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I recently looked at Carfolio and saw that the XK platform is a little wider in track and a little longer in wheelbase than the recently-departed X-type and thought that Jag could make a really credible 3-series rival based on the XK. Add to this the XK's superb handling AND its light alloy construction and - hey presto - 3-series rival becomes 3-series ANNIHILATOR! Or would it just turn out to be a flop? I must confess that, while I disliked the way that Jag were still trying stylistically to pretend that it was 1962/1968, I dislike the style of the new cars just as much - they're just too bland! Too featureless, not classy enough, not practical enough, generally Jag gone right off the boil styling-wise. Still, Jag is far from beyond redemption. XJ40 showed the way in the 80s - can't we do something like that now, long, low, sleek yet with nicely blockish forms? I really would love to support Jag but the new F01 BMW 7 and the renderings I've seen of F10 5-series and F30 3-series based on current practice at Munich show that Jag is going to have a fight on its hands as BMWs become classy and handsome once more - and Johnny Coldcaller and his family are going to buy yet another 320D Touring, leaving Jag losing out on valuable business for want of a suitable competitor. Anyone got any thoughts on this front?
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Jaguar need to think like Skoda Buck the trend a bit. Introduce a 3- or 5-door hatchback to make BMW/Saab/Volvo drivers have second thoughts.
Skoda showed the way with the Superb. Great lateral thinking. Have a rear door that can open like a saloon OR a hatchback. The best of both worlds.
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its light alloy construction
You couldn't make it cheap enough to compete with a BMW 3-series.
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Maybe not, but the 3 has bigger transportation costs, heavier fuel bills due to the extra weight, probably higher taxation due to lesser economy, etc, etc, etc.
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There again, Johnny Coldcaller is happy driving down the motorway in a queue of BMW's.
Thankfully Jaguar and Alfa etc give people a viable alternative. Sure the Jag may not be perfect styling wise but lets face it, when it comes to bland, large German saloons are up there with the worst.
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Thankfully Jaguar and Alfa etc give people a viable alternative. Sure the Jag may not be perfect styling wise but lets face it when it comes to bland large German saloons are up there with the worst.
Alfas are ugly, have front-wheel-drive and poor reliability - though there's some talk of a hookup with Jag or Chrysler for RWD: the new Alfa 169 on XF underpinnings would be good if they could sort the reliability. However, the 159 is badly made, FWD and not even all that spacious and will never threaten Mondeo/Insignia/A4 sales. Sales figures show that Johnny Coldcaller wants reliability and rear-wheel-drive (the 3er regularly outsells the Mondeo). And would you really call the E60/61 BMW 5er bland? Sure, it's far from beautiful, but it's still very striking. On the other hand, while the new Audi A4 is quite pretty, the A5 not bad and the A6 Avant quite nice from the rear, the A6 saloon and the A8 are boring as hell to look at and the current Merc range isn't too good (though I'll reserve judgment on the new E-class until I've seen it in the metal - I'm really not quite sure what to make of it - and the CLS may not be pretty, but it's certainly dramatic). Oh, and, however predictable it may be, the Porsche Panamera isn't bland either.
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"Johnny Coldcaller wants reliability and rear-wheel-drive"
BMW make a big thing about rear wheel drive in their advertising. I doubt if 99% of motorists would be able to tell whether they were driving a RWD or FWD vehicle and that includes BMW drivers.
No the Porsche isn't bland but it is certainly no beauty.
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I don't know about the 99% claim. I certainly doubt that only 1% of BMW drivers care that they have RWD. I know of a number of reps and family men who carry heavy loads in the back of their hatch/estate repmobiles and who really value RWD for its better traction when carrying heavy loads. For instance, one of my neighbours is this country's leading artisan blacksmith and he often has several hundredweight of iron in the back of his Ovlov 940 Wentworth Estate plus a hefty load in the trailer hitched up to said Ovlov and he says he'd never have FWD for that very reason - though yes, he is an extreme (and minority) case. Still, the number of people I've spoken to who've said they could never get used to the handling of a medium-to-large FWD car suggests that RWD in all areas other than small hatches is the right approach.
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Generally Johnny Coldcaller doesn't care about the rear wheel drive, thats why he goes off in the snow so often.
What he cares about is the badge on the bonnet, as his wife just cares about the designer label on her clothes.
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