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New Aluminum Jaguars (XKR) - What do you think?

xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
edited March 2014 in Jaguar
I hope Jaguar backs the next XK in racing when they become more profitable with the new aluminum Jaguars. Perhaps the FIA and the American Le Mans Series would be a good start. Sports car racing rules!

Here is the 650 hp Jaguar V-8 made by Rocketsports Racing for the Trans-Am Series. It has 4.5 liters, 425 lb-ft of torque, and a 9,000 rpm redline. It is based on the 4.2 liter V-8.

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Comments

  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Jaguar needs to get rid of wood steering wheels.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Perhaps I should post the article about Jaguar and aluminum like this...

    More aluminum in Jaguar's future

    Here is Mark White who is the senior body structures manager for Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.

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  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The above article was written before Jaguar confirmed the X150, the codename for the next XK.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    I wish Jaguar would drop the X-Type and build the F-Type from a few years ago. Give it an aluminum chassis, a V-8 engine, a manual transmision, and call it the "XK 320."

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    BUILD IT!
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    I wish Jaguar would also make it as a coupe.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
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    Does anyone else want to join in this thread?
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The next Jaguar XK will have to comply with new European pedestrian safety regulations. The next XK will use the new XJ's aluminum chassis

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    Notice the yellow sign.

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    I'm not too sure about that circular thing in the taillights, but I like how the tail tapers off like the current XK. The next XK will have a hatch like the Advanced Lightweight Coupe that was shown at the Detroit auto show in January.

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  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The new XJ uses a ZF 6 speed automatic transmission

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    aluminum suspension and brakes (Brembos for the XJR and Super V8)

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    XJ's air suspension (standard)

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    behind the XJR

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    more of the XJ

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  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Of course thats the new XK, you can see the small changes that have been made from the Lighweight Concept coupe. Looks good to me.

    M
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Is merc1 the only person besides me to see this thread?
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    You can't make members be interested in this topic - they either are or they aren't! Posting 20 times isn't going to change that :)

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  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    image
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The new XJ is 26 % bigger than the previous car, but it keeps the weight down. I wonder how much the next XK, which will have a longer wheelbase and more passenger and cargo room than the current XK, will weigh.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    I like how the tail tapers off like the current XK. It will use the new XJ's aluminum chassis and will have to comply with new European pedestrian safety regulations. The next XK will have a grille inspired by the 1961 Jaguar E-Type.

    I don't like the circular thing in the taillights, but the whole thing looks great.

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  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    One of those quotes is wrong.

    It should be...

    "The complete body with PAINT weighs 650 pounds compared with an estimated 1,058 pounds for the same car in steel, 952 pounds for a Mercedes-Benz S-class, and 955 pounds for a 7-series BMW."

    more stuff

    "Thanks to advances in planetary gearset design, the ZF six-speed automatic gearbox is 24 pounds lighter, 2.0 inches shorter, and has 30 percent fewer parts than the five-speed unit in the outgoing XJ8."

    for the XJR and Super V8...

    "Front suspension knuckles are also shaped differently from the standard model to provide adequate clearance for significantly larger brake rotors and calipers."

    - from The Inside Guide to the all-new aluminum Jaguar XJ by Automobile Magazine
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    This may be the next aluminum Jaguar XK...

    The next aluminum XK?
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    I think the front end of the 2003 Jaguar RD-6 would look nice on the next aluminum S-Type.

    Here is a link to the 2003 Jaguar RD-6

    2003 Jaguar RD-6
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    (It mentions a 2010 XK but this article was written before Jaguar announced the X150, the code name for the next XK).

    Jaguar and aluminum
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Jaguar uses magnesium for a cross-car beam that supports the dashboard and instrument panel. It is used with aluminum to create a lightweight steering column.

    The new XJ's wheels are pushed out to the corner's, like the 1968 XJ. The previous XJ had a lot of front and rear overhang.

    The new XJ's outer headlights are larger than the inner headlights, like the 1968 XJ. The previous XJ's headlights were the same size.

    The new XJ has a curve in its rear door, like Jaguars of the 50s and 60s. The previous XJ did not have a curve in its rear doors.

    The new XJ may not look totally different from the previous XJ, but the Porsche 911's styling hasn't changed much over the years.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Here is another article about Jaguar and aluminum.

    Aluminum Jaguar XJ repair
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Enjoyed reading. I have several clients who drive the XJ. Most of them love their Jags. A few of them don't like their new XJs quite as much as their old ones, admitting they are a whole different cat, but I really love the improvements, and I like how the new one handles, drives and feels. My only concern was that one thing about the pillar breaks. So keep informing please, I'll keep watching and reading..... I'm still playing poker with my client who wants to sell me his 04 that he doesn' t like. I have offered him $40,000, and he's considering it.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    that one XJ owner still hasn't responded or said if his XJ was damaged before he took delivery of it.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    However, I wonder if a dealer would disclose damage prior to delivery. Nevertheless, it seems like an isolated case.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    I think the new aluminum Jaguar XK will be shown this September at the Frankfurt auto show.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Jaguar's press release said that the 2006 XJ will have "uprated brakes." It didn't say which models or how "uprated" they are.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    As I said earlier, the next XK will need a more blunt front bumper to comply with new European pedestrian safety regulations.

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  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Wow!!!
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    In typical Jaguar style the car looks good, but after seeing more pics I don't like the front grille opening.

    M
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    It is a concept car.

    ...just to clear any potential confusion.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Jaguar should race the next XK or support a private entry in sports car racing to liven things up.
  • gshocksvgshocksv Member Posts: 77
    I am not sure if anyone has metioned, the same Designer also designed the Aston Martin DB9, so the new XK shares a bit of DNA with the Aston (same parent company too).

    The new XK sure is a hot car, my Jag dealer actually already has a poster of the XK since March of this year. I would love to test drive the car, I'll probably consider buying one used a few years later, depends on how I like the new restyled S-Type.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Ian Callum styled the Aston Martin DB7 and started work on the DB9 while Henrik Fisker (who styled the BMW Z8) finished the DB9. Henrik Fisker worked for Aston Martin from 2001 until December of last year. Fisker now has a new car company. Ian Callum styled the Aston Martin Vanquish.

    The 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage has a 4.3 liter 380 hp V-8. It uses a Jaguar 4.2 liter V-8, but the cylinder block, cylinder heads, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, camshafts, inlet and exhaust manifolds, lubrication system and engine management are all unique to the 4.3 V-8 used in the new Aston. It also has dry-sump lubrication.

    Jaguar's V-8 first came out with 4.0 liters in the 1997 XK8. It was heavily revised a couple years ago (now with 4.2 liters).

    Your dealer likely has a picture of the Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe which was shown in January, 2005 at the Detroit auto show.
  • gshocksvgshocksv Member Posts: 77
    Yes, they called it the "Advanced Lightweight Coupe", but I think everyone knew it was the next XK.

    I like the new XK for the fact that it's heavily restyled and is certainly refreshing (I love the old one too, but after 7 or 8 years, it's about time to change). They should have done the same for the XJ. The restyled XJ wasn't revolutionary, heck, it wasn't even evolutionary. A lot of time I still cannot distinguish the restyled XJ and the previous generation XJ, and I think I've done my share of researches on Jags. I bet most people don't even know that the XJ was even restyled, that's probably one of the reasons it's not selling as well as it should have. It's latest reliability rating has exceeded its peers, yet it depreciates like a rock. Car and Driver had a long term XJ, and they felt it was shamful that the car depreciated so much considering how reliable and technological advanced it was.

    BMW had a mid-life restyle on its 7 series, maybe XJ needs to do the same.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The XJ needs a new front bumper. Perhaps something like the 2005 S-Type R's bumper would work well.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    I wonder what they could do to fix that though. The basic shape I don't think can be altered because afterall the new car had to grow for more passenger space etc. I don't think they can re-capture the lean and feline look of the previous XJ, the look so many people seem to want back. I can tell the new from the old, but only after a careful look, so I'm sure most people who aren't into cars as much can't tell the difference.

    I hope they break out with a stunning, yet new and good looking design for the next S-Type. I just don't see how the XJ can be changed enough to give it a new look. I don't think a BMW like face-lift will do the trick. It needs some new curves or character lines or something.

    M
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    autoweek.com said yesterday that the 2008 S-Type will have an aluminum body.

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  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The 2005 Jaguar Super V8, the XJ flagship, weighs over 800 pounds less than a BMW 760Li.

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  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Klaus Graf won today's race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Graf also won the the Rookie-of-the-Year title.

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  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Klaus Graf

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  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,388
    some of those new designs look good in certain photos and not so good in others.
    I wouldn't worry too much about the new pedestrian standars, designers are finding ways to work within them, photos of the new Civic which complies show a pretty sleek nose.

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    I hope the production XK8 loses the trim around the scoops and that the production S-type has cleaner looking headlights.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Autoweek.com said on August 26th that the 2007 XK weighs 3,671 pounds and will have 300 hp. Jaguar's V-8 first came out in 1996 on the 1997 XK8.

    It goes on sale next spring and has a 31% increase in bodyshell stiffness over the previous generation steel-bodied XK. It uses the new XJ's aluminum chassis.

    It has a more blunt front bumper in order to comply with new European pedestrian safety regulations. Henrik Fisker, Aston Martin's Director of Design from 2001 until December of last year, thinks the new regulations are a WASTE of opportunity.

    check the link

    Henrik Fisker interview

    I hope Jaguar enters the new XK in sports car racing.

    New aluminum XK

    check the link for a video

    video

    more pictures and information

    2007 aluminum XK
  • blckislandguyblckislandguy Member Posts: 1,150
    Thanks for the picture of the SuperV8 a few posts ago.

    XKSS, you have very accurate and detailed info on Jag. I think many of us here appreciate them. Lifelong Jag owner/mechanic/dealer?
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    No, I just really like Jaguars and have researched pictures, videos, and other stuff about them. I've driven a 2004 XJR and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I drive a 1991 BMW 318is.

    I really appreciate that Jaguar has decided to reduce the weight of their cars (XJ, XK) while making them with more interior and cargo room. Many people complain about cars getting too heavy these days, but I wonder if they have noticed the new Jaguar XJ with its aluminum body and chassis. The new XJ's chassis is high-tech, but it isn't a computer with wheels like so many of today's luxury cars.

    I'll have some more pictures of the 2006 Super V8 Portfolio coming soon.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Klaus Graf won the 2005 Trans-Am Series Drivers' Championship on Aug 28th at Montreal. He is the first rookie Champion since 1989.

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  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Amen, xkss..... Jag isn't getting the traction they should get out of this innovation either. Lot of ignorance and prejudice out there towards Ford ownership - yet Ford saved the marque, and improved it about 3,000% from where I stand.....
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Jaguar should show more pictures of the XJ's aluminum chassis in commercials, ads in car magazines, and what not.

    They haven't shown pictures of the new XK's aluminum chassis, but I think they will show them as it gets closer to production.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The XK will get Europe’s first application of a pop-up hood system designed to meet new pedestrian safety rules.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The new XK's 4.2 liter 300 hp V-8 has a new intake, exhaust, engine management system, and a broader torque curve.

    Low-pressure areas behind the front wheels help draw air through the side vents.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
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  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    But I wish Jaguar had updated the design just a tad, when they overhauled the engineering, so that you could tell it's a new aluminum Jag easily.
This discussion has been closed.