Personally, still not totally on board. Still long for a more unique individualistic design that remind me of the Jaguars of old.

 

Some lucky bugger may actually get to go and see it for themselves in the flesh......who knows???

 

I feel ya, bro. Wonder if there are any marketeers on here who can philosophize on the matter for us.

But let's expand on your idea. Which Jaguars of old are you thinking of? There's really quite a lot of variation in the back catalogue. I'd love an XK140 FHC and a Mk X but they're not going to build anything like them again. And one could argue that the current XJ is pretty individualistic.

 

This forthcoming car does interest me whereas the X-type did not. To me the X-type was too much of a pastiche of Jaguar design cues going back 50 years and not successfully either. As I am retired and 68 years old, I would hope to downsize a bit and run a car that costs less in fuel. I gather the new petrol engines are very economical. I would not buy a diesel.

OK, my current car, an XJ6 3 litre V6 (X350 series) virtually copies the 1968 XJ design of Sir William Lyons but, the ground-breaking aluminium construction does it for me. Plus I really like the 1968 style.

I cannot see myself in the new XE for a few years yet, as the price of a new one will be beyond me.

 

Self-referential is not necessarily what I am talking about, but that something that lets you know what it is from a few blocks away. One would be hard pressed to confuse any of the latest Cadillac offerings with anything other than a Cadillac. That's what I am talking about .

For me, at least, with the "democratization" of luxury, all these cars look exactly the same. I test drove a XF over a year ago and I have recently driven a friends new Honda Accord. I can't say that the XF had that much over the Accord. As a matter of fact, the Accord had a more interesting screen that showed you the view of a right rearview mirror camera every time you turned the right signal on. The front end treatment is even similar. Same thing when I boarded a co workers top end Chrysler 300.

I keep on hearing how familiarity is what sells and having the latest electronic gadgets and interfaces and what not. I am 32 and quite frankly I could not care less about driving a car whose main selling points are some lame electronic gizmos and interfaces that will be out-dated in one year anyway, and that I can find in any high end Asian car. I am even less interested in driving a car that looks like it came from the same Japanese toy plant.

Jaguars have always been instant classics. Cars that you buy and keep forever like inspector Morse kept his Mark 2. There is a reason people keep their old Jaguars around more than any other old car. I am not sure if that is still the case. Naturally it is more profitable to sell new cars that are as common as Toyotas than to live up to an ideal of legacy, tradition, continuity and timelessness. Nothing less than 150% profit will do now-a-days unless you are building Teslas, Rolls Royce's or Swiss watches.

I hope once fully unveiled, the new XE lives up to that timeless expectation.

I did judge the F type harshly until I saw it in the flesh and had to admit it meets all of the expectations. I remain unimpressed by the current saloons.

 

Well said, Mark.

I concur with everything said. Don't even get me started on gadgets and doodads that you don't need but it's a new "must have" for a car to sell. As far as styling goes, the new XJ is striking inside and out a but more car than I need. To the XF then, in person it does look pretty. They still stand out in a crowd but just barely. Inside? Not so much. I don't like metallic finishes and it's everywhere. Feels more like an older MB or BMW - very stoic and cold inside. If they 'XJ'd' it up a bit more - made it interesting inside beyond the binnacle and a pair of horizontal lines outlining what looks like a piece of refrigerator panel I'd probably move on one. Having said that - Portfolio editions have nice walnut trim and dual tone seats and piping.

I hope the XE looks less like a Saturn ion outside (spy shots?) and more like an XJ inside.

Rant over - Solo out.

 

Understood. I really don't think XF is the leader of the pack in any respect when it comes to the brand identity, mainly because it's a carryover of the old DEW98 platform. Though Callum has definitely retained Englishness as a characteristic of Jaguar design across the range.

I read somewhere that the next XJ will revert to a three-box design because of market feedback. I'd rather Jaguar just build the most beautiful XJ they can, and the same for the XE and every other model.

Some models take forever to grow on me. Like the XJ40 and XJS, both of which look terrific on the road today, but I didn't really like them when they were new. Even the X-Type is growing on me though I'd never buy a car that has front-wheel-drive architecture.

If I'm not mistaken, XE will be a sedan, coupé, wagon, maybe another sports car below F-Type...lots to look forward to.

 

If it's the F-Type of compact cars I think we'll have a lot to look forward to. I know some think the XF is a bit derivative but when I look at it and compare it to a 5-Series or E-Class there's just no comparison--especially when you see them out in the wild. I just hope that this XE is light, it amazes me how much the F-Type weighs.

 

Contrary to what Mark says, I don't think the wife plans on trading her XF for an Accord.

 

It's horses for courses. I love the XF interior (much more than the XKR I now have) and I reckon it is miles ahead of the BM or Audi interiors that other people love. The ivory/oyster/walnut interior in my first XF wasn't something I would have ordered (I bought a demo) but it just exuded class and is quite timeless. The piano black in my second was more my cup of tea, though not as classic. The XKR however had walnut everywhere, it looked as though someone ate a tree and then threw up in there and I hated it (cue wrapped interior). And the XF on the outside is miles better than anything else. The audi's look odd at the back, the benzes too, and BMs look odd everywhere. I still haven't seen a saloon as well proportioned as the XF, although the old XJs still look great, and I think that the XF will still be looking good in 10 years.


I'm keen to see the new one, though I'd have to say I was expecting it to be more distinct from the XF than what the current picture shows.

 

I had to google that, lol.

I have to agree, the XF is a beauty, and I do love the interior. I also think it's a real beauty whereas MB and BMW seem to be forcing/forging a look that is distinctive and not traditional. Callum said it best when he pondered on Twitter, I don't understand why more companies don't do beautiful (I'm paraphrasing). Which makes me hopeful for XE's looks.