AML, Couldn't agree with you more. Some people here are thick-headed and narrow minded, I've even had members in a previous discussion tell me that a Jaguar w2as more reliable than a Mercedes-Benz!! Haha.

Seriously! I can tell you 1 thing though, My Jaguar will be gone around 95k.. you can just tell so much is hanging on by a thin thread in that car. The gauge lights flicker and dim on occasion. the car groans and makes Trans noise when its first being driven and its cold out. Numerous times these dumb door locks failed and have locked me inside my own car! yes yes, people can say what they want but To be honest, my old Infiniti had way better handling, alot more options and a faster engine in it... The part I hate the most, How can you justify putting in a 4-speaker sound system as a base option?

This is why I also Drive a Mercedes-Benz and, will forever have one. Mine does not see snow and, most of the time no rain. I drive it only in the nice months. Which MB forum do you belong to? I'm a Mercedes Shop (peavhparts.com) member. I actually trust that car way more than the Jag but, you know I need something to take the Salt beating of the winter months. Anyways, I'm taking the Mercedes across country at the end of this month! Driving from Chicago, IL to visit my best friend who moved to Colville, Washington! that's 1,800 miles one way! I'm taking it for 3 reasons. 1) In the time I've owned both cars (Jag a few years, Mercedes over 5) The jag has broken down more times than the Mercedes ever has which is twice. if something happens to the Mercedes, I can likely fix it on the road or, it's back up system will get me to a service station safely. If the Jag breaks down, I'll need a tow truck and lots of money to have it repaired I'm sure. 2) My 28 year old Mercedes-Benz handles and drives MUCH BETTER than the X-type. It glides over bumps where the jag seems to have a melt down. 3) MY 28 YEAR OLD MERCEDES-BENZ GETS 28-30 MPG AND THE JAG GETS A WHOPPING 18 MPG OVER-ALL! and last but not least, no one has to defend the title of Mercedes-Benz especially from media review.


My Mercedes-Benz had a 2 year waiting list to get one when it came out! Has Jaguar or Range rover ever had a waiting list besides to be repaired?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A_3FfelVV8

Turn your speakers up... listen to the end

 

BadPlan, wait a second. You are comparing the reliability of a diesel luxury car that is driven occasionally in the best of conditions with one that is a smaller, sportier car used as a daily driver in a winter climate? Not exactly an apples to apples comparison. Try startiing the Benz diesel on a cold morning. Handle better than an X? Glides over bumps? Yeah, I can believe that, and eventually will glide around curves as well. If the X "melts down" there has to be something wrong in the suspension or maybe you just like a softer suspension that cars back then had. You mentioned that is broke down for you twice in two years in very limited driving. Not sure how reliable I would call that. You mention the mileage. You are comparing a diesel to a gas engine. One whose 0-60 is not in the 20+ seconds range. I'm not trying to slam you, Badplan. You love the Benz and that's great and I hope you enjoy it for many years, but how does it comapre when trying to enter a freeway, or if you need to make a panic stop or the road has a few curves or it snows out? The point I am trying t make is these are totally different cars from totally different eras used and bought by you for totally different reasons. Plus, you obviously have an emotional connection to the Benz that you will never have with the X, which is very cool (we are all car guys here), just if you are going to comapre them here at least be a little more objective.

 

Who cares what the NY TImes writer thinks? Of course, if Jaguar didn't sell as many X-types as they had planned to sell, it is a dud from that perspective. But again, who cares now? If you already have one, you either like it or you don't. If you don't have one, you can't buy a new one. I bought my 2002 X-type 2.5 L automatic last year, after lusting for a Jaguar for about 50 years. I probably paid too much for it, as the trans is now giving trouble, but the car has low mileage so I am going to get it fixed and try to keep the car for a while. It is not the perfect car - there is no such thing. But it is pleasant to drive, looks cool, and gets reasonable gas mileage. It is the best handling car I have owned. It corners like it was on tracks, and does U-turns as well or better than my Toyota. As for reliability, it has never left me stranded, like an MGB I used to own. So, even though I could complain about a few things (only one cup holder, for instance), I still like it. And I don't care if it was a sales dud.

 

The x type wasn't a complete failure....it had the highest number of jag sales.
It also at one point had class leading hp, belive it or not.
A fun rwd biasd awd system...well till 2004.

Made top 10 for most realible vehicle too
, right behind lexus and another brand. Surprisingly.
And many considered the lexus IS a dud aswell. I can't find the articles becuase anythime reliability and jag are in two sentences on google it turns up a too many sites to search through.

I still get looks and compliments. Never once did I see a commercial for the jaguar x type in 7 years if became availible to its extinction. What gives, the only time I ever say it was in the movie Holes, driven by a lawyer.

Poor marketing, undetermined target market, not enough changes lead to it demise. People get bored fast. The jag recieved very good reviews in first too years...but then the problems came alive.

I would never buy on new but for 12 000, used I jumped on it.

Oh and I still think the jags interior is light years ahead of the german's plastics and computers. Who wants to sit there and figure out how much horsepower we want to drive to work in today, and then tell the computer to adjust the suspension for it and then calculate the time wasted?

 

dont get me wrong, i'd love to own a german car. but the jag will do for now

 

I think alot of people feel the same about the X Type as I do with the Lexus, Acura and Infinity(over priced Hondas and Nissans). It is a good car but an over priced Ford. Good price for a used car but 30k for a new is steep. I mean my wifes mini even has tires pressure reading and door lights on back of door. My X only has a reflector. Marketing was a failure as well. I dont remember the ads when the car was new but it seems it was billed as a Jag for people not a likely to be able to afford a Jag before. And they still couldnt afford it then. But then again Jags have always been know as not being very reliable cars. Personally I think the X and the S type are way too similar in comparison The interior is almost identical as well as the rear end. And the front looks like other Jags as well, but that also might have helped the X. I have seen S Types for the same price and year as my X since getting my 05 sport.

 

Haters gonna hate.

I didn't pay much attention to what some asshat wrote for the NYT. After reading the article, it was never clear to me *why* that award belonged to the X-Type. Instead I focused on the comments on the article - You'll observe that many of the people who never owned, drove or sat in an X-Type are quick to dis the car. While many of the people who actually own X-Types by and large defend it as being a good car. I went with the opinions of those who weren't talking out of their butts without any ownership experience.

One thing I will say is that as a new car, the X-Type was overpriced (thanks in large part to Ford marketing's idiotic way of pricing and bundling options). And the interior plastics are definitely cheap (thanks to Ford's bean counters, and some middle-management pencil pusher who made the call).

As a used car, the X-Type really shines. It's a great value, and it's a damn good car. I let two of my best friends test drive my Jag shortly after I got it. Before I bought it, both dissed it for no reason. After they drove it, both loved it, and now give it the kind of respect it deserves. The same with my wife. Before I bought it, she derided it as an "old person's car", and couldn't understand why I wanted on. After one day of driving it, she gushed about how much she loves it. She now refers to it as "kitty!", and wants to drive it more than I do.

Haters gonna hate. And that's ok. It's keeps X-Type prices low for all of us second-hand buyers who are informed enough to know better.

 

"Haters gonna hate" - I like that. There are so many people willing to tell you how crappy all Jaguars are. I have friends that tell me how unreliable my car is and how Jaguars and all British cars are crappy. The fact of the matter, is that it has never left me on the side of the road. I really couldn't care what any one says any more about British cars. If I like it, I'm buying it. Period.

 

Dispite all this "Mumbo Jumbo", I have never had any, disagreements or any problems with my 03 X-Type 3.0. It never left me hanging or stuck anywhere. Maintenance cost has always been reasonable. The ride has always been confortable. And I would not even give it a second thought about buying another one, that would be automatic.

 

Meh... Auto journalists just bitch and moan that its a rebadged/rebodied Mondeo. They always forget to mention that the Mondeo was consistently awarded as one of the best cars in Europe.

There are wayyyyyyyyyy sh!ttier cars out there than the X Type. Here's a list off the top of my head:

1. Pontiac Aztek. I'm sorry, there has never been anything worse than this pile of f*ckup.

2. Just about anything Ford made for the US market in the early 2000s: Freestar, Focus, Mustang, take your pick.

3. Pontiac GTO - so much potential in the most bland looking package in ages. This should have been the car to save Pontiac, instead it was just another nail in the coffin.

4. BMW 1 series - Looks like the retarded love child of a 3 series and a brick wall that smashed its face in and damn near touches $40k. No thanks.

5. Mercedes SLK - even girlier than a Miata, and when you try to convince people that the front of the car is "inspired by Formula 1 cars" it only makes you sound like a bigger tool.

6. Lexus HS Hybrid - I literally thought this was a Corolla that someone had put Lexus badges on. Seriously. Its a Lexus Corolla that stole the hybrid system out of a Camry. Way to go on the originality there, Lexus.

7. Porsche 911. The car is amazing but seriously Porsche - having 39 variations of the same model does not make us any less savvy to the fact that your designers are amongst the laziest in the entire car industry.

8. Porsche Panamera - speaking of Porsche, this thing competes for all time ugliest expensive car on record. I've taken sedan sized dumps that look better than this god awful monstrosity. Don't even get me started on the people who modify these eyesores...

9. Chevy Malibu - nothing screams "I'm in a rental car!" more than cruising around in a soulless Malibu. Show me a person who willingly buys a Malibu and I'll show you someone who has given up on all of their dreams.

10. Scion anything - never has a brand promoted so much individuality to a bunch of lemmings who all end up being the same by buying these things. You are not unique, you drive a toaster shaped box. Worst of the worst: people who attempt to bring xB's to the racetrack and go roadracing.

 

God, I hate when people go on and on about how beautiful Lexus and Infiniti's are. You hit it right on the nail, when I try to explain to people that they are nothing more than upgraded Camry's they think I am insane. Am we the only non-blind people out there?

 

OK. Soapbox time.

First off the guys here, and you know (BP etc) who you are, sell your cars if you think they suck that bad, seriously! All of you who sight unseen bought an X thinking you were getting a steal not a deal, and now realize that OMG, I have to pay for import parts. Honestly, sell the car and buy a nice chevy. Some of em come with leather and everything!!!! But really, if you don't like the car, get rid of it and stop whining.

Now let's probe the honesty of the article, I have owned a ton of cars so most of this is first hand, unlike the tool who wrote the article. Anyone here remember the BMW 320i, not only were the electronics completely buggy but the car rusted out literally under your feet, the 318i that you needed to add a blower to get any sort of performance out of it. The new 3 series doesn't even have leather as a standard feature. The MB C series, it was an option to get rid of the roll up windows in the back seat, power for the front and manual in the back, that's an engineering marvel. The first E series, the interior had so many squeks you had to blast the stereo to distract you. And the seats were like sitting on concrete.

Now lets look at the recent offerings from the NA market...how about the Ford Taurus, is there a bigger POS on the market? And the new AWD model is about 60K, we know in 2 years it will look like a dogs breakfast, speaking of which have you looked at any Dodge model after 2 years? All of them look like crap and are falling apart. I saw a Magnum the other day and it looks like crap. Charger???????? Don't make me laugh, even an 02 Corvette looks far more dated that any X series that is maintained. I would be hard pressed to buy anything GM has coming out of the plant right now, maybe a Camero, but it would have to be top of the line.

So this tool who wrote the article is either completely biased to north american cars or on crack, likely both!

 

About both of the Porsche's, the 911 looks like a volkswagen bug and the panamera is just the ugliest thing I have ever seen.

 

I AGREEEE A HUNDRED AND TEN PERCENT.

We obviously bought our cars on our own accord. I saved 5 years to buy mine. And i would do it again. I recently was thinking of selling but nothing, not even brand new comes close to what this car offerers for interiors.

If you don't like your car, nobody is preventing you from parting with it.
Many people speak badly about the jag, but i always say,

" Is that would real wood, oh its plastic" hmmm

This car is still ahead of many cars that are produced today, and reliability, are you kidding me, this car has gotten me home safe from some many treks on the roads. I can tell you many stories of "reliabile" cars not making it home or breaking down. Im driving a couple hundred kilometers to see the calgary auto show, and im taking the jag. Im a more then confident It will be safe and reliable.

And this NY times guy sounds like a d-bag, whatever happend to not judging a book by the cover.

I didnt think much of this car, but I saw it in a honda parking lot one day when I was looking for a new vehicle, off to the side. I drove it, and fell in love. I can't say that about any other car.

Even my father, who hates japenese cars cuase of there plastic, cramped and bland designs said this car was something. The doors feel solid, the rear doors are light. the NY guy is sadly mistaken.

Thats my rant

 

And merecedes record isn't clean at all.
Jeremy clarkson - and many other claim that Mercedes quality has gone down.
My two freind bought mercedes just to have teh head gasket, and pistons break on them.

Never once did my 9 year old "Dud" do that.

 

ok guys, i have an 03 x-type among other cars as i own a high end used car dealership. i drive all the cars on my lot for at least 2 weeks before i sell them to learn of any bugs or issues needing to be fixed as well as to get a feel for the car so i can better direct my customers into a car that suits their needs. as far as the x is concerned i notice a lot of you have bought them used and buying them used is not a bad idea, but you werent there for all the issues the previous owner of your car had to deal with from the beginning.

one of the most common issues i can think of that is a small repair but can lead to serious injury to passengers is the vacuum hose from the brake booster. yeah technically thats a little thing, but seriously $130 for 1 foot of plastic hose with a check valve? not to mention when that check valve develops the hole at the bottom as they all do, your vehicles brakes get very stiff causing you to literally have to "stand" on the brakes to get it to stop without getting into an accident. dont forget the never ending transmission problems caused by numerous design flaws in the body and a lack of effort to protect the vehicles expensive electronics from the weather. lets also add in the factor of repair costs, a $30k car with repair costs similar to that of $80,000 models offered by jags competitors? no wonder they have poor resale value.

yes, the styling is on point and look as good or better than a lot of todays new cars...from the outside. it may not be a rebadged ford, but there are numerous signs of the crappy ford engineering and build quality. ive have probably 20 of these on my lot and they all have a jittery suspension feel, they all have a lot of wind and road noise regardless of tire selection, a ton of engine and transmission noise. the leather is slippery and the front seats dont hold that well, the buttons, instrument cluster, radio, and climate control make me feel like im in a focus wrapped in nice mercedes leather, they have the typical ford and jag oil burning problem. as for the suspension, on a smooth road it feels great, once you get dips and bumps and potholes it rides horrible, yes the awd helps, but id still rather prefer the stiffer sportier 3 series suspension that is always predictable and offers much less body roll than one that isnt predictable and throws you around your seat.

most people who i know that have owned them are happy about the fact that it doesnt have the other jag issues but are just upset that it has its own slew of issues, not that other cars dont, but come on, jag couldve and has done much better. for example the really expensive hid headlamp assemblies that have the problems with the adjustment tab mounting point breaking? id be happier to spend $400 on a bad ballast on a bmw or mercedes than over 800 on a whole headlamp assembly. yes there are crappier cars but come on are you really going to go as low as comparing a jag to a pontiac aztec to prove a point?

i like the jag styling dont get me wrong, i like the straight 6's i like the way most handle, but i have not had one person buy a jag from me for any other reason than they simply want to own a jag, not one person come in and says i heard theyre reliable, i heard theyre easy to mantain, my friends said blah blah blah. 95% percent of the time all i hear is its a jag i want it and 2 months later they come back wanting to trade them in.

the x-type was simply built in order to compete in the small luxury car class in hopes that jag could pick up more business to save themselves during a hard time, it didnt do as well as expected. regardless of the lack of or wrong marketing, it was a dud compared to the rest of its competitors. they are an excellent car for the pricve you pay in todays market as they have a very low resale value, if youve never owned a luxury car you will love it. it does feel like it has a ton of power if you get the 3.0 but the 2.5 is much slower than my very lightly modded 97 dodge neon i used for scca autocrossing.

 

I understand the pre 2004 X types had their issues that were addressed later. I have a 2007 x type and probably one of the few to buy it new. I also had a C 280 4 magic that I bought new. In terms of overall reliability and the such both were about the same.

In terms of fit and finish the X Type body actually seems stiffer with fewer rattles. The inside finish I agree is a mixed bag. However, the C had chrome paint that chipped off after regular use and the plastic on my front console got scratched. From that aspect the x actually has a more sturdy interior. But the C did have a smoother revving engine, but in my opinion wasn't as fun to drive. It also had a more quiet interior but that could be because my x is riding on 18 inch tires and the C had 17. Also found that the Continue Extreme Contact tires are quieter than the OEM ContiPros.

About the seat rocking in the front. It's actually similar to a range rover. Those seats also have the slight rocking....could be a jag/land rover feature

 

There is a lot of info in this talk, I'm not gonna say anything negative about anybodies opinion or experience, I hope everyone has gotten a lot of information and feels about this stuff.Goodluck.

 

Back in 2007, we ended up paying around $4K more for the C280 4 Matic v. The x type. For the C class. Last year we were looking to replace one of our compacts with a slightly larger one. The best offer we got on the C was less than $2K more than the x type and even at dealer the offered difference was $4K. Which means the out of pocket difference after around 4 years was about the same. I noticed even the retail prices are within that range.

Basically, you pay more for the C upfront and get more at the back end.

In our case the respective resale value was a non factor in deciding which car to keep.

I still feel the x type was overall a better car. Better to look at, drive (with pros and cons) and more comfortable.

 

I for one love my Jag. I get more compliments on it than I ever did with any of my mustangs or other cars. I have an 05 Black Sport with black rims. It's unique, has an aggressive yet tasteful stance and overall look to it.

As similarly stated earlier, I think the "dud" all falls into sell-ability, marketing and response from the "targeted" market of drivers ... it was not done well. Compared to entry level Mercedes and BMWs I think ours look 100% better with a style that lasts!!!