Sorry, can't help but finish this up with a a bit of a twist, because... well... I am one of those afore mentioned Millenials.

I happen to hold a private pilot certificate, much of the time spent in a 172. Had the displeasure of flying one once that had been wrecked and repaired. I'm sure it was technically in spec, but that plane had an odd tendency to hunt left and right and never did "feel" right after that. My suspicion was that the dehidral wasn't quite what it used to be.

My first car was a Sunbeam Alpine, which taught me a lot about the British way of wiring things that, oddly enough, was useful knowledge when I got to graduate school and had to repair a British made spectometer. I would have sworn that thing was made by the prince of darkness himself, electron valves and all.

I have made a number of modifications to my current x100 XKR, including one to make the temp gauge read true values. It moves up and down depending on load, ambient temperature and all kinds of things. Useful and meaningful to me, but it would confuse the hell out of most people what that "randomness" was all about.

I'm not sure the "game of driving" is so much a generational thing as a personal choice. I would suggest that the perspective has always existed and has just evolved with time. As far back as you go, there have always been people that were more concerned about looks and specs than they were the feel or experience.

The bench racers of yesteryear have evolved into people who play Gran Turismo on their Playstation and prefer to spend their time in virtual one-upmanship rather than go out and spend their time and money melting tires, burning pistons and bending metal. Different time, different technology, but the same behavior.

I can't really blame Jaguar for trying to run a good business, and the reality is that most people buying a luxury car don't want all of that "superfluous" information, they want some gajillion watt bang and olufsen stereo and air conditioned tray tables and whatever other connected infotainment whizbangery is the flavor of the week.

I also can't blame them committing such heresy as to make an SUV, because, even though I find it personally offensive, I know that some of the money they get from those vehicles is spent on stupidly unprofitable things like the XKR-S-GT, which is a car ABSOLUTELY MADE for people like those of us on this forum.

My guess is that most of the people on this forum are a fairly rare exception to the norm, who like the cars for the machines that they are. Those that don't care about the machine probably don't bother to show up on an enthusiast forum in the first place.

 

Yes, I have the same sentiment. I hear it over and over on this forum the brand has soul. It's more than a bunch of nuts and bolts. When I was in middle school I did a project on advertising slogans. Jaguar's XKE slogan, "Man Meet Machine", has stayed with me ever since--about 41 years ago. Ever since I first seen this slogan, I thought of the Jaguar brand as a car with a soul, not knowing I would be fortunate enough to actually own one. I can even see the picture today vividly in my mind, a yellow XKE on a full page ad. Such a beautiful piece of work and clever marketing.

 

Excellent observations. Hope you all had a great holiday!

 

In terms of the Jaguar "Soul", what do you thin of the proposal to introduce a SUV into the lineup? It hasn't hurt the Porsche brand.

 

My wife drives a Subaru Outback and seems to like that type of car so I would definitely consider a Jaguar SUV when we come to replace it.

 

I have no issue with a Jag SUV. Anything that expands the market & keeps the company profitable so it can keep creating cars like the XK and the F-type is fine. Provided they don't do anything that's simply badge engineering, like Aston Martin did with the Cygnet (what a joke). If they produce a new vehicle based on Jag technology, even if they do get help from Land Rover, and it retains the Jag qualities of decent performance and a good ride, what's not to like? I won't be buying one, nor am I likely to buy an F-type, but I don't object to others wanting them.

 

Looks pretty good to me.

 

Jag is on a roll. That looks great !

 

Yep looks ok.. but predict it is gonna have a hard time against the Porche Macan..

 

I seriously doubt they are going to discontinue the XK model but I think it's going to go in a different direction. Possibly actually have functioning back seats? But who knows. I drove the F type and if given a choice over the two, I'd take the XK. I'm actually a little disappointed with the interior of the F type. It felt too Nissan for me. I get the true sports car interior thing, but I'd like a bit of piano black or some really exotic wood details in it.
And for the XK, if they do carry it forward, I would like it to become more exotic on the outside. Not a fan of the newer fronts with all the over lapping lines. And PLEASE!! Give it an eye lift!! Those drooping cross eyed units still don't work!!
And finally, don't make it a blown up F type. Keep the oval grill! They're proud of the XF and XJ new grille being inspired by the original 1968 XJ, so why can't the XK keep the oval grille, inspired by the original D type that started the oval in the first place??

 

If they manage to do that, and keep the overall gorgeous styling of the XK, then they will have a real winner...

 

They already said no more oval grilles

 

+1


The oval grilles will definitely go to keep with the new front look of the F-Type and XF. I'm not a big fan of the oval grilles. I find the look of the X-C75 in my signature sweet. Based on recent articles I think the XK, if reborn, under the proposed "XR" model, will loose it's sport car bias and be more appealing to the more practical luxury 2 door 4 seat car market If I wanted a 4 seat car I'd buy a sedan to tote the family around. IMO, the luxury and more practical XR will take away from the sporty theme of the XK GT as we know it today. If the XK goes more up scale at a higher price, as an XR, the current XK, IMO, will be a desirable car for 2 reasons:


1. It has always been known for it's beauty and sporty styling which will not be available to the same degree in the XR usable 4 seat model.
2. The high price of the XR will bold well for the resale price of the XK.

 

I don't think they will discontinue the XK model and I would also love to see the new Jaguar SUV in production!

 

Noting all the comments on what direction Jaguar design should go, the one thing I haven't heard is why not build something that looks like a Jaguar....remember cat like stance......low sleek clean body.....large greenhouse......leather...wood....white on black gauges. Instead they all want something that looks like a Lexus or maybe a Camaro with digital gauges and a carbon fiber interior. In fact why don't we just drop that Jaguar name all together, it's so dated, and build a 5 passenger SUV or a van and call it a Tata 2000 and put a leaper on the roof as a touch of class.

 

I have an '05, XK8 platinum/black coupe & consider it one of the most beautiful cars in the world. This is based on it's clean lines, proportional curves & everyday drivability. It seems that since this series came out, a lot of other car manufacturers have tried to emulate the Jags design in one shape or form. Even today, when my car is clean & shiny, there is hardly a week that goes by that I don't get a compliment from some admiring stranger.
I've been stopped in parking lots, stop lights, social events by people that don't even know what the brand of car it is ( I do live in a city w/ a Jag dealer) and offer a positive comment even though it's 9+ years old. I just love it when some jerk pulls along side of me & wants to "drag race" me .... I just pull away from the stop in a normal fashion & cruise on as if it's not worth the effort or below my "standard" to race. ( Years ago w/ my normally aspirated v-12 XJ-S I played "leap frog" w/ a supercharged T-Bird ... when we got to 120 mph, I let him go on ahead for about 1/4 mile & then punched the Jag for all she was worth & passed him doin' 150 mph indicated. Never saw him trying to catch up. Thank goodness no cops or blown tires.)
So, point is, I can't see discontinuation of the XK series in favor of the F-Type which I consider more a racing sports car than a luxury fast sports car ...which us old farts I think would prefer.

 

I fully believe you shouldn't get too far from the roots that established your brand. Imagine if a Rolls looked like a Caddy, Morgan looked like a Camaro just to chase the latest generational fad. For some reason manufacturers make this mistake from time to time 80's Mustangs, the TR7, When people are lauding your latest effort based on how closely it matches the spirit of the past, maybe that should tell you something. It seems once you stray too far, you may never come back. A Lambo will always look like a Lambo, a Maser like a Maser and I've never questioned the direction Ferrari has taken. Does anyone think the new XF or XJ will ever be warmly remembered and sought after?
I think the 96-06 XK matched more closely what people expect from Jaguar than anything built today and despite the inherent, but correctable, engineering faults the cars will maintain value and appreciate. They are in many ways like a beautiful wife with character flaws.

 

No kidding! Blows away what Maserati has planned for the Levante and look different enough not to compete totally with Land Rover.

 

Jaguar is on a huge roll, and appeals well to the contemporary Jaguar buyer. I know and love all the old Jaguars, but love how they are keeping the marque relevant in today's marketplace. Those who particularly appreciate Jaguar's of old will always be able to find good examples.

 

So just one data point. I was thinking of trading in my XKR for a 2011 XF (trying to potentially consolidate our fleet!) and I asked for an appraisal of my XKR. A dealer offered me $23,000 for my 2007 XKR Convertible with 60k miles, maintenance records and new tires. The dealer told me a car like this sits on the lot on average for 80 days. And this appraisal was at a Jaguar dealer.

I'm not going to trade it in, nor will I change cars at this point. However, it does make me think that the "end of the XK" is not going to do anything good for resale values. The resale values, at least in the short and medium term, have a lot of plummeting still to do!

The XK may be a rare car, but XK buyers are even rarer still...