I was just griping to coworkers about our parking. Most of the spaces are marked "small car only", the other spaces are longer, but not any wider and its about 20% pickup trucks and 40% SUVs. I have to go in to work very early to get one of the three corner spaces or they'll be wasted on beaters.

One of the cool features of my Honda Ridgeline is the generous "trunk" underneath the bed of the truck. It'll hold almost as much luggage as a mid-sized sedan. When they first came out, I remember reading about how they went across the US Canada border for weeks uninspected until customs agents finally realized they had a compartment underneath. My only gripe is that the Ridgeline is a little too big and heavy for Honda's v6. If they'd had an optional v8, they probably would have appealed to more truck buyers.

 

While visiting Houston TX recently I noticed their parking spaces are at least 1.5x wider than here in CA. I guess everything's bigger (and wider) in TX lol

The beaches near my house all have "compact only" parking, too small for my midsize crossover RX, nevermind the XJL, so we take the wife's Civic Sometimes I wish still had my Prius.

 

I'm not a fan of camper shells either; had a couple in the late 80's/early 90's. They obstruct your rearward view and are a pain to take off if you need to haul something they can't accommodate. I do however, like tonneau covers and have had one on every pickup I've owned in this century. They are available in just about every configuration you can imagine from hard-shell, roll-up, tri-fold, and even ones with several interlocking removable sections. If your tailgate is lockable (and most are nowadays), your cargo is as protected as it would be in an SUV.

Dwayne

 

I thought I'd read somewhere that there was quite a bit of discussion at the upper echelon of Jaguar, as to the future of the XJ. What little I've been able to find out about the 2018 (if there's going to be one), is pretty much of "no change". The body style is pushing 10 years, so maybe it is the end. In 2013 they sold around 20,000 vehicles and probably now selling about 10,000 or 11,000. Too bad, I really like my car.
King Fala

 

I don't see the need to redesign the XJ maybe beef up the tech inside to Audi levels. Where can they go with the styling? It still looks modern and polarizing to some eyes. Maybe they can go retro which may not be a bad thing. But I think they're pretty much stuck with their 'corporate identity' big front grill look in all their models in the foreseeable future.

 

For a start I'm Australian! You know? That big island between the Sth Pacific & Indian Oceans that's around the same size as your lower 48? (Who says I don't understand Yanks?) So it's a pretty good place to compare vehicles. & none of the above examples are nothing that a full sized 4x4, like a Landcruiser or Nissan Patrol, can't do. Which is why they're so popular over here.
& I never even insinuated that you should be banned from buying big Pick-ups. What you do with your hard earned is your business. So keep your freedom loving BS under your hat. No one's trying to restrict your rights. If you want to clog your roads with yet another behemoth that's up to you. You are the one who has to manhandle the beast after all. I know that I often find my Ute a hassle to park, with it's long tray, especially if I've got the lockable trunks on the back, which restrict rear vision when reversing. & I hate taking it into car parks. That's what my Jag's for.

 

Another David vs. Goliath video. Goliath lost.

 

Many other manufacturers have had major successes with retro styling. Jaguar itself did pretty darned well with the S-type. Based on the compliments and thumbs up from strangers, my XJ8 is several orders of magnitude more popular with the general public than the much more modern XF so I think a retro styling exercise could be the shot in the arm Jaguar needs. Another thing they ought to consider is building a 2-door coupe version of the current XJ. We discussed in another thread the lack of choices in the "personal luxury car" market segment.

 

I have a feeling that 2018 will be the 2017 with interior upgrades. But there is supposedly a refresh coming in 2019.

Source: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...ide-ian-callum

 

I absolutely love the new touchscreens and tech in the Velar. I could see the XJ getting some of those goodies and would greatly appreciate it.

 

Ha! Well sorry to mistake you for European I should have looked at your location rather than judging from the tone of your post. I guess you thought your insulting post would go unnoticed? And who said anything about banning them? Reading 101!

I have owned both a Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Silverado and never had an issue parking or driving either one anywhere. But then again I am a pretty good driver. I did do some quick searches and it looks like a lot of your countryman are lining up to buy American big iron (like lots of other parts of the globe). You can insult/bad-mouth all you want that's your right and I respect it even though what you say simply isn't true overall. Maybe it is just where you live?

I've always liked big vehicles I am ok with everything about them.

Australians queuing to buy US the supersized pick-up Dodge Ram

 

I don't deny that they're buying them. In fact I think,I said so in an earlier post. & if they live in the drier parts of the country, which IS most of it, they probably love them as much as you do, though they still have our narrower wheel tracks to contend with, which means they'll ride on an angle, which gets very tiring. But at least there's bugger all vegetation to bash those shiny panels in. But where I live is thick Jungle, which is about 1% of the continent, & vines & branches invade our narrow tracks constantly, busily reclaiming as much territory as they can. So those lovely panels don't look too flash at all after just one trip down a jungle track, which is why my Mate's C20 looked so bad, just months after he imported it. & why there are very few of those big behemoths around this way, unless they come from the dry country. & they all look crap if they ever take them bush, which was the point of the original post I made, that you completely misunderstood, hence my second post, which you thoroughly deserved.

 

Well, it certainly makes sense to match your vehicle to the terrain you'll be driving in; any other course is a recipe for disaster. My Lincoln Navigator is primarily a boulevard cruiser that does double duty as cargo carrier and snow transportation. I wouldn't dream of taking it off-road and tearing it to pieces. If I were going to do that, I'd buy something much smaller and more agile.

Dwayne

 

Technology? Absolutely. I'd mentioned this before but my wife still drives a Lincoln MKX, which has the "Ford Touch" system and generated a lot of "thumbs down" from the auto press. But, I have to tell you, as far as I'm concerned that car has all anyone needs to make a "geek" happy. It's a 2011 and is eons ahead of my 2013 XJ. We're still finding out things about the system six years later. I thought that some of what Ford may have been working on before the sale, might have leaked back into the Jaguar plans, but it was not to be. I can't name all of the features that are part of the Ford system. Least of all, remote start and the ability to have the vehicle running, in the winter or summer, while locked! Voice commands easier, text messages by voice (only found this out when our Grand-Daughter was in the car), and so much more.


I'll have to dig out the list I sent off to Jaguar for suggestions for upgrades. Anyway, I wasn't concerned with the looks of the car when mentioning the age. Only that design may limit improvements and to get to an objective the cost of the improvement may be prohibitive.


I can just hope.


King Fala

 

I'm not into the technology at all and rarely use any of the capabilities but my 2015 Ford Mustang and my new Lincoln Navigator are both WAY more advanced and user friendly than the Jag. For that matter, so was my now-departed 2013 Ram 1500. I bought the Jag for its handling, comfort, and sleek, sexy appearance.

Dwayne

 

Well, said, Dwayne.
Luck
King Fala

 

Did you mean a 2018 Nav? That is one fine looking ride!

 

No... my Navigator is a 2017; the 2018's haven't debuted yet. Will probably wait through the '18 model year (hate to buy anything in its first year - like for them to work the bugs out first) and then seriously look at the 2019's. We bought our Navigator the first week of April and it currently has 1100 miles on it; we're not high mileage drivers! Guessing that it will probably have 7000 miles or so by the time the 19's come out, so it should be a decent trade-in. Biggest incentive for trading would be to get another color. The one we have now is black, as were the 2013 Ram 1500 and the 2012 Lincoln MKT that preceded it! Am I in a rut, or what???

Dwayne

 

Not likely. My wife's is a 2011 MKX, pushing 80,000 miles, and she loves it! Won't consider trading it in, so I guess it'll go in the ground along with me. We bought it at the end of the model year in 2011 and have had absolutely "zero" problems with it. I even purchased the extended warranty at the time, which included normal maintenance like oil changes, brakes, wipers, etc. It's a bit of a "gas hog". Best I get when I drive it is about 19 mpg, she get's around 22. It gets done everything we want. 2 trips to California and back (Charlotte to Napa), and a lot of trips back and forth to Florida. My only problem is that I'm really in "lust" with the F-Pace! Since we also have the XJ and she's not liking to drive all that much anymore, I think she's right on this one. I guess I'll move my "lust" to another XJ, lack of technology or not!
Stay safe
King Fala (Lou J.)

 

I briefly thought about an F-Pace, but it simply didn't have the space and towing capabilities I was looking for. Lincoln has been my "go to" brand all my life. My parents drove them ever since I can remember and my current Navigator is my 15th Lincoln product! I bought my first one used (three years old w/ 58000 miles) in 1976 when I was 18. The next one I purchased new when I was 21. I have owed Continentals, Mark V's, a Mark VIII, Town Cars, a Mark LT pickup, and the two aforementioned Navigators. I'm averaging 17 mpg on my Navigator, local driving. To me, that's astounding for a vehicle that weighs more than 6000 pounds! I have not had it on a road trip yet to see what that does, but I'm anticipating 22 mpg or better. I can honestly say I've never had any problems with any of them... something I can't say about the two Jaguars we've owned, or the Rolls-Royce, all of which are considered superior cars. Even the six Cadillacs (when I've strayed) don't have that kind of track record! If I truly ever had to cut down to only one vehicle, there's a 99.9% chance it would be a Lincoln.

Dwayne