https://www.google.com/amp/s/jalopni...1788638563/amp

 

I find it funny that putting a Ford engine into the car cheapened it. Has anyone looked under the hood of their XF/XJ/XK/F-Type and seen who made the 5.0L engine. Oh wait, that would be Ford. Does that mean that these cars are "cheapened" (to quote the story)? Just look on the oil filter cap to see. With how cars are made these days, even high end cars are made to share parts. Don't drive a Bentley, that shares parts with a Chrysler 300. All the Lexus cars share parts with their lower brotheren. Hell, you don't want to know how much VW is in Porsche (as I recall). Call a spade a spade and look at the fit/form/function of the car and base its worth off of that. A lot of what makes an XJ a higher end car than even say an XE is the materials in the interior. The XE has leather seating surfaces (ie, only the 2 cushions that touch your butt are really leather, everything else is plastic or pseudo leather. Where, in the XJ, everything is leather. That comes at a cost.

Besides, let people down talk the X-Type. Makes for a good car to buy that won't cost you a lot and when I was driving mine, tons of people asked me how I could afford such an "expensive car". I just smiled and moved on.

 

I always thought it was the best kept used car secret out there. That is why I originally bought mine. It was three years old and still had 8K of warranty left when I bought it. The best part is it was $13,300. New in 2005 that was probably $35K out the door, with a much higher list price. Fully loaded Sport model with the 3.0 and rare manual transmission. Premium stereo, carbon fiber/alcantara interior package and Aruba wheels. The wheels alone were a $2K option when new. Where could you get a car like that at that price still under warranty? Granted, it was during the economic downturn, but still. Great car, great bargain that served me very well for six years. Definitley miss that car and would be curious to know where it is today.

 

I sorta thought the review was positive. Did I miss something? I agree that the misnomer of "a fancy Mondeo" is bogus. As for engine, Thermo has a great point, the Ford Duratech has been proven over a very long time. Friend had a Bentley GT & the engine was VW.

I just know for an aging car, I enjoy the drive (especially on the freeway) and looks and remarks I still get for my kitty. The only real downside to me is the stock NAV not being able to update the maps for quite a while now. With the growth in our part of the country, it's pretty outdated. My seats still smell like leather on a hot day, it's damn quiet while driving from outside noise, seats are warm in the winter and A/C cold in the summer. Normal wear parts as with ANY aging vehicle!! Love this car.

 

You bring up another great point about the car. When I sold mine it was over 11 years old and had over 160,000 miles and it still was nice and quiet inside. No squeaks or rattles. Doors closed with a nice solid feel and sound.

 

Oh, don't get me started on a passenger getting out and doing the typical American "slam the door"!!! I can close any of the 4 doors with pressure from one finger. And I'm OCD with rattles, squeaks, etc. I'll hunt them down like Elmer Fudd hunting "wabbits", lol. Mine still has none.

 

I really HATE it when people slam car doors, and not just mine. Most cars close pretty easily. You don't have to slam the damn thing.

 

I honestly believe that the only people who hated Jaguars as they existed until 2008 where car journalists. They demanded Jaguar drop it’s heritage and sadly they did, resulting in the bland and generic creations of today. The X type or S type may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but you certainly know exactly what they are from blocks away.

 

I hardly think Jaguar changed the whole focus of the company because automotive jounalists "demanded" it. More like the company was looking for ways to stay in business, be relevent and continue to exist. I would think being owned by Ford played a role as well in trying to boost sales. I don't know that I would say the current lineup they have is bland and generic. I think the XJ is both elegant and distinctive and the F-Type is about as far from bland as you can get. I think stylistically they have a nice lineup. Now, is it a modern interpretation of what they built in the '50s or '60s, no, but I don't know that I would say that is a bad thing either.

 

My top of the range xtype is short of a few features which at the time were fitted to much lower spec cars and this annoys me. BUT it does have a Ford diesel engine and manual gearbox that was also fitted to a zillion Ford transit vans and which will go on forever. Any mechanic worth his salt can fix them at reasonable cost.
Yes the car now has no real value but that can be an advantage.
I met a guy last year who's xtype had been written off by his insurance company because of a smashed wing mirror. A lovely low mileage estate which he got paid out on then was able to buy it back and repair it from a breakers yard.

 

I will agree that the F type is a nice car. If it would have some more traditional Jaguar trimmings inside, that would be a car I would be trying to get my mitts on.

the rest of their line up has exactly the same face and does not have any queues from the brands past, not the original XJ, not the Mark 2, the SS models , or any other car they ever produced. Their cars are just “safe” and sterile now. Porsche, Rolls Royce or Bentley have certainly not thrown away their heritage out the window, not sure why Jaguar felt it had to. Based on some reports, it seems like they are still having the same sales problems that they did when they re-imaged themselves

 

Safe and sterile certainly come to mind when I think of the Cayenne and Panamera. Not much Porsche heritage there. Rolls and Bentley have always been and always will be high end low volume niche brands where it is easier to do that when you have a pretty limited product offering. But even they both felt the need to come out with SUVs. Different world these days. Although there ARE a lot of "me too" styled cars, out there, I'll give you that. But there are and always will be cool cars that come out that are unique. I think two of them are actually SUVs, the Jaguar F-Pace and the Alfa Stelvio.

 

Oh, the Italians are killing it. Maserati and Alfa’s are so easy to distinguish from the herd nowadays. Like Jaguar used to be. These days Jaguar is blending in with the Asian and German crowd but still not reaping the benefits.....I hope they bring back some uniqueness to their line up. Not retro necessarily, but some fluted bonnets and distinct round headlamps are a must. It can be done.

 

A used Maserati Ghibli SQ4 or Alfa Giulia are two cars on my short list for me next vehicle.

 

That’s what I am talking about. Nobody is confusing either one of those with a Hyundai Genesis or a high end Kia or Lexus. I know lots of folks think that making the beached whale car with the huge grills and brutal proportion is what’s in, but in reality, making a low swung, sleek car like the old Jags used to be is a revolutionary thing.

 

I agree over the Sat Nav Dell. We have just had a monstrous re structure of our local road system.
The sweet ladies voice which usually guides me got her knickers in a right tangle when she thought I was in a field and heading for a lake!

 

Lol, I have mine set to British English. Love the "in one quarter mile, bear right" in nice British woman's voice.

 

Yep she sounds so cute. Problem is she is so out of date she has not a clue where I am. I can only use her when out in the unchanged countryside.

 

I Got an absolute steal on my x type. It's been pretty reliable but the only knock I have is the interior stuff is so bad. Nearly every piece of "wood" has multiple cracks in them as does the plastic around the vents, AC controls, defroster vents under windshield etc. I live in California so there is heat but not extreme changes or serious cold so there is really no excuse for all these parts to just crack on their own. It's the only car of any make I've owned that has done this.

 

The problem of cracking on the parts you mention (and why the "..." around "wood" .? It IS wood veneer on a substrate) is not a problem of Jaguar quality. It is a problem caused by the previous owner(s) leaving the car unprotected in high heat/intense sun conditions. In those circumstances the materials used in a Bentley or Maybach will also show cracking. Neither our 2002 nor 2005 X-Types have any sign of material cracking anywhere...but we use sunshades in windshield areas when left in the sun.