Originally posted by Red Nj-s
250hp......not interested.

Originally posted by gavriil
You gotta admit. 250HP from 3 liters in a luxury car for this price, is no small feat.

Originally posted by gavriil
Your conversion is correct. 35000 British pounds is $50,428 BUT cars in the UK are always more expensive than here due to taxes and other reasons. I estimate that a $50K car in the UK will sell for about $43K-$45K here in the US. So it will be a bargain.

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Gabriel
CL Type S

[This message has been edited by gavriil (edited 04-26-2001).]

Originally posted by Red Nj-s
Eh, this is non news now, are there any luxury companies without an SUV now?

Saab.....?

Originally posted by titan
Nope... Even Saab's got the new 9-7X coming out. I think Jag is the only lux maker without a like branded suv at this point.

Published Date: 3/7/05

2005 JAGUAR X-TYPE 3.0 SEDAN
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $31,495
POWERTRAIN: 3.0-liter, 227-hp, 206-lb-ft V6; awd, five-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 3630 lbs
0 to 60 MPH: 7.1 seconds (mfr.)

Jaguar has struggled of late. After a lifetime of catering to the snooty, it introduced the X-Type four years ago and tried to go mass-market. That sent the company into marketing chaos—okay, maybe just a slight decline. Buyers in the old guard felt slighted and buyers in the new guard didn’t know what to think. X-Type sales stalled right out of the box.

Jag sold just 21,542 X-Types last year, despite a powerfully accessible lease deal and heavy marketing. Competitors outpaced Jag handily with their own entry-level luxury models: BMW sold more than 100,000 3 Series, Mercedes 70,000 C-Classes, Cadillac 57,000-plus CTSs and Audi 47,000 A4s.

Rather than cry into their crumpets, the Jaguar team has added three X-Type models over the last several months—the Vanden Plas, the Sport and the Sportwagon—and dropped the entry-level 2.5 sedan. Jag says it is “a new packaging strategy,” taking traditional Jaguar values of sportiness and luxury, and exploiting them in separate models. Before this it was just the X-Type, either 2.5 or 3.0. The 3.0 becomes the new base model and these three extrapolate from there.

As you’d expect, the Sport model is a bit firmer and faster through corners than its stablemates, though just barely so. We guess most buyers will be drawn as much by the sport-styled seats, svelte body kit and 18-inch wheels as by the stiffer springs and shocks.

The Vanden Plas adds traditional British luxury cues like burl walnut veneer and VDP-specific seating surfaces.

But it is the Sportwagon that is the biggest step for Jag. The Sportwagon is the company’s first production wagon. You could even argue it’s Jag’s way of doing an SUV without doing an SUV—and without cutting into PAG partner Land Rover’s SUV sales.

While Jag will tell you the Sportwagon is for the “active-lifestyle” buyer, we suspect there will be a lot more strollers stashed in the big space behind the 70/30 split-folding rear seats than personal watercraft. Besides, folks with two-plus kids will tell you theirs is a far more active lifestyle than any kayak-toting, double-income, no-kids family.


Jag says its wagon has more cargo room than competitors from Audi, Mercedes and BMW. There is even storage space in the sides of the cargo area and under the floor.

There are benefits to wagondom beyond the added storage space—it’s 8 percent stiffer and a bit quieter than the sedan. The new roofline means back seat passengers get more headroom than they would in a sedan.

The springs and shocks are tuned specifically for the wagon’s 141 extra pounds. On the road you’d be hard-pressed to notice the difference in ride and handling between this and either of the two new sedans. As for being behind the wheel, the wagon is stable and enjoyable without being too sporty.

Power is good, too. With the 2.5-liter V6 history, all X-Types are powered by the four-cam, 24-valve 3.0-liter AJ-V6. That powerplant yields 227 hp at 6800 rpm and 206 lb-ft at 3000. Jaguar says this configuration yields a 0-to-60-mph time of 7.1 seconds with the five-speed automatic and 6.6 seconds with the five-speed manual. The engine is not all that better than the 220-hp Audi 3.0 V6, 225-hp BMW 3.0-liter V6 and 215-hp Mercedes 3.2-liter C320. Technically, it has bragging rights in the class, but just barely.

Prices start at $31,495 for the base 3.0 sedan and top out at $37,590 for a base wagon. The recently departed X-Type 2.5 cost $30,330, or just $1,165 less than the new entry-level base 3.0 sedan, so the price hasn’t changed much. What has changed, Jag hopes, is a clearer definition of its entry-level model line—more of the sportiness and luxury for which Jaguar has always stood, with a not-SUV wagon for market demands. With that clarity might come a little more sales volume.

Prices start at $31,495 for the base 3.0 sedan and top out at $37,590 for a base wagon. The recently departed X-Type 2.5 cost $30,330, or just $1,165 less than the new entry-level base 3.0 sedan, so the price hasn’t changed much.

That powerplant yields 227 hp at 6800 rpm and 206 lb-ft at 3000. Jaguar says this configuration yields a 0-to-60-mph time of 7.1 seconds with the five-speed automatic and 6.6 seconds with the five-speed manual. The engine is not all that better than the 220-hp Audi 3.0 V6, 225-hp BMW 3.0-liter V6 and 215-hp Mercedes 3.2-liter C320. Technically, it has bragging rights in the class, but just barely.

NEW YORK -- Jaguar Cars is stuck with the underperforming X-Type sedan for four more years, say company sources.

That's bad news for Jaguar dealers. X-Type sales in America, lackluster when it was launched in 2001, sank 19.5 percent last year. Sales are off an additional 36.9 percent through March.

One Jaguar source says the automaker is mulling whether to continue the X-Type in the United States. Jaguar is studying a sport wagon that could match the X-Type's sticker.

The turning point is 2009, when the current X-Type sedan will end. Jaguar and Ford sources say Jaguar could replace it with another nameplate. Or Jaguar could leave the near-luxury segment and concentrate on higher-priced vehicles, says one company source.

Supplier sources confirmed that Jaguar has not contacted them for requests for quotes for an X-Type redesign - typically the first step in the procurement process.

Mark Fields, executive vice president of Ford Motor Co.'s Premier Automotive Group, said that Jaguar still is pondering the X-Type's future. "We have not started thinking about what to do with the next-generation X-Type," he said in an interview at the New York auto show. "We have some other fish to fry in terms of product planning."

The X-Type's eight-year product cycle, 2001-09, is far longer than most of Jaguar's competitors in the entry-luxury segment. Lexus typically has had a five-year cycle for its ES 330, as has Acura for the TL. BMW has a six-year cycle for the 3 series, but it often has alternated sheet-metal changes and powertrain upgrades every three years to keep things fresh.

Other than the addition of diesel and wagon models in Europe and the wagon in America, Jaguar has made no major changes to the X-Type. Ford and Jaguar insiders say no other major changes are planned.

The X-Type was launched in Europe in spring 2001 and reached the U.S. market in fall 2001. The car has never come close to its stated goal of 100,000 annual global sales. In 2003, the X-Type barely cracked 50,000 units in the United States and western Europe, its two main markets.

Last year, sales in western Europe rose after Jaguar introduced diesel and wagon variants. Although 2004 was the X-Type's best year in western Europe, sales slumped again this year.

Through February, European sales were off 34 percent compared with the same period of 2004.

Worse, U.S. sales have been in a freefall. The X-Type 2.5-liter version was deleted from the U.S. model lineup for the 2005 model year, leaving only the 3.0-liter version.

Robert Sherefkin contributed to this report

Jaguar’s long-awaited high-performance X-type diesel has finally been unveiled. It’s powered by a 153bhp 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine, which produces 266lb ft of torque from just 1800rpm.

The new engine, also used in the Ford Mondeo features an ‘overboost’ facility ideal for overtaking manoeuvres, which kicks in under hard acceleration to deliver 295lb ft of torque for a brief period. The car also gets a new six-speed manual transmission.

The new model, which is distinguished by a bodykit, goes on sale in September. Jaguar says that the car will be one of the quickest four-pot diesels on the market, with the ability to sprint from 50-75mph in fourth gear in 6.7sec and hit 60mph in 8.5sec. CO2 emissions have been held down to 159g/km for the saloon and 164g/km for the estate.

The engine is based on Jaguar’s existing 2.0-litre turbodiesel, but with a number of engineering changes. Both the 2.0- and 2.2-litre units get a new, electronically controlled variable-vane turbocharger and a revised common-rail fuel injection system. Jaguar says lightweight conrods aid ‘extremely low levels of vibration’.

Jaguar engineers say that meeting Euro4 emission levels can lead to greater noise, vibration and harshness in the warm-up phase, so they developed a new acoustic trim to line the engine bay and even the undertray is tuned to absorb certain frequencies during start-up.

New driveshafts have been designed to match the 2.2’s extra torque. The long-striding sixth gear means the engine will be turning over at just 2000rpm at 70mph.

Meanwhile, at the cars’ launch at the Barcelona Motor Show, Jaguar boss Joe Greenwell admitted that the company was considering building a ‘crossover’ vehicle – a car which combines the characteristics of a 4x4 and a road car – as revealed by Autocar (15 March 2005).

Jaguar's baby is getting a sharp new look - and X marks the spot for excited buyers! In a bid to boost the popularity of its entry-level models, the Coventry firm has overhauled the X-Type to make it better looking, crisper to drive and more desirable.

Design bosses at the Ford-owned company promise that the next generation of Jaguars will shock the motoring world. They are pledging to leave the conservative attributes of current models behind, while remaining true to Jaguar's heritage. The new design direction will be introduced with the forthcoming XK coupé - due on sale in the spring - and continue with the revised X-Type, revealed here for the first time.

This week's mag features exclusive images of Jag's new baby and show that the revised car will feature smoother lines than the existing X-Type. It gets a similar makeover to the facelifted S-Type - which arrived in 2004 - with a restyled nose incorporating a fresh grille and lights. At the rear, the bland looks will become more distinctive, taking cues from the sleek new XK.

The makeover continues inside, where the focus will shift to upgrading quality. While it's common knowledge that Jaguar's smallest model shares its underpinnings with the Ford Mondeo, bosses are adamant this shouldn't be obvious in the cabin. The basic dash design isn't expected to change significantly, but new materials will be added to give a more luxurious feel. Buyers can also expect plenty of new technology, including the latest DVD-based sat-nav and Bluetooth wireless communications.

Engineers will also make some mechanical upgrades. Although the recently introduced 2.2-litre turbodiesel model remains, slow-selling four-cylinder variants will be dropped in favour of a new V6 powerplant borrowed from the next-generation Mondeo.

The changes will not only be made to the saloon seen here, but to the estate, too. Buyers will still have the choice of front or four-wheel drive, and to complement this an Audi Allroad-style 4x4 variant is also being developed. With a raised ride height and extra body cladding, the rugged version will broaden the appeal of the Jaguar brand and pave the way for a full-scale SUV.

In keeping with the firm's reputation for comfort, chassis experts will tweak the X-Type's suspension. Without compromising ride quality, bosses will be keen to sharpen the handling to ensure the car remains competitive with BMW's dynamically excellent new 3-Series.

With a launch date pencilled in for 2007, the revised X-Type isn't the only new Jaguar saloon in the pipeline. The entry-level model will be followed by an all-new version of the S-Type, set to take styling inspiration from the RD-6 concept seen at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Based on a brand new Ford family platform, the rejuvenated BMW 5-Series challenger will see Jaguar return to the forefront of the executive car class.

The S-Type uses a similar aluminium construction to the current XJ, and gets an entirely new range of engines and a beautifully crafted cabin. We expect to see the first prototypes out on test any day now, although the car won't go on sale in the UK until 2008.

...

The new S-Type marks a new strategy for Jaguar as it reinvents itself as a small-volume, luxury carmaker happy to make 100,000 cars a year, rather than its late-1990s plan to build 200,000 cars a year.

As a result, Jaguar will likely discontinue the X-Type sedan in 2008, with no replacement currently planned. Jag’s future lies in pushing its image up-market, a new strategy that replaces the sporty and youthful focus embodied in Jaguar’s abandoned Formula One effort. Jag’s three models will be stretched with high-priced performance XJR and super-performance XJR-R models competing with junior Bentleys.

Jaguar drops X-Type from U.S. market

Jaguar will pull its entry-level X-Type from its American model line in spring 2008, the company announced today. Sales of the X-Type in the United States will end as soon as the new XF goes on sale, which is designed to replace the aging S-Type. After March of 2008, Jaguar's U.S. lineup will consist on the XJ sedan, XK sports car and the all-new XF.

Production of U.S.-specific models will end in December, with sales continuing until the end of the first quarter 2008, according to Jaguar North America. A Jaguar spokesperson said tough competition and the unfavorable currency situation are among the factors that led to this decision — which was discussed heavily with many North American dealers. Jaguar will continue to sell the X-Type in markets outside of North America where it remains popular, especially the diesel-powered model.

"Over the past 18 months, Jaguar has conducted a strategic review of its marketing operations, started to reposition its Brand, and redefine its role in the automotive luxury market," the company said in a statement. "As a consequence of this process, it will cease production of the X-Type for the North American market."

"A number of unique circumstances within the North American market environment contributed to the decision that we have taken," the statement reads. "The North American Compact premium segment includes a much wider array of domestic and import brands than in other world markets, and the consequent fight for market share is intense."

"The decision was taken after extensive consultation with many of our dealers."

Earlier today, Jaguar unveiled the 2009 X-Type for Europe, which has been updated with a revised look and improved features.

The Jaguar XF was unveiled in August and goes on sale in March 2008.