following is just my personal opinion so that might be subjective


most of our fellow X308 owners love your cars because its beautiful design -that is its "look" rather than its performance

but dont get it wrong, I know our our jag can outgun many so-called sport cars in the same age.


I see most of the modifications on this forum intend to fall on the performance side over appearance.

car looks stock even there is a monster-mod underneath .there is nothing really to refine the look of our X308 but all the fun part is under the hood,really?

I expect a lot of criticism

 

Well, the Sport and XJR had more grip than an E39 M5.
So, for their time, excellent performance. By 2002, the
745i was considerably faster. The S500 was too.

But by today's standards, with polarizing styling, and
15-year old performance, the car is not standing up
to time as well as we might hope.

I love the styling, and the performance is good from the
non- S/C ones. By today's standards, this is not at all
a quick car. the only mildly sporty car it could beat is a VW
GTI, and that would only be on the hwy, not 0-60.

All the people who like cars, have gone for cars with more
performance. So you won't meet any enthusiasts today
with a slower car. Maybe in 2001.

Ian

 

From what I've gathered, the M5 was superior to the XJR in probably all performance aspects.
The XJR is faster than the 745 and S500.

The XJR has aged well with time, I think. It has a timeless design and style; unlike the modern wedge or bubble boring looking cars that age quickly.
And I speak only of the XJR, since it seems that's what Vincent had in mind.
I love my XJR, but would not even consider an XJ8.

 

SteveM... that stings!

I want an XJR, but my car probably isn't
going to sell, and the XJR I liked sold...

I now get why no-one ever had photos/
videos of XJs doing cool stuff. They didn't
care! The XJR following may be more enth-
usiastic, but there are probably only 20-30
videos on all of YouTube of those 308 XJRs.
The XJ8 enthusiast count is super-low...
chances are, I've spoken to every single
one of them on the forums.

The XJ Sport, for example is superior to the
XJR in a few ways: Better handling (I guess
this, because it has 50.0/50.0% weight dis-
tribution, the XJR's is 52.8%/47.2%, the
engine revs to 7000 before the limiter,
and can rev freely in P/N gears. Of course,
it gets about 4-6 mpg more on the highway,
from what I've gathered. The N/A cars are
great, sadly this ZF box is a weak spot
unique to N/A ones...

In 2003 the S55 rapes an XJR. The M5 always did.
E55 as well. But, the M5 does, because of its
run-flats and recirculating-ball truck steering,
have .001 less grip than an XJR. (WIN!!!!!)
The old E55 was slower to 60, but quicker and
better in every other performance way.

As a non-R owner, I guess, I am not into it at all
for the performance. The engine feels fine, but
once I get behind the wheel of an M5, it
just feels slow and miserable. That wears off
over time of course

The styling will forever stand, to the tasteful,
at least, as one of the finest traditional luxury
4d European cars... on a plinth with the E38
7, and those handsome 1990s 5 series 5ds.

The performance of a Jaguar, in terms of reliability,
is far superior to these Germans though. You
can't beat someone in terms of performance, if your
car is broken.

 

Polarizing styling?!?! Are you referring to the S500/745i or the X308?! If you are talking about the X308, then I gotta say your M5 friend has brainwashed you! The M5 looks nice, but it looks like a car for an immature driver with it's ground effects and etc. in comparison to a good X308.


Nothing from the era of the X308's class stands up to the styling of a good X308, esp. a XJR-100. NOTHING! A 'good' X308 doesn't refer to any ol' X308, just like a E39 can look horrible or good depending on yr and model, color and etc. The E38 just looks old, period. The early previous S-class looks tacky and tasteless with their foggy diffuser lens headlight (poser luxury), and the '02 7 was ugly when it was new, and it looks even worse now. The E39 M5 looks nice, but c'mon, a good X308 level of nice? Hell no!

My dad has a E39. The typical non-car enthusiast is unable to tell the difference between a mere 528i and a M5. I've seen people get his 6 cylinder E39 mixed up with a '03 M5 and a 2000 740il. Let's not kid ourselves, non-car enthusiasts do not pay attention to most of the things us car ppl are impressed with.The E39's dynamics are superior to the X308, and my dad's E39 has been much more reliable than my car, but the interior of ANY E39 doesn't hold a candle to an Ivory VDP with its full leather autolux center console, wood trays steering wheel and etc in terms of presentation.

In school, it continues to blow my mind how many people drool over the car. Girls, guys, janitors, security guards and etc that I don't even personally know actually know my car. I dont think any E39 could pull that off with out being tacky in a loud color with loud exhaust (it would be noticed, but not respected). I once picked up 3 girls I met that night from a bar and their reaction was the typical I hear when people get inside "WOOOWW! OMG, This is such a beautiful car!" "what kind of car is this?!" "My dad has a Jag, but it doesn't look like this one on the inside!". The VDP and LWB rear leg room adds a lot to this impression. I notice females love to ride in the back seat with their legs crossed, few cars offer enough leg room for that. I saw some girls take a picture of my car, some brat kids run up to my parked car to look inside "wow let's check out this jag. Holy sh*t the inside is nice". A group of 10 girls took a picture together on the stairs of a house while I was stuck in front at a stop light. Funny enough, but when their picture was posted on facebook, about half of the girls weren't looking at the camera but in the direction of my car.

If you ask females, who look at cars from an objective style perspective (instead of considering performance and etc.), I bet a good X308 will beat the E39 every time.


I do think, however, that too few people modify the X308 in terms of appearance or performance. I wish more people would upgrade their cars in a tasteful manner. I see too many X308s driving around that look terrible.

The XJR performance upgrades make sense since it gets you a car that looks like one of the best cars on the road, with some of the best performance of a full sized luxury car all for a price of a Camry (if you recently bought the car used).

 

Haha-- no brainwashing... at my school,
I don't get millions of compliments on the
car. It seems like, out there, just like in
central Fla, these cars image has been
somewhat spiled... every day in Tulsa, I
see a really ratty looking XJ8, or a nasty
X300 XJ6. In Orlando, I have heard
a lot of friends say that my Jag was by far
the nicest of this bodystyle they had ever seen.
That's what happens as prices decline, and
number of previous owners increases.

have one friend who offered to trade
(permanently) his 2012 Challenger SRT 392
for it after going for a drive, trading cars.
He seemed dead serious!

The E38 has always been a personal favourite,
I love the elegant, low-slung, conservative
and tasteful German lines. the '02 one is soooo
ugly, and already looks old and like a has-been.

And, the funny thing is that the E39 is famously
problematic... I do have a friend with an M5, and
it always has a CEL, or some problem. My car
has been an absolute star... I would say '02 and '03
XJs are the best European 4d you can buy, in terms
of quality. The interiors are... sensitive though. Put
your knee in a seat, and there are going to be permanent
creases.

I actually do meet a lot of people who don't like the looks
of my car, to be honest. Some are car people, some are
not. That's why I call it "polarizing", because it seems
like it must be "love it or hate it".

The E38 is so gorgeous. I'm surprised you don't agree
with me, I have always liked those.



^that is what I refer to. As with the Jag, a 1st year, base model with a purple
tint and filthy 16" wheels isn't going to look good, but
late model Sport models are sexy.

Jon, I agree that few people modify their X308s... but it is
likely for the better. The people who largely have them now
seem to be the 22" wheel, chrome, and subwoofer crowd...
and don't forget the blacked out taillights, window tint,
and clear front markers.

I think that a clean, untinted X308 looks perfect stock.
Although the factory 18" wheels always look better
than the small 16" VDP or XJ8 wheels. The 17" Solar
wheels look perfect to me though (VDP Super V8)

There is essentially no performance potential for the
N/A cars. The lack of vendors/ customer interest means
high prices for meager gains. A $1300 tune might gain
25hp. Huge price, when the XJR is super-cheap to mod,
and widely available. A cat-back exhaust will maybe add
12hp to an N/A XJ8... so, it will likely sound like a pickup
truck, and still... over $1000.

The visual upgrades I have tried, like a mesh grill and
XJR mufflers, only cost pennies though.

The interior of the standard car, or the Sport, like mine,
doesn't really look too much better than the 740iL's to me.

The words "where is the navigation", or remarks about
veneer cracking are what I hear often. Although, many
friends have pointed out the car's excellent lateral
support, and lovely blue trim lighting.

Although, I wouldn't say the 308 is peerless for interiors...
even your lovely Vanden Plas, with its RR-like luxury,
is technologically bested by the E38.



But our cars seem to be more widely liked than the old BMW,
I think it takes someone like us to appreciate one. It hasn't
got the drop-dead styling, it is also low-key but, being German,
it will have a harder time aging into a classic.

Ian

 

I've had ppl asking if my car has been recently restored, or saying how good shape it is in for such an old car. Some find it hard to believe that this classic styling was still used in the 21th century. And while the E39 M5 is faster on the straight line and on the track, it still looks like a family sedan with a boy racer body kit...

 

JKo,

+1 I agree, the M5 looks like a E39 with a body kit. It looks cheaper and flashier than a good X308 like yours.

Ian,

Is the 7 series you posted sold in the USA with that interior? I have never seen that interior here. It looks nice, but it still has a bit of a tacky/flashy after market look to it that looks a bit dated. It slightly reminds me of the interiors of some AMG Benzes from the 80s. The X308, technology wise is pretty much bested by every car in its class. BUT, no car short of a Bentley or Rolls has autolux leather. Everything you touch on a typical drive in a VDP is real leather, metal or wood. Arm rest, hand brake, steering wheel, center console, and even the trunk pull down strap are all either leather or wood. A VDP with ivory leather and clear windows looks stunning even from outside the car esp. due to the large rear windows that make the interior especially visible from outside. I'm very picky with the X308, and ivory is the only VDP interior color I like and silver and black with clear windows are the only 2 exterior colors I like on any X308.

The E38 looks nice. I have always liked them with the M sport rims like the one you posted. Someone at school years ago had a 7 series similar to the one you posted. It looked beautiful, but it didn't stand out from the crowd at all and looks dated.

The interior of the X308 is VERY delicate. I'm surprised no one else really mentions this on here. I have to baby my car interior to keep it looking nice.

I agree, some X308s look horrible. Those with purple bubble infested tint are the WORST!

As for the polarizing looks, you mentioned that your car has body/paint issues. Could that be a factor? I have never heard anything negative about mine in terms of styling. Haters, who are always dudes, will comment on it being unreliable, or old, but they are never negative about the styling. Although it is rarely said to my face, I generally hear it when random people walking by talk about my car, and the negative comments ALWAYS follow a compliment from a person in the group.Jealousy. Funny enough, a few girls have admitted that they found me intimidating and elitist partly due to my car (ladies PLEASE don't look up the resale value of my car though!).

My VDP looks almost flawless inside and out, but mechanically, it is a different story. I wish mine was more reliable.

Anyone have an exhaust system on theirs? I'm curious about putting an X-pipe in and leaving everything else stock to give it a bit more sound, but I'm super concerned about it being loud or unrefined which wouldn't match a VDP. I can't find any videos on youtube of a stock exhaust with a X-pipe.

Ian, did the XJR-100 exhaust mufflers change the sound of your car at all?


I'm curious about how the stitching in the middle console, the door arm rests, and the VDP stitching on back of the front seats would look in a contrating color. I'm curious about dying mine brown to match the piping and emphasize the stitch. I even tried to reverse the headliner pull handles to show the stiching that is hidden on the backside which has contrast brown stitching, but it wouldn't fit without excessive bending. It would have been a tasteful mod though!

 

I've been meaning to put an X-pipe on mine to get that V8 to sound like a V8. Many ppl say that it doesn't make the exhaust too loud. I've had quotes between 500-600€ for installation, but that includes manufacturing the X-pipe. I bet it would be cheaper if I buy a generic one online and have that installed.

Here's one comparison between X, straight and stock middle muffler. Not X308, but a V8 anyway.


AFAIK the XJR-100 exhaust is the same as the XJR exhaust..?

 

That 7 Series is the only 7 Series I have ever liked , no rude lines , it is a sleek car

 

WOW that X-pipe sounds good. That 'no resonators' sound is the sound I'm def trying to avoid.

But I'm wondering if that buffeting/raspy sound is from the X-pipe or wind rushing past the microphone? I don't want that sound for my VDP.

Does the XJR exhaust sound the same as the N/A exhaust?

 

(His name is Alan, I guess he will come up in this topic enough
for some reason... lol) My M5 driving friend has an X-pipe. I
constantly tell him that it sounds inappropriate for his car. It
is very shallow and raspy. Not a good sound... at least not on
his car.

The "Blowing" sound you hear, to me, sounds exhaust-leak-ish.
As they say in Russia, "I do not like."

The elitist thing... apparently a few English tennis players at my school
had mentioned, (to a considerably more popular friend of mine), that
they knew of the guy driving the silver XJ. Said that he was incredibly
formal, and a lame anglophile. Since these people must've seen me at
a party or something. This may have all been nonsense though.

I would say, the body issues affect overall impression of the car. My
best reckoning is, that the rear door, decklid, right rear quarter were
replaced, untraceably, during the car's first life as a Hertz rental (yeah
yeah... I know) and had some poor paintwork. My ownership has led to
both front fenders, and a new, (no license plate holes) front bumper.

The right rear door doesn't fit properly, and it really frosts me. I hate
looking at the crease, being 2mm too low. Errrghh.

Many of the car's visualproblems will all be gone by the end of this week...more to come on that topic...

The XJR-100 mufflers are a conversation topic. Except, no one in
my personal car circles has heard of the XJR-100, and neither
has anyone in the Jag club. My Jag mechanic never even had any
interest in the R-100. So, a failure as a conversation topic...

They fill out the rear bumper well, and with my stock grill, and unique
Jaguar centre-caps, this is a unique looking XJ.

The sound is a bit better. If you hit that tonal sweetspot, between,
say, 2800-3990 rpm, at 75% throttle with pedestrians nearby,
they all (and I mean all) stare in amazement. They are higher-flow,
and bigger actual muffler boxes, but 90% the same in terms of
sound. They polish up really well though!

I actually caught more flak than ever from a few losers at
a local, college-aged BMW meet. All E90/E92. One grass-wipe
kept insisting that my car was made in the USA (turns out
his dad drives an S-Type V6... small wonder). I have one
friend(With the nicest car there, a 2012 M3) who asked me to go...what losers though.. they actually had a conversation,
at one point, where they were talking about how little they
knew about cars. It was like high school again, when explaining the part differentiations between the 2 7spd gearbox designs on 2012
Porsche 911s. They are neophytes compared to me. No respect for
others, either... I always point out nice things about cars at meets,
but no such courtesy from them.

You mentioned changing the stitching... when my car gets back,
I will show you... my stitching is actually bluish, like a cool-blue.
In bright light at least. It looks excellent where visible.

I strongly disagree with anyone who would make the stitching
brown, on oatmeal leather, for example... the piping contrast is
more than enough, the stitching would likely accentuate age,
and nothing more.

The 7 was available with such an interior here. Up front, they
have a full 7" touch screen nav system. That will have to be
a 2001 750iL, though, which is exceedingly rare.

I wonder how long it took me to type this thing... lol

Ian

 

Wow, so much to digest in this thread! Rather then respond to any specific posting or remarks I'll just add a little general commentary of my own.

Car enthusiasts come in all sizes and flavors. Speaking for myself, there are very few cars that I dislike. I can get just as excited about a really clean old '64 Plymouth as I do about the newest whiz-bang Corvette or Jag or whatever. We all have our favorites and preferences but I think every car should be, appreciated for what it is. For instance I may not be a BMW fan but I can still find lots to like about BMWs.

My old 1995 XJR/6 cannot possibly compare to newer cars in terms of horsepower/acceleration, hi-tech features, etc. However, a real car enthusiast....or what I would call a real car enthusiast....would know that it was the first supercharged Jag, was part of a model line-up that marked the end of a decades-old association of Jaguar and straight-6 engines, was Jaguar's first attempt at offering a "high performance" sedan, and, performance-wise, was very competitive for its time. It may never be on that person's top-10 wish list but if he has a true appreciation for automobiles I'd hope to hear him say "that's pretty cool".

I've never been (what I call) a "tech page enthusiast". That is, someone who places way too much importance on technical data or magazine road test results. Some people go way too far with this. We've all seen it many times on internet forums and You Tube.....

"The Audi XWZ model does 0-60 in 5.1 seconds and the XJR takes 5.3 seconds. Audi is the king of all cars and the Jaguar is a piece of ****".

OR.....

"The Corvette develops .98G on the skid pad and the Porsche 911 can generate 1.0G. More proof that Americans don't know how to build a car that can handle corners".

That sort of stuff make me nuts.

I could go on forever....but am short on time.

Cheers
DD

 

guess I'm a weird odd ball enthusiasts.
I tend to appreciate tasteful stying inside and out over performance. Although I dont mind performance but many cars sacrifice comfort for it. I find Jaguar is a good happy medium.

I tend to avoid large wheels if smaller wheels are available due to the tire rumble and more bumps felt. I.E. While many enthusiasts probably would go for the E38 with the sports package, I avoid it like the plague. The regular one rides better and seats are more comfortable, even though the sports wheels on the e38. I dont mind the M5 as it's a good performance car and I dont dislike it as long as it's someone else car and a short drive. I wouldnt be caught dead buying one, too rough, too loud. I'll take the 750il over an M5. S600 over the S55 even though (at least pre-2003 W220) they got about same performance numbers the S600 is quieter and nicer on the inside to me. Even the XJR is a beast but the ride compared to the XJ8-L and or Vanden Plas dont compare, to me. If I could of gotten my hands on the Super-V8 then I'd be great but none within 1,000 miles of here inthe past two years at least been up for sale.

I would say I must have the mindset of a buyer of a 2001 RR Silver Seraph. It has a V-12 but could be out performed by just about any euro v-8 worth it's salt at the time but nothing beats it in terms of styling and comfort (or price at the time 4-door sedan where you could have bought 3 M5s that would run circles around it and have change left over for a house down payment) And style and comfort that match my taste is what matters 95% of the equation for me. Performance 5%, Like a side effect. But wont stand for any loud exhaust from asmatic giant blender and lawnmower found on many aftermarketed 4 bangers, to the big 1970s car without muffler sound on some these "sports" sedans these days. And a smooth ride is a must. Hard to find raw performance and smooth ride and quiet ride in one car so I will glady take a nicely styled car inside out super smooth ride that goes 0-60 in 12 secs over one that does it in 4.0 seconds but uncomfortable, loud, rides harshly just so it can corner any day.

But that's just me. Out here Mustangs are common especially the GTs with the loud exhaust. I guess many people hear and see it coming and be that's cool. I'm just thinking, "oh another loud car". Even though that thing probably can get to 0-100 before most cars can reach 45.

 

What's wrong with tinting your Windows? I'm planning on getting a xjr100 and putting on 20% tint on it. I think a black car looks great with window tint. Also I think any dark color looks good with window tint. Just not as dark as a black car.

 

I prefer to "refine" my XJR 's appearance with taste

(sadly, only a very handful vendors for the "appearance parts" in the market and price tag is usually insane)

 

Ok. It seems I need to post a video of my XJR on youtube and on the forum. It may be an acquired taste of style for some but it does get compliments. As for performance, it remains unbeaten on the road to date. The only cars that keep up are Corvettes.