Jaguar X-Type

cmnott · June 2002

I shopped the exact cars, except the ES300 (looked at the IS300), A4, 330i, S60 and LS. I narrowed my choices down to the X-Type and the S60 T5. The difference in Canada was 10,000.00 but the attractive lease rate from Jag closed the gap somewhat.

i went with the T5 and am extremely happy with it, but if you can shell it out, go unique, go panache, go historical...go for the JAG! Let everyone else parade in the 3-series and A4s (dime a dozen), and you have a very good warranty and service package, so I wouldn't sweat the reliability issue too much.

homer61388 · June 2002

Sorry Akirby, but I wanted to make sure that everybody saw the post!!! That way they could fill me in on their opinions!!! I WILL NEVER BUY AN AUDI!! I have had past troubles with Audi and I will never go back to one!! And I just heard on the radio that a few select brands of Audi have had a mechanical defect of some kind! Audi's don't appeal to me! I don't care how great they are now, the one that I had was the biggest headache I have ever had in a car! The bimmer seems ok, I guess but yes everybody is driving one and they get old and boring when you see them everyday at the office. So I want to go to a different brand of car. Yes, don't get me wrong they are superior cars and they are some of the world's finest automobiles.

Another reason that is stopping me from buying a jag is the fact that FORD owns the company and I can definitely see the Ford switch gear in some of the jag's and land rover's (also owned by Ford.) Does anybody know the specific troubles that the jag has had? What is wrong with it? I read though on a review, here on Edmunds, that the manifold fell apart during a test drive! ARGG!!!!!! One of my favorite car brand turns out to be crap!

The Volvo does seem to be a nice car, the S60 I mean. And Volvo has always meant safety. I will definitely check out this vehicle.

Does anybody recommend any Saab brands? Saab is Swedish too and somewhat similar to Volvo? Any recommendations?
Thanks for the responses.

riez · June 2002

homer61388... That is the only way you'll know what cars work specifically for you. Take a lot of test drives. And do a lot of research. Check out everything from the dedicated and comparison boards here, Consumer Reports reliability data, Intellichoice ownership data, crash test data, insurance cost data, automotive press car test results, etc. Have fun. Searching for the right car should be fun but challenging.

sliang · June 2002

#1(safety):Xtype and ES300 are the safest options for the mid-west weather. TL-S does not have the side curtain air bags, and C320 is rear wheel drive.
#2(performance):TL-S will probably perform the best in good weather condition, then C320, Xtype, and ES300.
#3(reliability):ES300 should be on top of the list even it is in the first year, Lexus knows how to produce a very reliable car. Engine "sludge" is a problem with some of the Lexus & Toyota V6 owners, but Lexus has 8 years warranty on the engine against the "sludge", so it should not be a problem unless you want to keep your car longer than 8 years. TL-S is probably the second. Not sure about Xtype or C320. People posted many electronic problems with C320 (or C240) on Edmunds.
#4(quality): ES300 is probably still on the top. JD Power also rated the ES300 for best initial delivery quality. C320 is the second, then Xtype and TL-s.
#5(sportiness):TL-S & C320 with sport pkg can both be very sporty, ES300 has AVS option to make the suspension more sporty or comfortable as you wish. Not sure about Xtype.
#6(value):TL-S is probably the number one, then ES300, C320, and Xtype.
Hope this will help you to decide. You definitely need to test drive each of these cars before making the final decision.

jagboyxtype · June 2002

As someone who owns a Jaguar X-TYPE, I think I can offer some good information.

LOCATION OF FINAL ASSEMBLY-

The X-TYPE is built at Jaguar's Halewood facility near Liverpoole in England. All Jaguars are built in the United Kingdom, and then are exported to their outside markets. This does not affect the availability of parts because dealers keep massive inventories, and any parts that must be ordered from England are shipped very promptly and arrive in a very short period of time. You don't have to worry about an availability of parts.

WARRANTY AND FREE MAINTENANCE

All Jaguars have a 4-year, 50,000 mile warranty, and all scheduled maintenance for that time is paid for by Jaguar. All you pay for is the car, the gas, and the insurance. The rest is all free. During those maintenance times, your Jaguar dealer will drive you to wherever you have to go for that day, such as work, etc., in a Jaguar car. If your car must be kept for more than one day, then your dealer will provide you with a Jaguar to drive for that time period. My own dealer will allow customers to choose between a Jaguar, Saab, Mercedes-Benz, or Land Rover when their car is in the shop for more than a day, and they are not located within an auto-mall and only sell Jags. Also, technicians are required to wear white gloves and cover the seats in the cars as to not leave any marks or smudges on them. Most dealers are very good, my own has been outstanding. I even get Christmas cards from them.

PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS-

A few early X-TYPEs have had problems with annoying noises coming from the driveshaft in certain weather conditions or at certain speeds. So far, I have not heard any more complaints about that issue or any other initial problems that the X-TYPE has had, and Jaguar has worked hard to fix all of those problems. I have read some follow-up articles where people who had been interviewed with these problems on their X-TYPEs finally had Jaguar fix their cars, and were very satisfied with their car and the service from Jaguar that they received. I don't believe that Jaguar is having any more of these problems on the X-TYPEs that are being produced and sold now, so these problems are no longer issues.

Also, both the 2.5 and 3.0 litre cars that Edmunds reviewed were very heavily used, PRE-PRODUCTION versions of the X-TYPE. Production X-TYPEs are much more solidly built than their prototypes, and do not have problems with their exhaust systems falling off of the car or interior trim pieces being able to be easily torn off. I have checked my own X-TYPE, tugged on the pieces underneith, etc. They are very solidly connected and will not come off.

RELIABILITY-

I myself have had no problems with my X-TYPE at all. To this day, there is not even a rattle or any other sound out of place in my car. Reliability has been excellent on my X-TYPE, as well as on the Jaguars that my father owns. Jaguars have had a reputation for being troublsome in the past, but today, they are just as reliable as their competators, and even more so than some. After about 1998, Jaguars did not have reliability or quality problems. They also have leading customer satisfaction ratings, and I can understand why with all of the enjoyment I have gotten from my car.

ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE-

The X-TYPE also comes standard with Jaguar's Traction 4 AWD system, which divides torque 40% to the front wheels, and 60% to the rear wheels, unless slip is detected and power is sent to the wheels with the best traction. This, as well as special roller bearings between the tops of the front strut towers and the body, create RWD performance and steering. The entire system is totally unnoticeably to those within the car, and the only difference in feel between the X-TYPE's AWD and a RWD setup is that the X-TYPE feels like it has more traction, which it does. Jaguar's Traction 4 has been widely acclaimed as rivalling Audi's advanced Quattro system, which has been developed for over 22 years, and BMW's AWD system, which is known to limit performance and take away the RWD feel that is so important in a BMW. Forbes stated of the Jaguar AWD system, "Interestingly, the X-TYPE gets a seamless, virtually transparent new 40/60 viscous coupling all-wheel-drive system with optional dynamic stability control that rivals Audi's vaunted Quattro for wet- and dry-weather performance." The X-TYPE will also outcorner and out handle the other cars that you mentioned as possible considerations.

Road&Track stated, "Every time we got into a long stretch of fast, curving mountain road, whoever was in the Jag inevitably got on the walkie-talkies we all carry and said, 'This thing is really good in the curves!' It's a confidence-inspiring car, with good grip, linear steering and precise turn-in."

PERFORMANCE-

Performance of the X-TYPE is also very near the top of its class. Car&Driver said of the X-TYPE:

"Subjectively, the X-TYPE didn't feel quite as quick as a BMW 330i. But a few instrumented acceleration runs revealed that the measured 0-to-60-mph time of 6.3 seconds was only 0.2 second slower than the small BMW. We would rate the smoothness of the X-TYPE's V-6 to be similarly close to that of the Bavarian in-line six."

Road&Track said, "In acceleration, the 3.0 X-TYPE is among the quickest. Accompanied by a nice-but-distant exhaust note, the Jag goes from 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds, undercutting the boy-racer Lexus IS 300's and Audi A4 2.8's 7.1, the Mercedes C320's 6.8 sec. and matching the BMW 330i's time."

Forbes said that the engines of the X-TYPE are "bulletproof in practice". They go on to say, "We tested both [2.5 and 3.0 litre versions] on the track in England; both will wind all day without complaint, pull nicely in any gear and do just about anything an owner would expect."

The X-TYPE also features the same, large vented front and solid rear disc brakes on the larger S-TYPE, so stopping the car takes no effort at all.

jagboyxtype · June 2002

Road&Track said of the brakes, "In braking tests, the X-TYPE had impressive and easily repeatable stopping distances from 60 mph (118 ft.) and 80 mph (208 ft.)."

Car&Driver also said, "A few laps at the Castle Combe racetrack allowed us to explore the outer reaches of the X-TYPE's handling, where it proved to be completely benign, thanks to the all-wheel-drive. Even at the limit, understeer never grinds the front tires excessively, but the only way to get the tail out was to flick the steering wheel while simultaneously lifting the throttle. The four-wheel disc brakes proved linear and powerful under repeated heavy track use."

STEERING SYSTEM-

The X-TYPE is also known for its superb steering. Car&Driver said, "The steering is nothing short of terrific."

MotorTend stated, "The car's best system may be its speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion power steering. In fact, it matches the previously unrivaled precision served up by BMW 3 Series. Car placement feels laser-guided precise, with excellent feedback and road feel. With complete confidence and comfort, we drove at most times with just our fingertips-even at 120 mph on the track. The only all-wheel-drive car we've ever driven offering similar levels of steering communication is the Nissan Skyline GT-R, a pretty racy piece."

The X-TYPE uses a ZF Servotronic II veriable-ratio power rack-and-pinion steering system. Car&Driver raved about it and called it "enthusiast goods".

INTERIOR-

The X-TYPE features hand-polished birds-eye maple veneer on the dash and trimming the doors, as well as a generous amount around the automatic shift gate and on the shift selector. Wood on the steering wheel is to be an option on 2003 models. Fine, hand-finished Connolly leather is used on all seating surfaces as well as on portions of the doors. Unlike its competators that offer leather and wood only as extra options, this is all standard on the X-TYPE. The interior design is much like that of other current Jaguar models, with the radio and climate control system contols positioned in the lower portion of the center dash, surrounded by a "hoop". The wood dash is shaped like "spitfire wings" (as Jaguar interior designers call it) like in the other Jags as well.

Road&Track states of the interior, "The Jag's interior is a rich assemblage of shapes and textures, done up with nice details like the silver-rimmed green-faced gauges." In another R&T article, "Despite the less-than-XJ price, the X-TYPE sports the traditional Jaguar upscale cabin...Our new long-term Jag may be an 'entry level' model, but you would never know it judging by all that wood, leather and the easy-to-use nav system."

Car&Driver says, "As you'd expect, the interior is lined in sumptuous Connolly leather and birds-eye maple wood trim on the dashboard and doors. Luxury amenities abound, as well as the expected front, side, and head airbags...the level of finish is very nice with neat stitching, close fits, and excellent materials throughout". They also said it was "roomier than the top-of-the-line XJ8", and the trunk is also the roomiest in its class at 16 cubic feet (which is also the largest in any Jaguar).

Overall, I have found that the interior is very functional, with enough storage places to suit anyone's needs. The seating position has been called "perfect" by those various car magazine reviews, and I agree with that assessment. It creates a nice atmosphere, and the look, feel, and smell of the Connolly leather and wood is incomparable to other cars. (By the way, the square opening to the bottom left of the steering wheel is the sunglasses holder).

SAFETY-
Also, the interior of the X-TYPE, along with the numerous airbags, features many safety sensors that monitor how close the driver is the the steering wheel and whether safety belts are fastened, etc. to calculate how to deploy the airbags in the event of a collision. The front seats also utilize weight sensors in these calculations, and the passenger seat has additional sensors to detect small children or baby seats. The airbags for the front passenger will not deploy if the person riding in that seat weighs less than 40 pounds or if a baby seat is detected. The small amber light in the corner of the wood trim on that side of the dash will indicate this. The rear head protection airbags will also unfold and roll down if a side impact in sever enough to cause them to have to be used as full upper body side airbags as well. Front side airbags deploy from the sides of the seats.

EXTERIOR STYLING-

I find the styling of the X-TYPE to be very attractive. MotorTrend called the car, "pure Jag inside and out". It was also rated very highly in Road&Track for its "good looks and vestigial Britishness". The car is about 6 inches shorter than an S-TYPE and an inch narrower. It is, however, about 7.9 inches longer than a 3-Series BMW and 5.6 inches longer than a Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan. The car attracts much attention just on its styling alone, and even the Edmunds reviews stated that most people they asked believed that the car cost between $50,000 and $70,000 based upon looks alone. At one time on a Jaguar website, I read a quote that went along the lines of "If you don't like the attention that this car will get you, we politely suggest that you shop elsewhere". If you want conservative lines, then I have to agree.

jagboyxtype · June 2002

To wrap things up, Car&Driver stated, "The X-TYPE makes for a convincing package. For a base price of $30,595, the X-TYPE offers an all-wheel-drive chassis [(that is the most rigid in its class, 30% more rigid than the previous class leader)] with beautiful steering and excellent road manners, a smooth and willing V-6, and a comfortable and luxurious interior...Those buyers who have been saving their shekels for a Jaguar priced closer to 30 than 50 big ones will be delighted with the new X-TYPE...it's clearly Xtraordinary".

Here is a Windows Media Player movie of the X-TYPE driven by one of Jaguar's F1 drivers:

<http://bilnytt.spray.se/webb%20tv/filmer/Jag%20X-Type_Broad.wmv>

I think that you would be happy with the X-TYPE; I love mine. As I read somewhere once, "With the X-TYPE, you drive a Jaguar, anything else is just another nice car". Have fun, and good luck choosing!
____________________________

Pat-
All of the pictures used here in this revised edition of this message are from the Edmunds car site or do not have copyrights. I removed any that I was unsure of. Thanks for the reminder!
-jagboyxtype

denk · June 2002

I don't know about the rest of you, but it's pretty obvious to me that Jagboy is not a teenager who got a nice X-Type from his father, but rather is most likely an employee of Jaguar in some capacity. What do you all think??

akirby · June 2002

It's pretty obvious to me that he's a very enthusiastic teenager with a new car. That's no reason for you to call him a troll (his posts don't even fit the troll definition BTW) or imply that he's a Jag employee on a secret mission. Chill out.

jagboyxtype · June 2002

Gee, sorry denk. I don't know how you found my statements to be offensive to the point of accusing me of being a troll here, but if that's what you think...
I was just giving homer my opinions, experiences, and quotes I found about the X-TYPE to try and be helpful to him. He requested information, I told him what I know and feel.

If your last post wasn't so laughable I'd cry! <- now you can take offense :-)

Really though, I don't in the least way work for Jaguar, nor do any of my family members. I just like the cars, drive one, and that's why I'm here. Why are you?

jagboyxtype · June 2002

Akirby-

Thanks for coming to my defense there. I have to say that it has been a pleasure to converse with someone so knowledgeable, honest, and truthful on this board. You really are someone whose opinions I respect and hold in high regard.

desertguy · June 2002

I think not. Nothing wrong with a little entusiasm. Denk is a BMW owner who apparently is bored with the "3" bb.

pat · June 2002

Certainly there are car enthusiasts here! That is no reason to accuse someone of ulterior motives.

If you really have reason to think someone is misrepresenting his or herself for personal gain, the way you handle that is with an email to the board host or Community Manager.

Let's just let it go.

Pat
Sedans Host

jagboyxtype · June 2002

Anyway, have any of you been watching those Jag R3 F1 cars? They've got little "007" logos on their mirrors now, to promote the new James Bond movie. Since he is back in an Aston Martin, Ford only thought it was right to use more of their prestige cars in the movie as well (I heard they paid enough to fund two more MGM movies to get their cars in over BMW - something Aston Martin and Jaguar could never do on their own). Maybe the "bad guys" or one of the "Bond girls" will be driving around in Jaguars, Land Rovers, and Lincolns. I hope they don't blow any of them up, but at least it will be a "cousin" (the Vanquish) doing it now.

Back to the R3's, Jaguar has sold off its F3 racing to focus purely on F1. I want to start to see some wins over those Ferarris now!

And with the X-TYPE, what kind of oil are you guys using with them? I think I'll stay with something like Castrol since that is what the maintainance manual suggests, but do you use "natural" or "synthetic"? My dealer offers both, and I want what is best to keep my car running perfectly.

Thanks everyone!

pat · June 2002

Some off-topic and argumentative posts have been removed.

Let me share with you some things to think about:

- You are obligated to converse in a civil and respectful manner. Name-calling of any sort does not comply. Inviting others to disparage and debate the motivation of another poster within the discussion does not comply.

- You also are obligated to refrain from responding to messages in any way that is contrary to your MA. IOW, someone saying something nasty to you in no way gives you the "right" to respond in kind or in any manner that extends the argument.

- When a host has requested that a line of conversation be dropped, it is not helpful to then post explanations of why that conversation was occurring. It needs to be dropped when the host says drop it. Otherwise the host wouldn't have said that.

Please email me if anyone has any further comments about this situation. Further discussion here will just result in more deleted posts.

Pat
Sedans Host

rea98d · June 2002

When I saw the previews for the new James Bond movie, I almost stood up and cheered to see 007 driving an Aston Martin. He's a British secret agent, he needs a British car. I've been hoping for 007 to return to Aston Martins for a long, long, long time. One dream has come true, now I just have to work on getting secret agent 00rea98d into a Jag ;-)

riez · June 2002

rea98d... Don't forget that Ford Motor Company owns Aston Martin, just like it owns and controls Jaguar. So isn't Mr. Bond actually driving an American car?

Thought I read somewhere recently that the once vaunted British Automobile Industry is down to two small marques: Bristol and MG. All the rest are either dead (e.g., BMC, British Leyland, Daimler, Jensen, Triumph, etc.) or still extant but under foreign ownership and control (RR, Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Vauxhall, and Land Rover).

But I do thoroughly concur it is great to see Mr. Bond driving an Aston Martin. Mr. Goldfinger would approve. Can't remember if Bond's wonderful silver AM in the Goldfinger era was a DB4, DB5, or DB6. Thinking a DB6. (Do you know what the "DB" stands for? Hint, it is a name.)

cainep · June 2002

Jensen rose from the ashes a few years ago, manufacturing a convertible and a coupe. Of course, they're still using American engines, but this time from Ford instead of Mopar.

http://www.jensen-motors.com/

Interestingly, the new factory is pretty close to Halewood, where the X-Type is built.

riez · June 2002

cainep... Thanks. Learn something new every day. (Now that I think about it, I did read something about revived Jensen within the past couple years.) The Interceptor, now that was a great car! And the rare FF AWD model! Too bad Mr. Bond didn't drive one. And too bad Ford or GM didn't buy Jensen way back then!

Think I left TVR off my list. Aren't they still in business? Used to make something like Tasmin. But I don't know who owns them.

jagboyxtype · June 2002

I don't believe that Jaguar and Aston Martin are in the U.S. stock exchange. They are part of Ford of Europe's PAG, and in their stock exchange, so they're still considered British. Just like those South African-built 3-Series cars, they're still German. Besides, all Jags and Astons are built in England anyway.

I liked the 750iL he had in Tomorrow Never Dies. A pretty good car chase there, I wouldn't have wrecked it the way he did though. I may have if I was in one of those new ones though:-) I wonder if Q would have made one of those bullet-proof!

ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA LTD.:
DB = David Brown, a tractor manufacturer who took control of Aston Martin in February 1947. The DB1 was produced the year after, I believe. It had the pushrod engine from before the war. Later, he bought Logonda and used their 2.5-litre DOHC inline-six (which was designed by W.O. Bentley) in the DB2, which went into production in May 1950.

Gosh, I need to leave for a while, I'm becoming a British car nut.

riez · June 2002

jagboyxtype... Don't believe you can buy stock in Jaguar or Aston Martin. They are wholly owned and controlled subsidiaries of Ford Motor Company. Check out Ford's annual report. Jag's and AM's revenue & earnings contribute to the overall corporate-wide profit/loss. Believe Ford stock trades in Europe (e.g., Frankfort & London).

Nothin' wrong with being a "British car nut". They designed and built some truly wonderful cars. And they have a love for cars and racing. Think we'd all love to see a truly indigenous British car industry come roaring back. The thought of British icons like RR and Bentley being owned and controlled from Germany is odd, to say the least (though European royalty bloodlines cross national boundaries and the EU is integrating the continent.)

cainep · June 2002

I had a 73 Interceptor from 89-95. Great-looking car, but had the ability to soak up money in repair costs. Although Bond didn't have an Interceptor, The Saint did in the 6-episode remake series in the early 90s.

Yes, TVR are still going, with a few models, but the bodywork looks stranger and stranger. There are also many small makers - Lotus, Ginetta, Westfield, Morgan, plus numerous smaller companies.

Back to the main topic, I've noticed that some Hertz offices now have X-Types available - unlimited mileage as well :-) Hopefully, I'll be able to try one this summer.

rea98d · June 2002

Aston Martins are still made in Britain. Aston Martin also does a lot of their own design work, unlike Jaguar, whose enigineers work more closely with Ford. Ford ideally wants Aston Martin stealing buyers away from Ferrari and Lamborghini, and the Jaguar brand just doesn't have the marketing punch to pull it off. They are still very much British, even though owned by an American company. Anybody notice the British Flag on the side of Jaguar's R-Type concept car? I wonder if they would have put that there had they not been owned by a foreigh company. Kind of a polite little defiance saying "We are still British!" As I've asid before, I don't think Ford engines are going to kill the brand simply by being Ford. As long as the mechanicals are up to the standards asked in a $30,000, $40,000 or $50,000 dollar car, the car will sell. The X-Type is just a machine. It doesn't know if its parts are British, American, or leftover Lada parts stamped "Made in the USSR"

neuroguy · July 2002

Someone wanted video of the X-Type in action. I can't recall which board it was posted on, and I've looked and can't find the message. It was several days ago that I ran across this.....

Here is a Windows Media Player movie of the X-TYPE driven by one of Jaguar's F1 drivers:

<http://bilnytt.spray.se/webb%20tv/filmer/Jag%20X-Type_Broad.wmv>

jagboyxtype · July 2002

Hey, I saw that exact post on another Jaguar X-TYPE board on another site, and then the last half of it is taken directly from another one of my posts here, number 1112. It even has the little "<" and ">" symbols that I always put around a link. Oh well...

Anyway, I found a picture of a United Kingdom Police Edition Jaguar X-TYPE, well, actually I found a post on that board where I found part of my other post that led me to the picture. I can't say I care for the paintjob, but it lives up to its ancestry with those Mark 2's that the cops and robbers would race around in back in the 60's.

Here it is: <http://www.wiltshire.police.uk/traffic/fleet/honda/x_type.htm>

(It is copyrighted, Pat, so I made sure to just post a link!)
___________________________________________

Dad, my little brother, and I went to get fireworks for the 4th of July, and the people in that little booth went crazy over seeing my car. They absolutely loved it and could not have said more nice things about it - and that began when all they initially saw of the car was its tail-end sitting in a parking space. From all angles, I (and they apparently) think that it really looks great, and they instantly knew it was a Jaguar from the moment they saw just its rear end. One of them was actually someone I'd call a "car guy" - he looked like someone who worked on a lot of cars and knew his stuff, and he was all into acceleration times and horsepower and all of that. [I of course hated every moment of their flattering complements - not! :-)] We were offered a 20% discount if we'd allow them to take the car around the block once. Of course that was a joke (and a bad one at that!), but there was no way in Heck that I was going to let anyone take my car for a spin. They didn't know it was mine though. "How often do you let him drive that around without you?!" they joshingly asked my father with a friendly laugh. It really does look a lot more expensive than it is, although it is by no means an inexpensive car. Just like the first Jaguars that Sir William Lyons showed to the public and asked the crowd how much they believed his new cars cost. The responses were much higher than their actual prices, and the X-TYPE, like all Jags seem to, does the same thing to the public. Even as the baby Jag, it still has all of that Jaguar mystique and cache. (And I don't wish to sound stuck-up, but that is a little part of the fun of having a Jaguar.) I'm starting to see them more often on the road now too; and my mother's friend is about to trade her Lexus SC 300 in for a white X-TYPE with sand interior. I guess it's catching on.

Best wishes everyone! Oh yeah, what do you all think of the "R" type mesh grilles for the X-TYPE. I'm not really considering one for mine, but I think they look all right with certain colors. I might have Arden tune my car up when it gets older and needs a change, but right now, it is perfect.

akirby · July 2002

So, the fireworks guys bought your teenager disguise? I guess they couldn't tell you were really a 34 year old Jag employee working undercover, huh? The family thing was a nice touch, too. You PR guys pull out all the stops.
:-) :-) :-)

jagboyxtype · July 2002

You think I'm only 34 eh? :-) :-) :-)
They probably thought I was 17 or early 18 as I do look more mature than I really am.

Talk to you later!

Oh, by the way, do you have any idea how long it takes to interview and then assemble those guys into a family?:-) :-) ;-)

jagboyxtype · July 2002

On a lighter note (here, I'll offer another bit of "my life with my X-TYPE" in an attempt to keep this place going), an old, grey (if that wasn't just the faded primer coat showing through the rust), beat-up, Volkswagen Golf (well, it actually said "Rabbit" on it) filled with other teenager guys happened to spot my car behind-and-in-the-lane-to-the-right of them at a stop light. Well, you can all probably see where this is going, but I am so protective of and paranoid about my car that I was afraid that they were going to try and vandalize or steel my car somehow. Thankfully, I was wrong, and I tried to pretend to not even see them popping out of their windows to see my X-TYPE. (I see why everyone says that red is too easy to see now, and mine is Carnival, not even Phoenix.) I just looked directly ahead and around inside my car, trying to not make eye-contact until the light changed green. Anyway it was a long red-light, and they backed up so that they were next to me, and then start revving their (I'm guessing a VW 1.8-litre 4-cylinder) engine as if they could coax me into racing them!

Give me a break!

First, there is no way in Heck that I'd ever drag-race on public streets, period. Traffic or none, no viewable pedestrians or sidewalks full of them, it is just way too dangerous (not to mention illegal) to do that kind of stuff. Secondly, I am never going to drag-race my cherished car, as that can be damaging to the car and very taxing on its engine (yeah, call me whatever you like, but I don't like seeing my tachometer go past 3,000 as I baby my car so much). People call me a perfectionist, and I like to keep my car that way too. I do drive too fast sometimes, and I have no problem racing in other peoples' cars on race tracks, but I am not doing any damaging racing in mine.
And finally, (here is the snob in me) Jaguars don't race old VW Rabbits! :-)

Pulling away from stoplights faster than the other cars is perfectly okay, in fact, most all of the other Jaguars I see always pull away from them faster than the other cars there with them, (even "nothing over 3,000 revs me" does this), but this is totally different from what those VW guys seemed to be thinking. Everything turned out just fine (I was still nervous that they were going to scratch or dent my car though), but I guess my not aknowledging their existence was enough to let them know that this race was not going to happen. In the end, I pulled away fast enough to easily get ahead of them, but in a way that didn't look like and wasn't racing, and then turned the corner over into Circuit City just as they tried to speed up. Flashing lights soon followed them... It was kind of exhilarating for a moment. Kind of like "oops, poor them". (Remeber that speeding tickets are especially bad for teenagers.)

With this car, I didn't have to prove anything to them. I know for a fact that it is much faster than what they had, and it's got very quick acceleration times as a car in general. Knowing is enough for me, but passing those slower cars (when necessary :-)) in this car is always fun. Just keep out of trouble. Stay safe everyone!

jagboyxtype · July 2002

I just found an article on a European auto website that has to do with vehicle sales numbers and articles about how manufacturers are doing globally etc. In a neat little article, it told of how much the Italians apparently like the X-TYPE's styling and other qualities, and are moving away from their other luxury cars into X's. Right now, the X-TYPE dominates over 60% of the near-to-mid luxury segment in Italy. Not bad, not bad at all.

Lungamente vive il X-tipo! <--[Sorry, I don't really know Italian very well, I speak French much better :-)]
_____________________________

Now I've made 3 postings in a row here people. Come on, don't be shy. Speak-up!

cmnott · July 2002

You have to rev it. You will biuld up carbon deposits and ruin the car's motor and performance. Your redline is there to protect your car motor. your engine is safe under redline. In fact, you could probably leave it 100rpm below red all the time...the car is designed to be safe under your redline.

YOu are not babying your car, but rather doing more harm than good.

Seriously.

jagboyxtype · July 2002

Oh, don't worry. I really do have that tachometer needle fly all over that green-faced gauge. In normal city-driving, the highest I can get the thing going is usually about 2,600 revs without speeding, so I take the car out onto the fast twisties to keep it in shape. I haven't hit the redline before, but I've gotten up in that 5,000 rpm area. The first time it happened, some car stopped on a freeway on-ramp before going, so I had to stop behind it. A little feature called "kick-down" happened to activate when I hit the accelerator, and it felt like I had gone from 0-80 in two seconds flat. Thanks for the concern, I'll probably be driving a lot faster now. :-)

BTW, hows your S60?

pat · July 2002

desertguy - I don't know what he's talking about either. But as I advised him in another discussion, he needs to email his concerns to me so I can figure it out.

Pat
Sedans Host

cmnott · July 2002

You are to hit redline by 8pm today. No if's ands or buts.

Of course, you do not want to go to red in 3rd, you'll be doing 100mph...but 1st and 2nd are a must. Let me warn you that the car might smell funny, but it is fully expected because of how you've been driving it. Like I said stay under red and whether it is 3000rpm or 6500rpm, the engine doesn't really care.

The S60 T5 is just great! I have been to redline a few times...it is one fast, comfortable car!

gapsted · July 2002

Greetings X-Typers, from an Aussie anglophile in Texas!

I have just picked up my new Pacific Blue 3.0 Auto and after a month am LOVING it. I have driven a BMW 325 for the last 3 years. It was a brilliant car and I'd recommend it to anyone. Time for a change though. Life really is stylin' in the Jag!

No major problems. The aircon was screwy initially but the dealer fixed that in a day - it had been overgassed with refrigerant. No probs.

Other than that, my only comments are on the sluggish response with the automatic transmission. Thank goodness for the J and the 3.0! This baby flies!!! Has anyone got an automatic transmission 2.5? How do you find the performance?

cheers!

jonty12 · July 2002

where in texas are you? which dealer did you buy from?

gapsted · July 2002

Jonty
I am in Dallas but got my X-Type from Autobahn in Fort Worth, same place as I got my BMW 325, 3 years ago. Great dealership!

jagboyxtype · July 2002

Hey, congradulations on the Jag! It is an X-cellent car. I absolutely love mine as well.

"Thank goodness for the J and the 3.0."

-I took that statement as meaning that you like the J-gate shift pattern. Auto reviewers seem to dislike it in all of the Jags, but I have no problem with it at all. Shifting manually with it is actually pretty easy for me, and it's more like a real manual shifter since there is actually a gate to row through, as opposed to "tipping" the shifter up or down. How has it been for you? Press the "S" button if you want the transmission to shift more eagerly.

jonty12 · July 2002

i checked out autobahn as well. i was impressed, especially the bmw room that was the only dealer in the dfw area willing to let me test drive an m3. they were also the only ones who had manual transmission 330s to test drive. (a salesman at john robert told me i could test drive a manual, only if i ordered one. I told him i tend not to buy a car until i test drive it!)

i bought from overseas, the salesperson was great, and they are close to home/work.

jagboyxtype · July 2002

"Motor Trend" has a new long-term, Platinum Metallic 3.0 Sport, manual transmission X-TYPE which they wrote about on pages 116 & 117 of their August edition. It is fully loaded minus the navigation system, and total price for the car was $44,120. They like it, and like the "Road&Track" people did, spent much of the article just writing about the many options that their new "shaggy Jaggy" (God knows why they called it this; I heard the Jaguar people don't even like it when the cars are called "Jags", much less "shaggy Jaggies"!) is equipped with.

EXCERPT:
"Is the X-TYPE an important vehicle for Jaguar? You bet. A prime candidate for MT's One-Year Test? Duh. Starting at $35,950, our nearly loaded 3.0L X-TYPE is bathed in Platinum Metallic paint ($550) and is fitted with the... [insert very long description of all options but the navigation system here] ...At over 4,000 miles [4,229 exactly when the article was written], there have been no problems, except for a flat tire. This new X is one shaggy Jaggy."

Their "FROM THE LOGBOOK" quote reads:
"I'm anxious to try out the upcoming R version of the X-TYPE, because this is a very good sport sedan." -Larry Crane

They spent $10 for that flat-tire repair, which I must say was no fault of their car, but rather their driving habits or their choice of roads. At least they didn't take the car off-road (well, I'm counting un-paved Mexican dirt roads as "off-road", especially for low-to-the-ground cars) the way those people at "JAGUAR" magazine did. They sped their X-TYPE Sport into a massive pothole and cracked one of their 17-inch alloy wheels. They couldn't find a replacement wheel (as there are only 3 authorized Jaguar dealerships in all of Mexico) but their spare came in handy. I look forward to seeing how their X-TYPE holds up, and like the AutoWeek editors said of their long-term X-TYPE, "Who wouldn't want to spend a year behind the wheel of a Jag-u-ar?"

rea98d · July 2002

That drag racing post reminds me of a Mustang GT commercial I saw a few years ago. Mustang is stopped at a red light, revving up the motor. Announcer is going on and on about how goood the power feels, while a cop looks on with expectation, waiting to stop the Mustang. When the light turns green "You put it in 'slow cruise'", the announcer says while the driver just smiles slyly at the cop as he mosies on by. The cop looks like a little kid who just got his hershey bar taken from him.

jagboyxtype · August 2002

Here is an article from another site entitled "Jaguar Feels Growth Pains". It initially seems negative towards Jaguar's expansion plans, but then it turns to a positive note. It was kind of interesting, a lot about the X-TYPE:

<http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0208/05/c01-553112.htm>

Some quotes:

-"Jaguar's sterling quality reputation, the result of a decade of hard work, took hits late last year when the all-new X-Type compact sedan drew complaints about vibrating propulsion shafts, rocking seats and temperamental trunk latches -- all of them now fixed." <-- As I have been saying for the longest time, ALL PROBLEMS WITH FAULTY X-TYPE'S DRIVESHAFT NOISE ETC. HAVE BEEN FIXED! Do you guys believe me now?

-"Derision from competitors [!] and Jaguar purists followed, capping a whispering campaign that labeled the X-Type as little more than a dressed up Ford Mondeo with which it shares some parts. Yet 2-liter X-Types, aimed at the upwardly mobile, helped push Jaguar sales in the United Kingdom up 104 percent through June."

Also, AutoWeek found that "the chassis itself shares only six small panels with its blue-oval counterpart" and that "this particular parts-sharing, it turns out, only gives the Jag its chassis 'hard points' and its engine blocks, but not much else".

-"A recent rough patch during the launch of the X-Type appears to be smoothing out and sales are beginning to exceed forecasts. A face-lifted S-Type, criticized at its debut a few years ago for an interior too reminiscent of a Lincoln, now looks unmistakably Jaguar and it's showing in the sales figures."

-"Through June, Jaguar sales in the bellwether U.S. market were up 62.1 percent over last year, easily outpacing rivals Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. In western Europe, sales of Jaguars surged 66.1 percent, compared with 3.6 percent for Audi, 0.4 percent for BMW and flat sales for Mercedes."

-"Less than two years away is an X-Type all-wheel drive wagon, called a "sportsbrake" by company insiders. A six-cylinder diesel engine for all Jaguar sedans is under development by Ford engineers in Aachen, Germany, and is expected to debut in 2004. Both innovations are expected to drive Jaguar sales sharply higher, especially in Europe."

-"Since its introduction, residual values on leased Jaguars are rising while those of several German rivals are staying flat or declining."

-"Jaguar had the misfortune of scheduling the X-Type's U.S. launch for September. Would-be consumer enthusiasm dampened by the terrorist attacks ebbed even further when customers learned many of the X-Types sitting on dealer lots were pricey 3-liter sport models, not more modest 2.5-liter versions with more affordable lease rates.

   Jaguar acknowledged it badly miscalculated and moved quickly to correct the error. But dealers started reporting quality problems in the early X-Types, which company executives blame for Jaguar's two-place slide from the upper reaches of the influential J.D. Power and Associates quality rankings.

   Since then, X-Type sales have continued to climb. Overall, the 18,662 X-Types sold through June are fewer than 100 cars behind the Audi A4, an established model in the segment. BMW sold 34,253 3 Series sedans and Mercedes sold 22,746 C-Class sedans in the same period.

   'We've had our glitches -- hands up to those, we're not perfect,' says Robert Dover, who heads the operating committee overseeing Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin. 'Jaguar is a challenger. We're challenging the established order.'"

rsunico · August 2002

I'm contemplating purchasing my first Jag (x type). Would appreciate recommendations on dealers in the Tri-State NYC area. Also ideas on what I should pay (how close to invoice). I only want a plain 5 speed, 2.5 with moonroof and seat warmers. Thanks!

im_brentwood · August 2002

Check Montclair Jaguar. Talk to Paul DeBlois.

Cheapest deal I have heard of is about 1,500-1,700 over invoice.

Bill

jagboyxtype · August 2002

Jaguar's "London Calling" Sales Event special is going on right now, if that can help you in your purchase at all. If you are looking at a 2002, the seat warmers would require the weather package and the moonroof would require the premium package...

Good news for you! The 2003 models which are out now have reorganized option packages, so the moonroof and split-folding rear seats are set in the "X0" package for a much lower cost than the entire X1 premium package, and the weather package has been deleted. I'm not totally sure, but I believe that seat warmers can be had as their own option now. This significantly lowers the price of the car since options that you don't want are no longer bundled with the ones you want. The in-dash CD player should also be standard equipment. If you wait, a wood-trimmed steering wheel will also be made available a little later in the year. Check out brentwoodvolvo's recommendation, he's one of the most knowledgible people here. Good Luck and Have Fun!

knhill · August 2002

I see that the S-type has switched to ZF for their auto. Is the X-type auto a Ford unit? Also, who makes the X-type manual and is this unit the same as the S-type manual?

Thanks

jagboyxtype · August 2002

The X-TYPE's automatic transmission is made by Jatco.

I don't believe that the manual transmission is the same one as in the S-TYPE. It could be though.

jonty12 · August 2002

... is a Getrag. i would assume the 5 speed in the new S-Type is also. see this article:

http://www.just-auto.com/features_detail.asp?art=444

(just confirmed on http://www.us.jaguar.com/default.asp?levels=3110 that the S-Type manual is in fact a Getrag)

rsunico · August 2002

Thanks for all the tips on where to purchase the Jaguar! I look forward to posting more post-purchase.

akirby · August 2002

Isn't the X-type engine still transverse mounted with a transfer case to get power to the rear wheels? If so, then it takes a totally different tranny than the RWD S-type. The S-type, LS and Tbird use a non-overdrive Getrag (same as BMW) but since that's a RWD tranny it's probably different than what's in the X-type.

jagboyxtype · August 2002

I checked just yesterday night. The X-TYPE's manual transmission is indeed a Getrag unit. I still don't know if it's the same Getrag unit as in the S-TYPE however. I had the same thoughts as you, since S-TYPE is RWD and X-TYPE is AWD. I'll do some more research...

Jaguar X-Type

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