Jaguar… still cool?
by admin on Apr.05, 2010, under Jaguar
Jaguar is a well-known automaker. However, it’s well-known for quite different reasons depending on who you ask. Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson seems to think they’re the tool of choice for sleazy city slickers trolling for tail.
Vintage racing and roadster enthusiasts know Jaguar as a great performance car, an identity rightfully manifested in the beautiful XKE and D-Type.
Most Americans seem to think of them as unreliable and a generally sub-Mercedes luxury car…
…and pretty much nobody has heard of the XJ220 or XJR-15.
Come on guys… it was in Need For Speed 2?
Car companies live and die by their image and identity. So what the hell is Jaguars?
It’s my feeling that this lack of brand-consistency is a big part of why Jaguar is sucking butt through a garden hose right now. That, and the fact that they’re associated with Land Rover can’t help.
Let’s take it back to the 1950’s, 60’s, and even the 70’s. Jaguar was building striking cars with lots of power, and lots of style. They were cool. Guys who drove them were cool. The thunderous roar of a Jag V-12 was more effective than Viagra at doing… what I’m told that does.
This is what cool looked like in 1956
Two decades later, Jag was still money.
Even the treacherous 80’s weren’t nearly as bad to Jaguar as they were to many other automakers. The XJ220 supercar came out, which may have suffered from the same interior blandness as its contemporary supercars but looked pretty damn sexy from every other angle. The XJ6 sedan was elegant, if rusty… and the XJS is not one of my favorites, but I have friends who say it’s a design you learn to love. And I have to admit it’s probably the cheapest car you can buy used today that’ll pull 150 MPH out of the box.
Jag survives… 1985
Then the 90’s hit, and they hit hard.
The E-Type was long gone, nobody bought any XJ220s, and the once decent-looking XJS and XJ6 got some seriously offensive headlamps that only a mother could love. If she was blind.
And don’t try to tell me the XK8 doesn’t suck, cause it does. A weak V8, oddly too-large wheels, and a dinky transmission helped it give convertibles a bad name. The early 2000’s weren’t much of an improvement. The S-Type tried and failed and rekindle that old-school “classic British” vibe, and the X-Type was a station wagon that would fit in the cargo area of its competitors (Volvo, Merc, ect.). At least the XJS went away and the XJ6 was returned to its original round-faced splendor.
Jag knew it was in trouble. And I’ve got to hand it to them for making a valiant comeback effort.
Enter, the XK.
Sexy, F1-style paddle shifters, a supercharged “R” variant, and did I mention sexy? Chicks could mistake it for an Aston Martin, which would of course be awesome for the guy behind the heated steering wheel (I loved the heated steering wheel also).
The XK was just what Jaguar needed to bring its old moniker of “Grace, Pace and Space” back. It’s a fantastic car that lets you feel like you’re in a real European GT for a whole lot less money than an Aston or Ferrari.
But, Jag’s determination to shake their slow, stodgy and unreliable image didn’t stop with a great coupe. They brought in a sedan to match.
The XF pushed it even further. Way cooler than the little buttboxes it replaces (S-Type and X-Type) the XF is a pretty little sedan that looks fine parked next to a fabulous XK. Sadly, I haven’t had the opportunity to experience it, but Top Gear seemed to approve and that’s good enough for me.
Now, the new XJ completes the Jaguar refacing- it’s modern, quick, wide-mouthed and (I’m told) a pleasure to drive. Otherwise worded as- nothing at all like the old XJ.
And for highly privileged journalists such as myself, Jaguar has launched a new PR website called “Interactive Jaguar.” Go ahead, take a look here.
Looks like the old cat is poised to pounce on BMW and Mercedes as the sport-luxury leaders in the eyes of the consumer.
When the S-Type was new, I breathed a sigh of dismay and wrote off Jaguar. But after seeing and driving the XK I really would love to see Jaguar succeed.
So good luck chaps, and watch your back Mercedes.
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