I own a 2013 Jaguar XKR-S. Its got 50 miles.

Of the 28 companies tested - Jaguar rank: 28

Why do they have such horrible reliability when they recently surged in the JD Powers "Initial Quality" section. They have quality material, look, feel, etc. Where does this break down in the manufacturing process to destroy the reliability of what they construct???

The only problem I have had so far are the mat hook - lifted the floor mat up for the first time and wham, one of the floor mat hooks lifted up with it. That is a Initial Quality issue as it wasnt fine and then broke - it came that way (whoever put the floor mat in didnt detect that??).

What is everyone's thoughts on being LAST out of the 28 major companies for reliability. In fact we were WAY last. compared to a normal car at zero. Our cars were 120-180% less reliable!!

Loth

 

How can they do a reliability survey on MY2103, when so few cars of that year have been produced and sold? They didn't even start delivering them until late July/early August.

 

It is a prediction...very true. The floor mat hook thing has upset me though. I guess I have only 50 miles...way to early to even comment on reliability.

Loth

 

The XK/XKR's have been very reliable over the last number of years. But the XF and XJ have both had some issues, and that may be more reflected in the predictions. Jaguar has made a number of powertrain changes for 2013 which perhaps is a factor they considered. I would not expect you to generally experience reliability issues.

Bruce

 

I wouldn't put the floor mat hook thing in the reliability category. I would put it in the fit and finish category.

 

All this bad press really hurts the resale value of Jag. Which is already shot...

 

WOOOHOOO!!! This means Jaguar will stay a niche brand, just the way I like it. I don't want everyone under the sun to have a Jag...

 

Been driving modern Jag's for 5+ years and as reliable as any marque you want to put it against.

Not sure how they really calculate this stuff. I would much rather see a new to 70K ownership cost analysis againt similar cars.

 

It fits into my plans perfectly since I buy late-model Jaguars (on my third one) and keep them for a number of years. So far, my latest, an S-Type has been well sorted out. The trick IMHO, is to address any problem while still under warranty so out-of-pocket expenses are minimized.

 

Same here...We've been driving Jags since the late 90's...no more issues than other cars/manufacturers.

 

Honestly, I think when you have these services (Consumer Reports, et al) showing reliability issues for the brand, it makes it such that people who buy these cars are buying these cars for the right reason--because they love the cars.

Too many cars are bought like toaster ovens.

 

I have been driving Jags since the middle 70's. The first two were absolutely abysmal when it came to reliability. since then there has been steady improvement. The best thing that happened to the line of Jaguar vehicles was that Ford bought the company and applied their quality control methods to the jaguar line. They just keep getting better and better. When you acquire an expensive complex piece of rolling equipment and then subject it the vagaries of pavement faults, bad weather, quick stops, etc. something is going to give at some point (that is even true of machinery used in factories). The joy of having and driving a luxury/semi-exotic vehicle way out weighs and inconvenience. By the way I have driven each of my last four Jags on extensive road trips with NO problems.

 

I have to hand it to you; your persistence is admirable. My first Jaguar was an XJ6L, forgot the year, around 1980. The absolute worst car I ever had for reliability. It was so bad that it kept me from even thinking about a Jaguar for decades. It was only great for telling horror stories about it.

When I purchased my '05XK and drove it home, my wife walked around the car and and remarked that it was absolutely beautiful and, further asked what kind of car it was. So, I told her it was a Jaguar. Her immediate, scolding response was:

"Are you out of your mind? DON'T YOU REMEMBER????!!!"

And so, I had to explain that the times were different... No problems with the '05, none with the '08XK and hope to keep it minimum with the 2012XJL. The XJL already had a failed damper on the brand new car. Hope it will not become a trend going forward.

Albert

 

Too many cars ARE toaster ovens. Simplistic, bland, cheap, unrefined, and lacking character. Sometimes that is ok, like my metro.

But I feel good, I feel successful, and I feel unique, behind the wheel of the Jag. I already know that I am these things, the Jag just compliments me.

 

axr6 - It really isn't persistence. It's just that nothing else on the road drives like a Jaguar. In between Jaguars I have tried a Porcshe 928, which although it was alright, it wore out after about 60k miles. My wife has gone through Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Lexus (which she likes) and none of them hold a candle to a Jaguar of almost any type when it comes to feel, handling and responsiveness; not to mention appearance and comfort. Jaguars are a pure joy to drive and own, even with their sometimes quirks.

 

It seems that this is not Ford's lucky year. The company has been known as "world class reliability" when it comes to the quality of cars. But now, Ford fell to near the bottom of the just-released 2012 Consumer Reports dependability survey. Toyota, however, excelled, claiming the three top spots. Some car specialists, however, think the survey is of little consequence.

 

I think people tend to use the published info from Consumers and J.D. Power to support their own experiences, and to discount them as worthless when they don't. Since they are mostly compiling statistical information provided by actual owners it's hard to argue with such a large sample size, and researching forums like these can usually help explain the results.

XJ owners were experiencing a lot of creaking roofs and Jaguar issued a TSB for the repair, and then another one later when the first was unsuccessful on some cars, IIRC. The guy that's taken his car in 4 times for repair and still has the creak will understand and accept the XJ's poor reliability rating, whereas the owner who had a successful repair the first time will feel the poor rating was unjustified.

I use these surveys and all types of reviews to ensure I consider all relevant aspects of a car before buying so I'm making an informed buying decision based on my needs and priorities, and while we'd all like to see our choice ranked at the top I certainly don't need it there to justify it.

Bruce

 

Great post Bruce, you summed it up beautifully.

 

Ah....so you think that Consumer Reports actually tests cars and gives believable opinions? They do NOT want anyone buying a Jaguar. They consistently rate them as having very poor reliability and they do this by selecting a reportable item - say, the LED tale lamp assembly on the 2009 XF; these assemblies frequently had failures, all replaced under warranty and all corrected by the 2010 model year. This is, in the experience of car ownership, a non-event. But they rate the XF, one of the industries highest rated, highest awarded cars, as having a poor reliability rating. utter nonsense. I have owned many Jaguars; the Jaguars built since 2002 are superb. My wife is now on year 9 of daily use of an X-Type (a car that CR warned against VERY strongly). Number of repairs: ONE, exactly one in 9 years: an oxygen sensor had to be replaced only because the check engine light went on; there was no issue of drivability at all. Other perfect-record Jaguars: another 2002 X-Type, a 2005 X-Type, a 2004 XJ8 (sublime!) and a 2007 XK...if you choose to believe Consumer Reports, you will drive a Toyota. And we all know that Toyotas have no problems....

 

Yes! Their opinions from testing are merely opinions, and as subjective and biased as probably every other reviewer's, but the reliability ratings are the statistical results of a standardized questionaire filled out by owners like yourselves. I'm not sure how that puts Jaguar at a disadvantage, and I have no reason to expect the results aren't accurate...although I would suggest they aren't as meaningful as some might think. I interpret many opinions, tests, surveys and sources...and glad to have every one of them!

CR has given top marks to the Toyota Corolla, Camry, Previa, MR2 Turbo, Supra TT, Sienna and Rav4...and our experience owning 11 of those 7 models have agreed with them. Unfortunate experiences with other brands and models agree with their findings also.

The worst built car I've ever owned also happened to be one of the most beautiful, and I loved that XKE so much that when we wanted a convertible I consulted CR again and bought the XKR!

Bruce