Jaguar XJ6 1985
Met my dad for lunch recently. From our table at a nearby eatery we had a great view of the street. My dad, who is a bit curious about happenings in the automotive world, occasionally comments on the cars that pass by the restaurant. While we were trying to polish our chips and salsa before our enchiladas arrived, Dad noticed an intersection he couldn’t locate.
The End of Jaguar
After looking closely and taking longer than I wanted to admit, I recognized the vehicle in question. “It’s Jaguar, Dad, F-Pace.” I recorded. “A Jaguar?” He asks. Dad made no further comment, but his embarrassment spoke directly to the current situation of the British brand.
Photo features: 1959 Jaguar Mark IX Four-door Sedan
JaguarXJS 1979
Jaguar is not what Jaguar was. Not even close. A brand that has built a reputation for design and performance, as well as luxury and prestige, has had to sell two unnamed crossovers, a couple of reheated cars, and an electric car nobody cares about. . And, frankly, I’m pretty disappointed about the whole thing.
I worked as a pump driver in the early eighties. If you’ve always pumped your own gas, the term Pump Jockey may not mean anything to you. But that’s what we call a full-service gas station attendant. I pumped gas, checked the oil and checked your tire pressure. Oh, and I cleaned the windshield. I’m really good at cleaning windshields.
I love that job, mainly because it gives me access to cars. And I’ve pumped gas into some great cars. The service station I worked at was located between affluent Barrington, Illinois, and 53rd Street, a major local transportation artery. As such, lots of cool and luxurious rides have pulled into the station for fuel.
I often see Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi 5000, colorful Cadillacs, sometimes a Renault 18i, and even a car. GMC MotorHome. Off-topic: It’s not financially insane to have your GMC MotorHome reimbursed at full service rates.
5 most beautiful sedans in 1985
Jaguar XKE 1969
I also see a lot Jaguar. A few V12-powered XJSs are as glamorous as hell, but mostly the XJ6 sedans. Lots of XJ6 sedans. And, if you weren’t paying attention, The XJ6 of the eighties was an incredibly beautiful car. It’s somehow sleek and regal at the same time. And they also smell good. I recall the smell of wood and leather – and sometimes cigar smoke – emanating from the cabin as the windows rolled down. How jealous I am of the owners of those splendid English pubs.
Under the hood is a meticulously curated 4.2-liter inline-six Jaguar engine, renowned for its power and smoothness. Oddly, I don’t remember many of these Jags needing oil, which is a bit counter to the brand’s myth. At a time when the engine bays of most American cars were just a maze of rubber hoses and unattractive painted valve caps, Jaguar’s engine bay glittered with polished aluminum and neatly arranged. bright.
Even cooler, the eighties’ XJ6 had dual fuel tanks, filled from different ports on the opposite rear fender. I can usually access both fillers from the pump without asking the driver to move the car. I remember one time a customer ordered me, “Fill a jar, I’m in a hurry.” I later learned that the XJ6 has an internal rear brake, taking up space that a regular gas tank would normally take up. The XJ6 is designed with internal brakes to reduce springless weight, which improves handling and ride quality. What a car: Luxurious, sporty and even a bit mysterious.
What is the Harold and Maude car?
Jaguar MK2 1962
Those with a deeper appreciation for Jaguar may be more interested in early models than the XJ6, perhaps the legendary E-Type. But for me, it was the XJ6 that drew me into the brand.
Later on, I worked for a man who bragged, literally bragged about how much his Jaguar XJ6 cost to keep running—it was in stores all the time. It seems that he loves the car so much that spending a fortune to keep it running is part of the charm. So many Jaguar owners have been; The gorgeous cabin, power, ride and handling all justify any sacrifices required. That said, reliability issues are becoming an issue for the brand, but the brand’s legacy doesn’t seem to bother people much.
Future Collection: 2018-2020 Jaguar XF Sportbrake
Jaguar F-Pace 2022
Sadly, the XJ6 – the brand’s best-selling model – was redesigned for 1993, with a model that looks more bland to look at and, by most accounts, to drive. Without the classic Jaguar styling, the car is compared more directly to the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and that’s not always fair. However, Jaguar has sold a large number of sterilized XJs, but the car is now more of a commodity than a legacy.
There are two most significant events that may have strangled Jaguar’s relationship with brand loyalists and its own past: the death of the in-line six and the re-evaluation of the Ford Mondeo (Ford). Contour and Mercury Mystique in the US) as a low-end model.
Ford bought Jaguar in 1990, something that greatly improved Jaguar’s reliability, but also weakened the brand. Despite its reputation for stout six-cylinder engines, Jaguar has begun replacing the six-cylinder with a V8 co-developed with Ford. The “AJ-V8” caters to Jaguar—and Ford, which also appears in the Thunderbird as well as the Lincoln LS—but is a sad break with the brand’s long engineering history.
Quick spin: Jaguar F-Type P450 Convertible 2022
Jaguar print advertisement 1958
Under Ford’s guidance, Jaguar continued to break through the past and gradually transformed itself into a producer of commodity cars. The most disturbing event in this regard is the introduction of the compact sedan and X-Type wagon, which will debut in 2002.
Based on Ford’s aforementioned mass-market Mondeo, the X-Type is a transverse engine front-wheel drive small car adorned with a large number of Jaguar designs flourishing and just enough. leather upholstery to legally qualify as a Jaguar. Jaguar only sells cars with AWD in the US, this is to protect the brand from criticism for selling a front-wheel drive model.
A Consumer Guide editor, after spending a week in the original X-Type 2.5 sedan, commented: “It’s fine, but it’s not a Jaguar.”
As you may know, Indian industrial giant Tata took control of Jaguar and Land Rover (which was also a property of Ford) in 2008, under the group’s newly formed Tata Motors subsidiary. It seemed from the start that Tata’s managerial role would revive Jaguar, but that never really happened.
A quick review of Jaguar’s current lineup confirms that the brand is completely separate from the past. Jaguar currently sells two conventional crossovers, the small E-Pace and the small F-Pace. Both are good cars, but unless you’re looking at the Jaguar badging on the grille, there’s little here to suggest that these cars are Jags. Jaguar still sells a sports car, interesting F-Type, but the Corvette-sized two-seater has remained largely unchanged since it was introduced in 2014. It’s great that Jaguar still sells the car, but the sports car segment has shrunk dramatically and manufacturers Others build faster and more modern alternatives. And, if I may be allowed to whine about something, the F-Type P450 AWD R-Dynamic Coupe is really no slouch. Now we also know, the F-Type will die after the 2024 model year.
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Jaguar print advertisement 2008
Jaguar’s last sedan, the mid-size XF, is sporty and fun to drive, but it’s far from a serious update—not yet made—and too cramped for a vehicle. Modern 4 doors. The infotainment system is also about two generations old.
And sadly, Jaguar management has spoiled the brand’s only bright spot: selling electric cars. The i-Pace was introduced in 2018, around the same time Audi launched the e-tron midsize crossover. Sadly, customers didn’t like the I-Pace then and ever since. Consumer Guide’s first test I-Pace, a 2019 model, sold for a list price of $95,000 and fell flat after failing to accept a fee. For the record, the e-tron, now known as the Q8 e-tron, has given way to a line of Audi electric models, all of which are selling well.
Sales figures show Jaguar has completely wasted its pioneering position in the electric vehicle space, as the brand sold less than 17,000 I-Paces globally in the first three quarters of 2022, equivalent to number of Tesla Model Ys sold in the US every three weeks.
And, in terms of sales, Jaguar will sell just over 9,000 vehicles in the US in 2022, compared with the more than 55,000 that showroom partner Land Rover has rushed to rush. This is also significantly lower than the 13,000 sales managed by US boutique manufacturer Alfa Romeo for ’22.
Test Drive: Jaguar XE P250 S 2020
Jaguar print advertisement 1953
I have a framed Jaguar ad from 1958 hanging in my office. The line begins, “Less than 7,500 Americans can own a new Jaguar this year…” Sadly, the brand has returned to sales levels of the late 50s.
Here’s the real problem and the reason Jaguar is nearly dead in the US: Jaguar has no plans to update any existing models, and the manufacturer won’t start adding new products until after they start rolling out. roll out more electric vehicles no earlier than the 2026 Model Year.
This means that for the next three years of production, Jaguar’s sales will continue to decline and the brand will sink deeper and deeper into the shadows. With so little enthusiasm surrounding the brand, it’s hard not to assume that Tata is looking to kill the brand and let the more successful Land Rover do it on its own. As such, the E-Pace and F-Pace are mechanical copies of the Range Rover Evoque and Velar respectively, albeit with less off-road capabilities and more anonymous styling. Not many unique techniques are lost in killing the brand.
As for the upcoming Jaguar EVs, if they are coming, Jaguar Creative Director Gerry McGovern promises the new products will be “a copy of nothing”. I’m not sure what that means, but it does suggest that legacy design isn’t in the tag.
If Tata were serious about saving the Jaguar brand, you’d think we’d have seen some evidence to that effect. Why let a brand roam for years before promising to be reborn at some point in the future? At this point it makes sense to brand as all EVs, since Jaguar is dead in the US anyway, so what’s the harm?
If Jaguar was serious about its EV future, you’d think it could show us something. How cool is a crossover-coupe concept (which in this case is definitely pronounced “coup-pay”) called the XJS-E will be at CES this year? The car could have round headlights, an integrated rear brake, and the promise of a solid-state battery, fuel cell or something like that. But that did not happen.
At this point, even if Jaguar does launch an electric vehicle in the US, that won’t matter. This brand has been forgotten for a generation and largely forgotten by consumers. Additionally, we know that EV buyers demonstrate less brand loyalty. There won’t be a ready audience of Anglophilic EV intents waiting for Jaguar’s glorious return. Unless, maybe, Jaguar can build a glamorous EV with dual fuel tanks.
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The End of Jaguar
The End of Jaguar
