Boy, it seems that every article I read in print media comparing whatever to the X-Type, invariably describes the latter as "unloved", unmissed, or worse. What gives? Period reviews of the car were pretty good, but in hindsight is the X Type that bad? Sheesh! We all know they're magnificent cars, so I suppose we should be thankful they're a terrific value...

 

That is the plus of the negative reviews.... we can afford to buy them secondhand :-)
When I initially got mine I have to admit to not being too positive about it other than that it was a Jaguar.. but it has proven itself time and time again to be a superb car - with awd it feels like it hunkers down on motorways in the rain unlike my previous fwd cars always feeling slightly floaty.. It has a very good lock for parking, I can find it in a car park (I cant say, but my wife can probably tell you how many times I have lost Vauxhalls and Fords in car parks lol), and when polished I am proud of it! Yes of course there are negatives - it's not an XJ lol.. but once you get to know it you know it is worth far more to you than any resale value :-)

 

The media? Because they are idiots. They love fads and novelty, no matter how fleeting.

See my posts here::

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...hought-126018/

Thing is no matter how much they tear the X type down it has and will continue to age beautifully, as with all the pre 2009 Jaguar cars because it truly is beautiful. The ill conceived abortions that they are designing today, will not.

Another thing is the fact that the "design" bosses at Jaguar continue to take swipes at everything that came before them in order to make their mundane work shine. I heard it 2 or 3 times during the XE reveal in London.

 

Good point. I'll be the first to say it; the new XE looks good. For an Audi.

 

It's the lights and grille that does it isn't it.. but I guess if it gets some Audi owners converted .... :-)

 

Yup Yup! Steve, you, good sir, are on point! I purchased my X at what I consider to be a great value, and I am more pleased with my purchase every day, even though I was a little hessitant at first. I love my cat now and let the media speak badly about them, like Jay-Z said "...go on brush your shoulder off!"

 

More like outdated pre-conceived notions. Actually, the very early cars DID have their issues (transfer cases, A pillar rusting, etc.) and once that kind of news spreads around it is very hard to shake. Plus, considering what a groundbreaking car it was supposed to be for Jaguar at the time, they seemed to do very little to promote and advertise it. If you look on this forum at some of the old threads regarding rust and the transfer case it IS kind of scary. But over the years Jaguar addressed those things and it turned into a pretty reliable car. Problem was, by then the economy was bad and Jaguar had no money to update it. By then the die was cast and the cars cosmetically were, with few exceptions (grill, steering wheel, two cup holders), the same through their model runs. Little to stir anyone out there to get excited about to come into the showrooms. I am super glad that I was able to take advantage of the low resell price when the economy was poor to get a great car at a great price.

The current styling direction of Jaguar is hotly debated, but at least now Jaguar actually does advertise and does it a lot. Seems like they are selling more cars and are more and more in the public eye than ever before and bringing in a younger demographic. A financially healthy Jaguar can only be a good thing. Would hate for it to have ended up like Saab.

 

Well it's all marketing. Ironically, now more than ever, people are told what they want and need. Jaguar did not do that very efficiently in the past. I am still not sure that they are doing it properly now. I was watching the Kia commercial featuring the new Maroon 5 single and can't help but wonder why that song from one of the most popular bands is not playing on a Jaguar ad, (given the name of the song) instead of Emile Sande creating a girl song for the car:


I do know that JLR is profitable now-a-days, but my understanding is that the profitability part is coming from the LR part and not the J part.

What has me on the fence the most about Jaguar is that at this point they are completely repudiating their heritage.....when the XF came out, I thought to myself, "oh cool they are shaking things up"....then when the current XJ came out I thought "not my cup of tea, but they are still trying the shock approach". This XE is really what did it. Are you kidding me? It's easier to tell a Standard, Miniature and Toy Poodle apart! .

Oh and since we are on the topic of the media, another "gem" is this idiotic idea that the pre 2009 cars where not selling because they where "too conservative" ....just a bunch of $hite. Do you know how cool a vintage looking car is if properly marketed and executed? Can you you imagine a low swung X type or previous generation XJ in that Kia commercial?(sans the hamsters). The problem with the X type, S type and XJ is the vibe not the design. For gott sakes it's one of the coolest most dangerous, menacing cars ever made!!

 

Since Jaguar were supposedly trying to get the younger generation into the X Type, they really should have followed up with the X Type R project. A supercharged V8 400hp X Type with 255 tires in the back, with flared wheel arches, and a more aggressive stance acting like a hooligan in front hipster hamsters (as per Spikepaga's post) would have done wonders for the new X.

This would have been sort of how customers and media that liked the German Big Three weren't sure if the XF would be a serious competitor until the XFR came along.

THIS!!!

 

Having talked with the Jaguar Marketing people (one of the things that I got to do for the London FeelXE trip, they very politely explained that they were getting killed in the market of luxury cars because the XJ, XK, S-Type, and X-Type were seen as "outdated". They had too much of the feel of a grandpa car or simply a car that was living off of its ancestry. So, they had to listen to the market to put out something new and different. Hence why you see what you are seeing now. Were the cars outdated, by no means. But, in todays world where people are making decisions about things in the first few seconds that they see something (even before doing any research in most cases), are they going to go after the old style or the latest and greatest thing? 99% of people are going to go after the latest and greatest. Why do you think manufacturers are updating their styling ever 5-7 years? You don't update, your car becomes "old and unappealing". The X-Type/XJ look simply was used for too long from a marketing standpoint and something new needed to be put out. The other interesting tidbit that was brought to my attention is that the typical Jaguar owner is wanting to be "unique and different" (how many of you does this apply to)? Jaguar was trying to find that fine line between keeping the heritage and coming up with something "new and unique". This is what they settled on.

As for the XE and "not being a true Jaguar". Hear me out and see the thought process here. The XE is a "stepping stone" vehicle, much like the Audi A4 or the BMW 3-Series is. These cars are designed around putting out something that most people are going to be willing to buy with the hope that in a few years that same customer is going to say "I loved this car, I wonder what the higher series car is like". The XE is designed around finding the "young executive" who is wanting that thing to impress people that they are meeting. It was never meant to be of the same caliber as the XJ (if it was, why would you buy a $90K XJ when you could get a $45K XE?). Besides, when you are paying for a cheaper car, you are going to have to give up on a few "nicities". Sure the leather dash is nice, but what does it cost to install something like that? Now start adding this and that, and ....... Suddenly a fairly cheap car becomes cost prohibitive and people are going to simply move on to something else. You just lost that sale. Hence why you have multiple levels of vehicles with different levels of features and costs.

If you are thinking you have a better idea of what the XE should look like, then I challenge you to make an image of what the car should look like (but keep in mind that you need something that is new and different in looks to attract that new person just based on visual). Check out https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...hought-126018/ and join in the light hearted competition to see what people come up with. Keep in mind that I now have contacts within Jaguar that are the motivating factors for how the new vehicles will look. You never know if your idea might spark an idea with them and result in what the 2nd generation or later trim package may look like.

 

My 03 X-Type 2.5L, 5 speed manual, has been in the family since 2005. It now has 144,000 miles and shows no signs of slowing down. Overall, it's been a great car. So, the automotive media can go pound sand. I certainly don't trust their opinion.

But, more than that, I am a very serious automotive enthusiast (I'll refrain from calling myself an expert, because there are always people who know more than me) . As mentioned above, the X-Type is a very nice driving family car. There really is a lot to like about it. I rent cars on a weekly basis. Very few cars match up to the feel and capability of my X-Type. And, the few that do, are exceedingly expensive cars.

My "X" actually corners well, brakes very well, accelerates really well for such a tiny engine, is wonderful in inclement weather and is very comfortable and quiet. It's simply fun to drive. It's responsive and enjoyable, unlike most of today's production. That's why it remains in my garage.

My other car is a 400+ RWHP Turbo S2000.

EDIT: I also wanted to add that the purported lack of "reliability" issue with the X-Type has also been blown way out of proportion. I won't claim it's perfect. But, my brand new Jetta TDI came and went in 3 years, with far more problems than the X-Type ever had. I chose to keep the X.

 

Yes - the X-Type, despite being a baby Jag still has the relaxing woodwork, leather (well, in my case *some* leather) and always feels like a driving experience - I have been in a number of newer similarily priced non Jaguar cars and the ride is always very neutral - there is not whatever it is that quantifies the 'experience' or 'feel' of driving a Jaguar. My X-Type is fighting a losing battle with dinks and scratches courtesy of being a family car but I do what I can to maintain it and they sort of give it history I guess (and some heartache with every new scratch ) but it is one very tough, dependable cookie..