My Jaguar looks barometer is based on my wife and daughters. They don't look twice at XFs and XKs. I don't think they even know about the XE and X-Pace. They do like the look of XKRs, but at a distance they sometimes think it looks like an Aston Martin, or a Nissan GTR/older Ferrari blend. From my perspective, the nose of the XKR is more classic and at the right angles, it looks like a Jaguar. A couple angles bring out slight memories of E-types.

It is interesting to note that my youngest daughter likes the looks of the XJ8 sedans.
She says they stand out of the crowd and look regal and elegant. (She also has an eye for Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, the new Alpha, Ferrari and Lambos.)

 

I'd imagine there are franchise and licensing issues preventing a simple merge of actual dealerships as they are not owned by the manufacturer (in the US at least). Some dealerships are combination Jaguar & Land Rover dealers, but that's up to the franchise owner.

I bought my F-Type at a dealer with a shared Jaguar/LR showroom. The dealership used to be exclusively Land Rover until they bought out a nearby Jaguar franchise and combined the two into a single location.

 

That's what I assumed as well. They would open themselves up to big law suits... It just unfortunate though. You see a lot of people who drive Range Rovers, but their cars are Mercedes etc. If the dealer sold both it would help each brand.

 

Interesting...here on the East Coast, just about all of the JLR dealerships handle both marques. (In VA/MD, 10 out of 11 do) I don't think this is a significant factor in Jag's failing sales. The horrendous quality reputation is constantly brought up to me when someone finds out I own a Jag. It will take years for them to overcome that. Thank you, Joseph Lucas.

 

Jaguar/RR does want stores together. Just look at pics of some of the newer dealers,Jag Reno a good example. Just not always possible where long term dealers were different owners. Why would anyone give up a RR dealership? Also most companies don't want shared, non common ownership dealers anymore.

 

Thanks to Lucas electrical I learned how to buzz out shorted harnesses, replace connectors, make my own new harnesses, as well how to put out small dash board fires when a +12V wire would burn up all the way back to the fuse. I used to carry a few extra rolls of wire, cutters, crimpers and electrical tape for those side-of-road emergency repairs. Those were the good ole days that kids growing up these days don't get to experience.

 

That's not what I meant. Dealers that sell just Jaguars or just Land Rover and have been dealers for years, way before even the Ford era that combined them would. Hornberg in LA is one of the first dealers in the US and they sell both, Galpin only sells Jaguar, Encino only Land Rover. I'm sure they would love to sell both, but that would be 2 dealers very close together, and I can't imagine that either would be too happy about it.

 

Every dealer I've seen on the east coast in the last two decades or so has been JLR dealer.

 

I think you're exactly right... people forget that Land Rovers still have a reputation for horrible reliability. Yet they sell like hot cakes!!!!

Jaguar's reliability reputation is a problem, but for some reason, Jag doesn't still doesn't seem to convey as much status as RR in the American market.

 

I totally disagree with the sentiment that the XE and F-Pace are "not necessary" or "mistakes." In my view, they represent Jaguar's last chance to be a U.S. presence.

I think they are both beautifully designed, and are both considerably more pleasing than BMW's comparable offerings. I can definitely see an XE in our future.

 

Count me among those who (wrongly) thought Porsche was crazy for launching an SUV. Hopefully the F-Pace can do as much for Jaguar as the Cayenne did for them.

 

They are trying to combine to combine the dealers. Their term is channeling the dealers. You see far less stand alone Jaguar or Land Rover stores. The problem is most of them don't care about Jaguar as they make so much with Land Rover.

 

+1. The GM at my dealer told me as much when he said he sold 20 LRs to every Jag.

 

I believe it. I'm on my third new Range Rover Sport since 2013, the good news is, they don't depreciate. Probably because Dealers are asking $5-30k over msrp, depending on the model for first time Customers, plus, they won't sell out of their territory.

Reliability? I don't think the average RR Owner really cares, they just want one. But in my case, the only "problems" I've had out of all three are a faulty TPMS code on the 2014 and bad O2 sensor on my 2016, that's it.

I think Jaguar will do very well on their new crossover because in general they are taking over from the traditional 3 Box Saloons , they are just so much more practical.

 

Interesting. A few years ago I had back surgery and decided to buy a cheap luxury car to soak up the potholes while my back healed and then I'd go back to my truck and sports cars. This xj8 was supposed to be just a temporary thing, but I kind fell in love with it. In four years of ownership I have yet to fill up with gas without the person at the adjacent pump complimenting the old Jag. It has even been very reliable, dispelling the myths. But its getting old and I would like to have something new or at least no more than a couple years old so I've been shopping.

I too have been disappointed in modern sedan styling, not just Jaguar, but everything. Seems that if you look at all modern sedans from the side, the silhouettes are virtually identical. Not that the latest designs are ugly, far from it, rather just that they are all so similar. I figure with even Kia and Hyundai now in the luxury sedan segment, Jaguar would do better to have RADICALLY different styling to set their products apart and not just bank on subtleties that only the most discerning automotive connoisseur would notice. If you have to get up close and study it to see what kind of car it is, then it becomes real easy to go to the OTHER dealership and consider something else.

Granted the x308 was already very old-fashioned when it was new, but they sold a whole lot more of them than the x351 and that back when Jaguar's pre-Ford reputation for reliability and high repair costs was still fresh in many buyer's memories. I think people bought them because they fell in love with the styling and then couldn't even look at a Mercedes or Lexus no matter what features or warranty those other cars offered. I think its the same thing with the F-type. Like Uziel, you guys probably all fell in love with it at first sight and didn't seriously consider a Porsche or Corvette.

 

Interesting thread. Albeit one that seems to be started on the basis of validating one's purchase?

I live in the UK. In the least densely populated county in the country. In a notably well-heeled town of just 10,000 I am the only coupe owner (there's a vert owner, but there's also a Bullit-era Charger, two Lamborghinis, a selection of Porches, and a Blower Bently* - amongst others).

Why would I care how many other people bought the same make, unless there was a risk of the manufacturer going bust?

*Absolutely mint, despite the fact that he and is wife don WW1 flying outfits and drive it in the rain. In late December.

 

I drove a 911 turbo. Nice car, but overpriced. I just couldn't understand why there were back seats. Drove a Boxster S. Needed 100 hp more to be really fun, but it was really balanced and confidence inspiring. Terrible interior. Again overpriced.

Thought about a Vette but they look big and heavy to me, and after having a CTS-V, GM just doesn't appeal to me.

My SLK 55 was a fine car. I'd recommend it to anybody that wants a softer sports car.

For me being a drop top guy, the F fits the bill. A good mixture of luxury and comfort combined with an F you attitude. Doesn't hurt that it looks better than anything else on the road and that it raised my IQ by at least 50 points.

I'm actually glad that Jags aren't hot sellers. I like having somewhat rare rides, and I don't think that Jag is anywhere near going out of business.

 

The Sales Manager commented to me, "Jaguar is a small company compared to Mercedes, Toyota, VW, etc, but they like it that way." Maybe they aren't so focused on increasing sales in the US after all.

 

I followed a 991 Turbo on the drive to work in 2015 - it was n the School Run. I'll just leave this here shall I?

 

If you look at the lines they have available it's understandable why sales are down year over year.

XK - Gone - Those sales shift to F-Type
XF - Going - All XF's at this point are lame ducks and everyone who would have been in the market is either waiting or bought something that was available. Next year will be better.
XJ - An older design and not fresh anymore and also one of the more polarizing/distinctive designs in the class.

Mercedes is selling the crap out of the C-class, they are literally everywhere in SoCal in a very short time. BMW sends a ridiculous number of 3 series into the world with cheap leases. Audi's have also sold well. The XE will at give those who have already done those marks previously something different and young people like to be different. And anyone who has had the others knows they too are not particularly reliable either.

So for Jag to compete, they need to do a lot of things differently. New models a bit more often, continue to show reliability improvements, and availability to the middle of the market without going used (XE). In the US, the worst car Jag has produced lately is the XF 2.0 turbo, which is still a pretty nice car if not way underpowered. So they are doing things right.

I've noticed a significant number of young owners buying used on the XF forum. I've also seen a number of people with the higher end XF's talk about how surprised they were to have liked it so much. I am of that mentality.

And I haven't even begun to think about how the FPace can help...