Mine is an annoying problem - and I am not sure whether best dealt with here or in my local AUS/NZ Regional forum (Moderator please advise).
I hope to solve my lack of Jaguar withdrawals by seeking out a late 3.0 V6 AWD here in Australia. There appear to be several low mileage cars about. But here's my problem ...

After digesting posts which talk of 54 plate(?); .25 etc updates(?); and a model range that includes diesels, models in Estates/Classic/SE/Sport/Indianapolis/Sovereign - much of which seems to have no relevance in our local AUS market. I am forming the opinion that our cars were generally of a higher but restricted range of specs - even our standard kit appears to be SE with fewer in Sport and even fewer in Luxury; but none of them badged as such; just kitted with more and more goodies. True?

Please believe I have absorbed Nigel Thorley's guide book, 1000s of PDF pages of workshop manuals on CD, each of the major threads on this forum and some downloaded sales brochures (UK only) and VIN code explanations. I fear I am even more confused. Do the same mismatches apply to my fallback choice of the later X300 S-Types?

Are there any Australian X400 X-Type owners (especially 2007/8/9) who can share the good oil? I will appreciate any owner feedback on what/why you reckon you have nailed as the features and breakpoints that count - or post up PDFs of Australian brochures of delivery models and badge names, specs, trim, features around these years.

 

What kind of spec are you looking for? By this I mean more a list of features rather than a specific trim, since the trim levels can be a bit inaccurate (Jag labelled some SEs as Sovereigns in UK at some point).

This is a facelift one, but not Sovereign or Sovereign-level as it has neither wood trim on doors, half-wood steering wheel nor piped seats.

 

Hey, thanks for your prompt reply and useful link. Yes, I followed the sad tales by members who found themselves with SEs for which they had paid Sovereign prices - and the lucky few who were vice versa, so to speak. I guess while other marques "badge" their cars distinctly, Jaguar were happy to allow dealers and owners to blend the delivery specs to provide more personalization?

Car you link is typical of most of our market - top specs; no specific "badge" but probably equiv to the (UK) SE. Were it a Sport, we would expect change of seats and suspension and out here at least, a majority of dark to black interiors. The X400 Luxury appears here (but nowhere else?) as at least equiv to the (UK) Sovereign - but perhaps bearing a name more suited to our land of convicts and republicans-to-be

This latter car (Luxury still not "badged" as such) will automatically come with all the bells and whistles - dash, console, door trim pieces and steering wheel not only wood, but by default burr walnut. Large TFT screen, Sat nav, Voice, memory seats and mirrors, bonnet leaper are all standard, together with every other factory toy that may be optioned on other models. I do know of a couple (only) which do NOT have the piped seats - still full leather, but at least one was a special customer order.

Even without a "Jeeves button" that I am sure was fitted to our gorgeous Daimler Vanden Plas (ha ha), this Luxury X400 is the one I am leaning to - subject to availability and price of course. Perhaps, as you suggest, I need to worry less about the lack of badges and spec sheets, and just find something special and enjoy ...

Any Aussies (or Kiwis?) out there who can shed further light on the Luxury variant?

On the other hand, I've just heard of another X-Type model - the Grandiose -

 

The USA probably had less choice than you Oz's. Mine is a 2002 X Type 2.5. Thats about it. The only 'better' model I've seen here is the VDP. One once on ebay.
We did get the 3.0 and around 5% of ours are manuals. We didn't get the final 2008 facelift.

But mine has 76000 miles, runs great, and the underside is bone dry. (except when it rains).

 

Thanks flurr100. Hey, don't worry about the wet bottom - even my big Ford tractor (and I) end up with that in the rain here.
How interesting that the range of models is both shaped (and named) by Jaguar according to perceived markets in different countries.

Here in Oz (and I stand to be corrected) we saw no Estates, no diesels, no VDP (or is this our Luxury model?) and precious few manuals. As per CarSales ad linked previously by Aonsaithya, there are 111 X-Types offered for sale by them alone here today - 25 are LE which seems code for base model solely with 2.1 - 51 are SE which expands engine choice to all 3 petrol (2.1, 2.5 and 3.0) - then 21 Sport of which 23 are 2.5 or 3.0 - and finally 6 are Luxury which are exclusively 3.0L. I have no idea why this breakdown only adds up to 103 - perhaps the remaining 8 are hiding.

I have a few months while moving from farm life into town to make sure I understand what car I end up with so that, like you, I can continue the love affair. At this early stage, the pre-facelift (MY07) 3.0L X-Type Luxury is looking pretty good for what I am after.

 

OK i'll give this a go

This is the UK number plate system, for each year there are two numbers. For example in 2004 there is an 04 plate from 1. March to 28. September 2004 (like my XJR, was registered BC04LPN) and there is a 54 plate (e.g.BC54LPN) which would be 29. September to 28/29. Feb the next year. It's a way of identifying when the car was first delivered. Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and overseas territories - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jaguar model years sometimes have a mid-year update. For example with the X-Type there was a major update at MY2004.25.



The model naming is different in Australia compared to the UK. The US models are named differently to the UK too.

The Estate (wagon) was not sold in Australia because of the stupid ADR's about child seat restraints. This is one reason why the XF Sportbrake has not been sold in Australia yet. But that's another story.

Sport = Sport in the UK

The Luxury and the SE are a bit confusing and I must admit it makes no sense to me. The 6x Luxury's for sale at the moment are missing Heated Seats, whereas a number of the SE's for sale have them.

And then there is a 2008 Luxury for sale right now, but it does not have the quilted leather seats, nor the Premium Sound, or the heated seats.

The Indianapolis was a limited-edition Sport model with special wheels & seats in 2003/2004.

I thought the LE was the base model i.e. only 2.1L engine & very few options.

Kind of. A lot of X-Types sold in Oz were spec'd as basic (i.e. cheap) as possible to get the price down & get buyers in the door. The majority of X-Types i've seen have been the 2.1L with very limited options, i've never seen a 3.0L with everything in it in Oz.

Yeah pretty much.

You really need to have a good look at each car in person to check what options it has.

In my opinion you should wait for a car that is fully loaded. I bought my old X-Type based on the colour scheme and the great condition, but overlooked the missing options at the time. This frustrated the hell out of me pretty quickly & I went crazy retrofitting the missing stuff.

If I were to buy another X-Type, the options I would be checking for are:

Xenon Headlights
Satnav
Bluetooth Phone
Voice control
Premium Sound
Heated front seats
Memory for driver seat (but it's not a must)
Full electic adjustment for passenger seat (amazing that this is often missed)
Powerfold mirrors
If a facelift 08MY then the quilted leather.

Good luck with the hunt, I just had a quick look on carsales and none of the 3.0L models have (all) those options.

Actually after thinking about it, I would say that the Australian delivered X-Types were a much lower spec than the UK ones.

 

Ken, from the 2006 brochure (part number JLM/37/02/26/06) there were three models sold in Aus:
2.1 LE $52,990
3.0 LE $66,990
3.0 Luxury $76,990

The difference between the LE and the Luxury seems to have been the wheels, memory seats, Sat Nav, front park assist, and a sliding front armrest.

Four main option packs were also available:
2.1 LE Leather sport pack $4,500
2.1 LE Alcantara sport pack $5,700
3.0 LE Leather sport pack $3,500
3.0 LE Alcantara sport pack $4,700

These consisted of a coloured grille surround with a mesh grille, sports seats and suspension, perf leather steering wheel, different wheels, different interior facia, and a boot lid spoiler.

I've always found www.redbook.com.au handy to also help decipher what was available. With our cars the facelift changed the range considerably, including the addition of diesels.

Hope this helps,

Regards

Rob

 

Cam, pricing up your wishlist from the 2006 brochure:

Xenon Headlights - $1,820 (on all 2006 variants)
Satnav - incl on 3.0 Lux, otherwise $5,000
Bluetooth Phone - standard on all variants
Voice control - $1,500 on all variants
Premium Sound - $1,350 on all variants
Heated front seats - $1,210 on all variants
Memory for driver seat - incl on 3.0 Lux, otherwise $1,550
Full electic adjustment for passenger seat - incl on 3.0 Lux, otherwise $1,500 for the front pair
Powerfold mirrors - standard on all variants

Ouch if you're optioning up an LE variant!

Regards,

Rob

 

Wow, thanks for the pricing info Rob, that's a real eye opener on the options!

 

Unbelievable ...
Brilliant ...
I salute you both Cam and Rob for your research and sharing it so promptly, and have now posted enormous Thanx to each of you .

My research had unearthed plenty of details but almost all was of UK market; only <= 2006; and lists prices in pounds! The VIN breakpoints you supply Cam, are most appreciated - as are Rob's details of Aus delivered options and prices. Perhaps you sense my mission - I prefer the tradional and imho sleeker bumpers of the pre facelift 2007 but when it comes to featires - I want the lot! Today's Aus market suggests that at the top end, low km end of the spectrum, there is no further premium no matter how many expensive toys the specs include. Rob's list proves the point!

On your wish list Cam, I agree with ALL your options - except I see them as givens; not negotiable; and that has been causing some confusion and disappointment. I would perhaps place higher priority on sunroof and (subject to help) the memory seat(s)+mirrors feature. Here is the help I need ... My wife is no less a keen Jaguar driver, and I spied that on 2008 (facelift on;y?) the driver's door includes a "memory" button and also "1" and "2". Please make my day by saying they can be used as "Ken" and "Chris" pressing either to move both seat(s) and mirrors to preset positions!

Oh Rob ... $5000 in 2006 for SatNav ... Whacko the diddle=O!!!!! ... Roll up folks ... Our follow-up deal is for this pre-loved secondhand Sydney Harbour Bridge!!!

What is even more unbelievable is that VW asked my daughter for $3000 for much the same Sat Nav system in TODAY 's Tiguan. As soon as it arrived last month, she purchased a top-of-the-line Tom Tom or Garmin with Voice for $150 - with a lifetime of maps - the bane of hundreds of posts across these Jaguar forums and the scourge of every other marque specific system. I am not here to bag any car - but as someone surrounded by IT in critical applications, I believe that car manufacturers generally were very slow to learn from the example of digital cameras, TVs, phones, tablets, media players, printers and even sewing machines and after-market car radios which have used USB, SD and now nicroSD cards for many years. Ah well.

Thanks to both of you again, and any feedback of how/what the memory+1+2 functionality works, will be much appreciated.

Kind regards to all,

Ken

 

I've seen X-Type seats with 3 memory buttons on them right next to the electric seat adjustment controls, and I do recall hearing that the memory setting stores not only the seat settings, but the side mirror settings as well. I think someone mentioned having "1" set for himself, "2" for his wife and "3" for himself again but with the mirrors dipped for easier next-to-curb parking. This is at least very easy to verify if you come across such a car, though.

Oddly, when I tried looking for a car with those buttons, it turned out to be very difficult and in the end I only found two; a 2007 pre-facelift and a 2008 facelift model. Both are apparently Sovereigns (named "Executive" which to my knowledge isn't the same thing but the namings are tricky), as both have the piping in the seats. To make things more weird, I found a few 2005-2006 Sovereign X-Types (it's the top trim level ever) and they didn't have those memory buttons. Maybe it really was a late addition.

The 9th photo on the 2007 car shows the switchgear:

 

Many thanks Aonsaithya ... your reply and especially your pic set light bulbs flashing off everywhere in my mind. A thousand times "thank you"

So what's the big deal?

Simply, two things. Firstly, I had been carefully researching late S-Types (Luxury) as an alternate purchase to the X-Type. OK? Despite the S lacking the "Lyons hip" over the rear guard that is my most loved hallmark of Jaguar saloons, I have been sorely tempted. From all this pleasant work, I had come away with memory seat+mirror controls that I never realized were not shared by the X-Type (see pic#1)!

Now a lot wiser about the X-Type - to your pic of a LHD driver's electric memory seat, I can now add a pic of RHD driver's electric memory seat (pic#2) and from the same car, the RHD passenger electric seat (pic#3) to satisfy Cam's and my wish lists. Zoom +++ on this final pic suggests electric but no memory buttons - logical, unless you want an inquisitive passenger to drive the steering wheel into your chin!

Secondly, I am still unable to work out when these memory buttons on seats added memory control function for external mirrors. Like you Aonsaithya, I have read somewhere among these forum threads of the ability to use mirror dipping for reverse parking, but now can't find it.

Perhaps Cam or Rob can verify whether this was a purely facelift feature - or may have been offered on my preferred pre-facelift 2007?

Many thanx to all.

 

No problem!

My ideal X-Type would be a 2008 as it is the latest and most improved car, with the nicest possible interiors (quilted leather!). I would then fit it with the earlier bumpers as I like them more, and possible remove the fugly shark-fin roof antenna it might have as well. You see, starting 2004, I think they made the bumpers significantly easier to take on/off and they should be completely interchangeable. There is a video on youtube of a finnish guy with an X-Type that has the facelift bumper on one end and a pre-facelift bumper on the other. Oh, and I'd also fit a pre-2004 transfer case to gain the viscous coupling...

 

Memory seats/mirrors were available on the X-Type from day one, but not so many cars were delivered with this option.

Mirrors are adjusted along with the seats, it's part of the package. You don't get memory seats without memory mirrors.

 

Ken, again from the 2006 brochure:

The option is code Z43Q, called "Memory function with three settings for driver's seat and exterior mirrors", standard on the 3.0 Lux, but a $1,550 option on the LE, that also requires option H47E "Leather with driver's and passenger's electric adjustment including lumar support (10/10 way), also standard on the Lux, but a $1,500 option on the LE.

Also, I made an error before on the powerfold mirror option - it's a $500 option (code H42F).

Ken, if you're after a sunroof on a 2006 it was $2,550 option (F47G).


From the 2002 price list memory seats weren't listed separately, rather it shows:

8 way electric seats - $2,750
10 way electric seats - $3,520

I'm assuming that this would include the memory buttons.

Regards

Rob

 

Many thanks to all - Aonsaithya, Cam and Rob - I now have a clear idea of what's what and in the process, I have found 2 cars that appear to fit my needs. One even has the integrated garage door remote module. Yeee-hah !!! Interstate plane flights in opposite directions can't happen till new year - so I doubt either will hang around.

Aonsaithya, I note your idea of bumper cover exchange - funny, I had not thought of that, especially as I have seen pre-facelift bumper covers offered on eBay - perhaps by owners "updating" their cars. I have it on good authority that the steel reinforcement bar behind the cover not only remained unchanged, but was shared by the S-Type also.

I have also noted your point about seats - 2008 facelift brought horizontally pleated and piped quilted leather to replace earlier longitudinally pleated leather sans piping. But, I stopped short of the transfer box swap. Sounds a biggie. What is the issue? Advantages? I had formed the idea that it was early boxes that proved troublesome, and that they had been improved in later models. Is this not incorrect? I will checks for specific threads on this X-Type forum.

 

The early transfer boxes have a viscous coupling to maintain similar rotation speeds on front and rear axles. The latter ones do not, in them such functionality is presented by DSC. The only real advantage is the feel of the car, if you prefer it that way. I would love to have DSC as well (some early sport models had both DSC and the viscous coupling), but I would also like the car to not be completely AWD-useless if DSC has to be turned off in difficult conditions.
By "AWD-useless" I mean that the latter cars may get stuck if DSC is switched off (or not fitted at all, there are some unfortunate X-Types like that out there), since should a single wheel start spinning, all the power will go that way as there's no VC or DSC stopping it.

While I haven't really had issues with my early transfer case, I wouldn't realistically suggest the transfer case swap to anyone. It's unlikely to be worth the effort in the end.

 

Hi ken,

I have a 2008 model x type lux model....black with the fawnish coloured leather interior. Not sure if it is MY08 or MY09, but it is neat and clean throughout and well cared for. If you're interested let me know and I can clarify specs etc.

Happy to do you a cracking deal.....what with it being festive season and all....

Regards

Jeremy

 

Hi Foibles,
I have got your PM also, so will reply via that medium.

Thanks,

Ken
.