Whenever I drive the Jag I always feel more cautious than when I drive another car. When in my bimmer, I drive quite spiritedly and I feel quite laid-back. In the Jag, though, I am VERY gentle when shifting into different gears, acceleration, warm up, etc. For some reason I feel like it is very fragile and delicate. I'm afraid to get the engine into the upper revs and I never floor it out of fear something will bust. Am I just paranoid or is there some truth to my instinct? How do you drive your Jag?

 

once my XJR is up to 1/4 temp I am never afraid to drive as hard as I want. If I do a hard acceleration before it is a bit warm the shift is really rough so I try to avoid doing that.

 

I usually drive pretty conservative in my XJR. Until someone pulls up next to me at a light.... Love to see their faces...

Passport system helps too. I've had at least one copper give me a strange look.

 

I don't abuse nice machinery....but you can drive pretty darn hard in a Jag before even getting close to abuse.

I'd say that 95% of the owners I see and know drive Jags as though they were made out of glass.

They're not :-)

Cheers
DD

 

I drive the sh*t out of mine to be honest. Love taking off from a light, fast turns, really just enjoy every minute of driving it.

 

Once it warms up, I drive it like I stole it

 

To put it in one phrase "Like a bat out of hell!"

The 05 XJR that is... I'm still working on the 98 XJ8. I would definitely not say that Jags are by any means a fragile car. They are actually pretty rugged and can withstand a beating. You just have to watch for their Achille's heels

 

This is the reasoning I had and this might be where you're coming from...

The car has higher running costs than I'm used to, there are many less Jags in this area and if anything breaks, parts are more expensive with only one dealer in the entire state. BMW's and Audi's are much more common and have larger support.

But you have to remember, it's just a car. Contrary to what the forums lead you to believe, the engineers did design the car to allow some "fun". I have read posts saying, "I never floor my car, it wouldn't be good for it." Really? Why do you think Jag spent all those years quality testing and engineering the car?

 

It's not abuse ... it's exercise.

Think of a commerical glass coffee jug, you use it pretty hard, but you'd never thump it onto a stone countertop.

 

As a young development engineer when I was at Jaguar Whitley some of you guys would probably hate me if you knew what we did to Jags back then. Although it probably ultimately resulted in a more robust product!
I had a Jaguar X300 V12 once, and we used to rev it at idle to high rpm and then just chuck it into gear!
The thing would squirm and shake as the driveline took up the abuse. That development prototype went through a few GM 400 gearboxes.

I had taken it down to the new Forest in the south and I rememeber the engine revs going up to 5000 rpm but the car was baarely moving. This was accompanied by an aweful squealing noise.
I had to drive up 200 miles on the motorway but the car was only getting about 10 mpg average long distance!! The rear auto trans fluid was black.
Back at base it was established that the clutch packs were fried. On the X308 XJR a limiter is built in where the torque and rpm are restricted at idle so that similar antics and abuse cant be perpetrated! With my own Jag I always treat it gingerly and with the respect it deserves

 

I drive my car pretty gently. You are not paranoid at all. Lets be real, these cars are NOT rugged like some are saying. Headlights that shatter very easily, 18" rims that bend easily, failing ZF transmissions, delicate suspension bushings, tensioner failure and the interior is very fragile (at least on the VDP). My dad's E39 has taken SERIOUS abuse since it was bought new 11 years ago and it still looks new. Abuse like using the interior of the car to haul stuff like wood, top soil and etc. since we got rid of our Grand Cherokee. I have to put everything in my trunk of my VDP or I risk torn leather, cracked wood, or broken plastic.

I drove my car just somewhat hard around a twisty road and was rewarded with valve cover gaskets that began to leak oil on to my exhaust manifold and smoking.

 

I'm afraid mine is just a Sunday cruiser, to be babied along especially since I haven't replaced the secondary tensioners yet. Also, I want to avoid any body damage since it would basically mean walking away from the wreck and totaling out the car.

 

I drive it relaxed... with my head back... listening to classical music... thinking all sorts of "all-is-right-with-the-world" thoughts and let the harried masses rush in a panic to where they are going.

I drive in luxury, surrounded by finely polished walnut burl and Connolly leather.

I enjoy every moment... watching my gleaming chrome leaper in front of me cutting through the air... swooshing past other motorists--the hoi polloi, if you will--and leaving them with the image of my VDP trunk badge and what I consider to be one of the most expensive-looking rear-ends of any car on the road today. The car connotes "robust financial portfolio." Good God I love this car.

Somebody stop me!

SirJag

 

I don't think *any* of those things fail as a result of the car be driven hard nor necessarily last longer if driven gently. For instance, I've had to replace three headlamps on my car, all of which were broken while blissfullly cruising down the highway ...under the speed limit with the cruise control on :-). And I had wheel damage as well....after hitting a grapefruit-sized rock that I simply couldn't see while rounding a blind corner <shrug>. Suspension bushings do generally wear more qucikly on Jags than on other cars, I agree....but not due to driving habits. It's due to the material chosen by Jaguar for NVH supression.




And you're sure that one is related to the other, and that the leak wouldn't have occured *unless* you pushed it a bit around a twisty road? Be honest, now :-)

I think the things you've mentioned speak more towards the general foibles and repair expenses associated with Jags rather than rather than how well they stand up to hard driving.


Cheers
DD

 

I guess I was just venting when someone posted that these cars are 'rugged'. I admit other than the bent rim, these problems aren't the result of hard driving.

 

I'll agree on the interior taking abuse though. My 92' Nissan has held up way better in almost 20 years than 10 to the Jag.

 

SirJag - you're hilarious. I've got to give it to you, though; you do seem to love your car!

 

I own 2 Jaguars both love to be driven. I can hear them in the house saying drive me. We drive both our cars as daily drivers and I love driving them. They respond each and every time I push them each time I drive and I believe the car truly wants to be driven that way. My recommendation to anyone is to have fun driving your car but do not break the law or cause harm to anyone. Life is short, enjoy in now!

 

Its true. The interiors a VERY delicate. The leather, mainly.

 

Jaguar could not sell cars into the new market without leather.

Even if it was a desirable long term characteristic. Which it is.

The Rover Sterling 825/827 had great upholstery done in a very durable velour. Cool in summer, warm in winter. Sadly, not an option in a Jaguar. Or, at least not commonly found.

Leather may be great for first owners of new vehicles ... not so much for subsequent owners.