The Euro Mondeo was different. The contour shared the drivetrain with x type etc...

LS was a DEW platform. Volvo v70's and S-Types, Thunderbirds all shared it. It was developed by ford, as part of their whole "world car" initiative.

Remember ford owned Volvo before they owned Jag. Ironically during the dark days of 2008 the ONLY reason Ford didn't go belly up like GM And Chrysler did was the fact that they had ownership states in Volvo and jag.... Their profits offset ford's losses....

Take care,

George

 

The DEW platform was not used on any Volvo. Very limited on what it was under. The new Mustang uses only a very few parts from the DEW. Actually the 2005 and up Mustang use a variation called the D2C platform.

Ford killed the DEW platform because of cost. It was a very sophisticated chassis for a Lincoln.

Here is the list of cars that used the DEW platform.

• 2000–2008 Jaguar S-Type
• 2000–2006 Lincoln LS
• 2002–2005 Ford Thunderbird
• 2008– Jaguar XF

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YUP!!!! The funny thing is tell an "XF" Driver that their car is a revised S Type and they get as bent as an S Type driver that is told their car is a Taurus... LOL

Sad thing is... The DEW platform was the best thing that came out of Ford / Jaguar... Better than any shared Volvo or Mazda platform car. But, sadly, it was a very expensive car in build costs and engineering...Just think how great the 05 and up Mustang would have been if Ford just bit the bullet and built it!

As for the X-Type / Contour thing... Despite the similarities in dimensions, the Mondeo based Contour that we had in the US has NO relationship with the X-Type... Like the Focus (until now) the US market got the "old" platform car. The X Type that arrived in the US was based on a new Mondeo platform that never saw US shores.

Here is an interesting Wiki link that shows the platforms and what cars shared them (Note many of the Volvo / Mazda shares)...

List of Ford platforms - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Ummm, hate to say it, but that is not correct...

Here is a quote:

"Between Ford purchasing Jaguar in 1989 and selling it in 2008 it did not earn any profit for the Dearborn-based auto manufacturer."

And another:


"Volvo Group, as one of the largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles in the world, took the initiative to sell its automobile manufacturing in 1999 in order to fully focus its efforts on the market for commercial vehicles.
Ford, on the other hand, saw advantages in acquiring a profitable prestige mid-size European automobile manufacturer, well renowned for its safety aspects, as an addition to its Premier Automotive Group. The buyout of Volvo Cars was announced on January 28, 1999,[14] and in the following year the acquisition was completed at a price of $6.45 billion USD. As a result of the divestiture, the Volvo trademark is now utilized by two separate companies:"

For ease of posting, I grabbed the above from Wiki as well.. But as you can see, the Jaguar purchase started a good 10 years before Volvo. There is no way that they could have designed and released a car (the S Type) the same year they bought them... Interesting note... The first benefit of the cash infusion was the AJV8... Introduced first in the XJ....Later to be used in the S and XK....

Here is a link to one of the many articles regarding Ford losses..
Ford may sell luxury brands - Economic Times

Really, what saved Ford during the down turn is that they basically secured their financing mere months before the banking crisis and before GM and Chrysler. Then, during the crisis they sold off Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Mazda, and Volvo to maintain cash flow... Overall, the Premier Group was a huge loss for Ford but they did post some quarters of profit...

 

I thought the S type ran a Duratec 3.0 same as the Tauraus ? and the 2.5 was just a shorter dtoke version
I have a X type 2.1 and am surprised as to its pick up but will change to a 3.0 as it does need that little more. The X type has a ford branded parts but all good as the Mondeo is a great car.

 

Funny thing - over here in the UK, when someone tells an X-type owner it's "just a Mondeo in drag" they get upset but tell someone an S-type is based on a Lincoln and they think it's cool! Familiarity breeds contempt and all that, and you virtually never see a Lincoln over here…

 

I don't have much new to add to the discussion, but the S-type is more like a Lincoln LS with Jaguar parts. The important thing though is that the S-type is Jaguar's last attempt at capturing Jaguar's glorious past of the 1960's in of course, a modern airbag equipped emissions control laden fuel injected car. The S-type is characterized by a long hood with 4 rounded horizontally arrayed headlights. The long wheelbase and the rear overhang characterize Jaguar styling from the past. The S-type borrows the curved C-pillar characteristic of the 1960's Mark 2/S-type/420. Inside, the S-type has the characteristic wood and leather and also makes use of Jaugar branding on the instrument panel, the steering wheel and the fascia facing the passenger. I believe that Jaguar designers could have done a better job there, but the interior is unmistakably Jaguar.

Most importantly, the Jaguar S-type is rear-wheel drive, with independent front and rear multi link suspensions, which makes the car fun to drive and delivers an unparalleled ride. Its anti-dive suspension geometry differentiates it from its Ford "origins." You can't mistake this car in any way for a Lincoln.

I have driven my S-type for over 3 years and have found it to be the best car I could have gotten for the money despite the incredible amount of repairs that the car has required compared with, say my 2001 Saturn L100. I have test driven many cars to try and replace it and every last one, new and used, has come up short.

Once you drive a Jag, you will be hooked. Just make sure that your credit limit is high enough to shoulder the expense.

In the meantime, if you get a good example, enjoy the Grace, Space and Pace that the "Different Breed of Cat" offers the driver with "uncommon luxury."

 

Ford spent nearly a decade designing the DEW 98 platform. Although it underpins the Jaguar S-type and probaby the XF, Ford really screwed the pooch with their major cost overruns, missed weight targets and schedule delays. Originally intended to be introduced in 1997, the DEW 98 vehicles did not start appearing until 1999. They simply could not make it up in volume due to product planners chicken headed attitude towards building more rear wheel drive midsized vehicles. Instead, we got stuck with cars like the 2nd generation Taurus and the Ford 500. Yech.

 

Hi Patty, forget all the "who owned who" and "what's shared with what" and just enjoy the knowledge that you own a JAGUAR (sorry, Jag-W-are) and the detractors are just green with envy.

 

So the Jag is now a Taurus? LOL, that's stupid! I'll tell you what, the next time that person makes that comment, agree with them and say, "you're right. I think I'll buy something else. Here, you can have it". Watch how fast their eyes light up and all of a sudden it will be a Jag. It only looks like a Taurus because you're driving it. If it were that person, it would be a beautiful Jag. Speaking of beauty, Think of a party we've all been to where a young lady comes in wearing clothes thats too short and too tight, cheap shoes and gawdy make up. She drinks too much and is too loud. She's desperately trying to draw attention to herself. That's the Taurus. Then there's the young lady who comes in, very elegantly attired, with just enough make up to accent here already extraordinary beauty. She's classy, fun and an excellent converationalist. She does nothing out of the ordinary, but all eyes are on here and people flock to be around her. She's the girl you never forget! That's the Jag!!! I've never pulled up to a stop light and had anyone say, "wow that's a really nice Taurus".

 

Just a further comment. The Lincoln LS and the Jaguar S Type were NOT based on one or the other. There was no chicken and egg. These two cars were designed/developed simultaneously on purpose by Ford.

It was and is a bit different for Ford to attempt this. I don’t know that Ford has attempted such a thing since then??
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^^5's and a +1 on that Mickey

 

Actually I think the X type is a nice looking car has the looks of Jag XJ 60/40 4 x wheel rear to front driving and 2.5 and 3.0 same as the S type. True you come across plastic bits with Ford markings but hey get over it. The end of the day the X type is far more Jag than Ford ( 17% ford) and the mix was probably best for its survival.
XF in my opinion dont look in any way like a Jag which saddens me as I see this the end of Jaguar.

 

Anybody see 3 Jags here?

 

Nope, I see 2 Jags and a Ford. :-)

 

Yes and No. The Duratec in the Jaguar cars (and the Lincoln LS BTW) is what they call a "high content" V6. They used different heads and intake to add variable valve timing and variable intake tuning (hint... that is what the IMT valve actually does). Also, there are a bunch of other changes to numerous to bore everyone. While based on the same basic engine design, the Jaguar/Lincoln V6 does not reside under the hood of a Taurus.......Despite being built in lovely Cleveland Ohio.

 

Jaguar heavily modified Ford's platform for its S Type, and used its own fantastic AJ V8...the initial nikasil issues notwithstanding...(you only put premium fuel in a Jag). I miss that refined V12 and the straight 6 ...but Jaguar's engineers sure knew how to make an excellent, smooth V8. In other words, to say the S Type is a Ford is disingenuous; it disrespects the great work Jaguar's engineers did. I know Jaguar ended up putting Ford's Duratec V6 in it with some modifications...I haven't driven that version but I know that is a very durable engine. I would suggest that the ultimate influencer in that relationship was Jaguar.....not the other way around.