New XJ

Mr.David

Hey guys,

Just had a go in the next generation Jag XJ - just thought I would whet your appetites! The official reveal isnt until July 9th so I have to be careful what exactly I say but I will say the following:

Anyone expecting it to be a wider, longer XF will be happy to know that it looks substantially different to the XF. Obviously it shares some styling details but in general its totally different.

Its very modern and stylish - more so than the XF. Its more daring and bold and I would imagine that it could polarise opinions styling wise especially in profile.

The interior for me, is the highlight. I really think its stunning and light years ahead of Audi, BMW and Merc not necessarily in terms of feature or quality but in terms of design - they just look so dull and bland by comparison. Its a beautiful car to be inside.

I will really be looking forward to seeing what all you boardsies think about it!:)

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Mr.David wrote: »

. Its a beautiful car to be inside.

Careful now

Mr.David

Astrid Most Silkworm wrote: »

Careful now

It is a bit open to interpretation alright.....

yed roide de back box off of it

smash

Is this not it?....





pics all over the internet for a while now

L-M

I've always had a thing for the Xj's, didn't even know they were bringing out a new one. I don't see much wrong with the "old" one either :P

*Tripper*

I've seen the new XJ to, didn't get to drive it though. It's stunning. I always loved the old XJ and tbh I would have been happy with a updated interior leaving the exterior the same. Which engine did you try Mr. David?

Zube

Limerick man wrote: »

I don't see much wrong with the "old" one either :P

I assume the new XJ will do what the XF did with the S-Type: take a perfectly good, modern car and put clothes that aren't 50 years out of date on it.

Drummerboy08

I was hoping to get a good look at one when they were launched over here, but due to economical reasons, i no longer have my contact in Jaguar anymore....:(

If the XF is anything to go by though, it should be a great car.

CharlieCroker

this pic was officially released by Jaguar


artist rendering

Mr.David

No its not the old one a few pics above its all new. The autocar "artists rendering" image is in the right ball park for the front end but it all goes mad from there back!

Drove the 3L diesel, im sure it will be by far the biggest seller in most markets. It was the LWB version and its really quite big, personally I'd prefer the SWB (which isnt exactly short!).

pburns

Mr.David wrote: »

Its very modern and stylish - more so than the XF. Its more daring and bold and I would imagine that it could polarise opinions styling wise especially in profile.

The interior for me, is the highlight. I really think its stunning and light years ahead of Audi, BMW and Merc not necessarily in terms of feature or quality but in terms of design - they just look so dull and bland by comparison. Its a beautiful car to be inside.

I will really be looking forward to seeing what all you boardsies think about it!:)

Sounds good. Controversal looks are OK as long as you don't over-egg the pudding, Bangle-style. I'm hoping it's controversial in the way the CLS was controversial (HATED it in early pics, fell in love when I saw one burbling down Haddington Rd)

You'll find a fair few people on here who will disagree that German interiors are dull and bland! I agree though... Jags get very little discussion on here even though the XF seems to have been both a critical and sales success (going on the number I see around in these recessionary times).

It's a pity they couldn't afford the time to use alu componants on the XF to save weight as they had planned to. Maybe they'll do it come facelift time - it would be a major advantage given the CO2 tax bands in place in most markets.

I'd like them to do a new X-type as well - a proper stab at it this time, maybe with RWD. That would be a great alternative to boring rivals.

bazz26

Hopefully it will make a nice alternative to the default choice of S-Class or 7 Series.

Mr.David

The main reason the XF isnt aluminium is that it increases the production time significantly. Obviously also the cost and added to that the investment for the production line over the previous x-type.

Theres no talk of a new x-type internally, though I have been in the advanced styling studio and seen some very interesting possible future cars - lips are sealed

cianclarke

Very excited at seeing this!
Can we ask how you got to see/get a spin in it? Or is that revealing a little too much? I guess it probably is. :P

mickdw

You do have the best job in the world Mr David. Last week it was testing "competitors car" on a test track until it went on fire and today its driving new model before its released.
Nice job.... but what is the chassis like, did ya make a sh1te of it?

VolvoMan

I think the outgoing X350 XJ was a lovely car until they slapped a bodykit onto it for its mid-life facelift. It looked like the car equivalent of an old man in a pair of Nike Air Max!:D

mickdw

thats the end of classic jag styling so. sad. nothing wrong with last xj. Also, its not long out really. I thought it was an all new model in 2003. very soon to be changing it again

Stevie Dakota

I'm looking forward to seeing this new Jag, the sector needs a shake up after the dullard new E-Class and A6, I wonder what BMW has up it's sleeve for the new 5, christ I hope it's better than their recent offerings (Z4 excluded).

bazz26

mickdw wrote: »

thats the end of classic jag styling so. sad. nothing wrong with last xj. Also, its not long out really. I thought it was an all new model in 2003. very soon to be changing it again

Well if you look at it's closest rivals like the S Class, 7 Series, LS460, they have all been updated since the last XJ was launched. To stand any chance of competing with these fresher rivals the XJ has to be at the top of it's game. The only other XJ rival as old as the outgoing model is the A8 which is looking at bit long in the tooth now to be honest.

It would be nice to see the return of a Daimler XJ12 version at some stage:



But I just can't see parent company Tata investing that kind of money in a niche model.

bazz26

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

I'm looking forward to seeing this new Jag, the sector needs a shake up after the dullard new E-Class and A6, I wonder what BMW has up it's sleeve for the new 5, christ I hope it's better than their recent offerings (Z4 excluded).

The XJ competes with the 7 Series and S Class. The XF competes with the A6 and 5 Series.

Stevie Dakota

bazz26 wrote: »

The XJ competes with the 7 Series and S Class. The XF competes with the A6 and 5 Series.

You are right of course, it's late!

pburns

Mr.David wrote: »

The main reason the XF isnt aluminium is that it increases the production time significantly. Obviously also the cost and added to that the investment for the production line over the previous x-type.

Theres no talk of a new x-type internally, though I have been in the advanced styling studio and seen some very interesting possible future cars - lips are sealed

Mmmm...is this some type of viral marketing thing?

VolvoMan wrote: »

I think the outgoing X350 XJ was a lovely car ...

mickdw wrote: »

thats the end of classic jag styling so. sad. nothing wrong with last xj. Also, its not long out really. I thought it was an all new model in 2003. very soon to be changing it again

Lads, ye're right. But ye're wrong. Yes, the outgoing XJ was an attractive car - but would you even consider buying one (I presume ye're both <55 yrs old)? It was too conservative, too uninspired, too like the classic XJ that was really in later life considered old man's car - be it chairman of the board or Arthur Daley.

Maybe Mr. David will confirm, but from what I've read the retro styling of the XJ was considered a MAJOR mistake internally, especially as the car is quite advanced and class competitive under the skin.

Jag need to re-invent themselves for a new generation. As I said earlier - all the cool and not-so-cool kids are on here discussing BMWs, Audis etc ad infinitum but Jag rarely registers on the radar of the (relatively) young demographic that is web savvy and populates forums etc.

X-Type, S-type and XJ were all badly mis-judged and weren't brave enough to make in-roads into a new market. The Jag F1 team and a few ridiculous ad campaigns tried to counteract this during the early '00s to little avail.

Mr.David

pburns wrote: »

Mmmm...is this some type of viral marketing thing?


Maybe Mr. David will confirm, but from what I've read the retro styling of the XJ was considered a MAJOR mistake internally, especially as the car is quite advanced and class competitive under the skin.

Don't worry I'm not a viral marketing bot or anything - just an enthusiast like all of you!

Yes, the current XJ styling is considered a mistake, as is the X and S type. Basically the issue was Ford, they wanted to turn and fast buck and make us into a high volume BMW competitor. So they insisted on the X type and running it on the Mondeo platform - which is no bad thing, but they marketed this as a selling point which is not clever in the premium sector. With the S type they insisted on creating a retro luxury car that calls on Jaguar's heritage.

Very poor judgement really, the S type (later models) are actually really good cars to drive, but they really do look absolutely awful! Now, the strategy is much more sensible - dont compete with Merc/BMW on volumes. We aim to build about 100k cars/annum and be an alternative more along the lines of Maserati really.

The old XJ is a lovely car, I wouldnt have one myself as it is old hat in the looks department but its so relaxing to drive. The new one is similar under the skin, and retains the alu structure meaning its much lighter than competition.

Zube

Mr.David wrote: »

The new one is similar under the skin, and retains the alu structure meaning its much lighter than competition.

Drop in the new 5.0 supercharged V8, and you're really sucking diesel!

So to speak.

mickdw

I wouldnt mind getting myself one of the current xj now. Thats one car that I certainly wouldnt mind having the old model. Let the prices take a hit first though.

Stevie Dakota

There's a beauty near where I work for €22K. I think about it every day!

pburns

Mr.David wrote: »

Don't worry I'm not a viral marketing bot or anything - just an enthusiast like all of you!

Yes, the current XJ styling is considered a mistake, as is the X and S type. Basically the issue was Ford, they wanted to turn and fast buck and make us into a high volume BMW competitor. So they insisted on the X type and running it on the Mondeo platform - which is no bad thing, but they marketed this as a selling point which is not clever in the premium sector. With the S type they insisted on creating a retro luxury car that calls on Jaguar's heritage.

Very poor judgement really, the S type (later models) are actually really good cars to drive, but they really do look absolutely awful! Now, the strategy is much more sensible - dont compete with Merc/BMW on volumes. We aim to build about 100k cars/annum and be an alternative more along the lines of Maserati really.

The old XJ is a lovely car, I wouldnt have one myself as it is old hat in the looks department but its so relaxing to drive. The new one is similar under the skin, and retains the alu structure meaning its much lighter than competition.

Mmmm...I think the Maserati comparison is a bit rich TBH. A Jag is something that should be reasonably attainable in my view. I hope your future model plans don't include MPV or SUV yokes but if it turns a buck I guess you gotta go for it (like Porsche, Audi etc.)

I don't expect you to comment but I'd lay money that a Boxster-type sports car is planned - they've been talking about that the last 20 years on-and-off!

Personally I'd like to see a new 'proper' X-Type relacement. If you have a RWD platform for a smallish sports car surely it could also be used for a 3-series sized sports saloon (a la 3 series/Z3).

What I'd like to see:

XC (?) - 3 series competitor. I would expect instead they'll probably come up with some sort of crosssover thingy (XX:rolleyes:?).

XF - (with alu ASAP please)

XJ

XF - Boxster rival (I think there's a danger this market will become overcrowded - Boxster, Z3, TT and now VW and a few others jumping in)

XK (not much wrong with this ATM, TG did point out some developmerntal cost-cutting but why anyone would take a 6-series instead mystifies me)

Possibly...a headline-grabbing (R8 type but front-engined like an E-Type) supercar as a 'halo' model

Mr.David

pburns wrote: »

Mmmm...I think the Maserati comparison is a bit rich TBH. A Jag is something that should be reasonably attainable in my view. I hope your future model plans don't include MPV or SUV yokes but if it turns a buck I guess you gotta go for it (like Porsche, Audi etc.)

I don't expect you to comment but I'd lay money that a Boxster-type sports car is planned - they've been talking about that the last 20 years on-and-off!

Personally I'd like to see a new 'proper' X-Type relacement. If you have a RWD platform for a smallish sports car surely it could also be used for a 3-series sized sports saloon (a la 3 series/Z3).

In terms of Maserati its a case of viewing the XKR as a GT competitor and the XJ as a quattorporte rival.

"I don't expect you to comment but I'd lay money that a Boxster-type sports car is planned - they've been talking about that the last 20 years on-and-off!"

lets see how the economic situation pans out....

Im fairly sure we wont do an off roader SUV as Land Rover are the same company as us now anyway. There are a few other models under review but it all depends on the market and economic turmoil.

As regards a halo model, there is the XKR-S which I am involved with, previous version below: Click to enlarge

G Luxel

Lets hope they bring some Daimlers, ok they are jaguars with lots of chrome but they could bring something radical. I see that the Daimler is called Vanden Plas in the USA and why is that? Vanden Plas arent a coachbuilder anymore as the last ones were built in 1980.

VolvoMan

Mr.David wrote: »

Very poor judgement really, the S type (later models) are actually really good cars to drive, but they really do look absolutely awful! Now, the strategy is much more sensible - dont compete with Merc/BMW on volumes. We aim to build about 100k cars/annum and be an alternative more along the lines of Maserati really.

Am I the only one who thinks that the S-type, in its final iteration, turned into a really elegant looking car?

By the way Mr. David, if you don't mind me asking, but are you affiliated with Jaguar in some way?

mickdw

He works in Jaguar Chassis department he told us on another thread

VolvoMan

mickdw wrote: »

He works in Jaguar Chassis department he told us on another thread

Oh I see!

My apologies Mr. David, I must've missed that thread. That's some job you have by the way!:cool: