benefit" to the factory system is you would also get auto temp control for the A/C-heat.

If you have more questions, let me know. I do car stereo install on the side and know a few things about the radios.

 

Thanks for the info Thermo. This little car feels well connected to the road. It feels a lot like riding on rails...lol. I have started to read about the transfer case issues. I also want to go with a head unit that allows me full control of the steering wheel buttons. From what I was told at car toys, there is a kenwood unit that has a 7" screen, similar to the OEM optional jaguar factory screen, and gives me control of all steering wheel buttons except the call answer, which is not too bad of a trade off in my opinion. What head units would you recommend for this car. My wife will be driving it mostly, but after sometime it's all mine!!!! I wanted the XKR coupe but we have a kid....freaking car seat wouldnt fit!!!! Shitty compromise, but it's a freaking jag and I am loving it so far...lol

 

Cherry, first off, if you were after the XKR, should have looked for the XFR. The XFR uses almost all the same components as the XKR, but in a 4 door sedan. You would have had the best of both worlds. But, might be a little too late now.

As for the stereo, lets start with what is on your "must have list". There are tons of things that you can do with car stereos these days. By figuring out what you want and what you need (and what would be fun to have), we can narrow things down some. What I am talking about is options like:

-Nav
-phone answering/calling capability
-iPod/MP3 connectivity
-built in hard drives (negates the need for the iPod/MP3 player even being in the car)
-back up camera
-DVD player (might be nice to keep the little one entertained later)
-full computer use (ie, surf the web going down the road)

As you can see, there are lots of options. Just keep in mind that some options are not normally fitted with other options, so, it might make things hard to find if you want the majority of this list. Also, to expand the possible list, what are your thoughts of a remote control for the radio. This would give you a few more options and then you can mount the remote anywhere and/or, when the kids gets older, they can control the DVD (for example) without needing your attention as you are driving.