First X Type impressions after 2 months

[Vanquishman]

So i have now owned "Mick" (Jagger) for 2 months. It's a mint condition silver 2.0 V6 manual  with black leather. I don't think the rear seats have ever been sat in and it's been really well looked after. I was originally looking for a 2.5 AWD (petrol manual) and the wife and i looked at quite a few hacks it seems. All the time around 50 miles away this 2.0 kept popping up. It ticked the boxes all except for being a fwd which i don't generally like so i discounted it from my search. However, after a couple of weeks it started creeping into my psyche and so we just went to have a look and a drive. Just so i could get it out of my system. Not to buy. Nope, just look...

What we found was a really nice car as we saw it the moment we turned up. It was a cold and damp day and it had been standing those couple of weeks but fired up from cold with a lovely sound that settled into a gentle purr. The chap left us to take it for a test drive and i have to say that compared with the 2.5 i would not write off the 2.0 as it felt a bit more sprightly and that took me by surprise. I figure the extra weight of the AWD system must make some difference. I have tried several of them and discounted the auto (which funny enough i normally opt for on a comfortable cruiser but they were to sluggish for me sorry. Plus manual is better for mpg and i do quite a lot of distance) but my impression that the 2.0 would feel underpowered evaporated as soon as i warmed it up to speed. What a positive and direct drive and it felt like a 'proper' Jaguar. Let me explain as i am a repentant sinner who viewed these as not a 'real Jaguar' before trying them. I fully understand it when people say it as it is just ignorance. These are great cars and really are bargains if you find the right one. I am proud as punch with it, and so is the wife.

So, the good points:

It makes you feel a bit special sitting in the traffic amongst all the boring white goods or puddle jumpers (in many cases even at 14 years old it could merely be sporting a private plate and not a regular 02 one). It looks so good you just want to go for a drive. Everything feels so tight inside and it could be a car only a couple of years old. But i digress. Looks, drive, style, quietness, and a quality feel. The way the boot and bonnet soft close, the solid thunk of the doors, and those lovely retro style black leather seats with that wood trim dash. Oh, and the green dials that then give a warm and qaulity red glow at night. It really is a great car for cheap money.

The bad points:

I called it Mick but it could have been Clint as it really is a case of "Play Misty for Me" as i have to keep the a/c on or the windscreen mists (i am currently going though all the cures for this but it looks like a stuck air actuator). The cd player is sporadic and only plays certain discs. The headlights are like candles. Absolutely atrocious and dangerous on back roads that you do not know. I am amazed at how poor theyt are. And the mpg is pretty awful as well at around 26 mpg (i do however hustle it along and do a lot of town driving). The speakers sound naff, However...

First cure was fitment of a portable mp3 player through the radio. I can leave the precious cd's at home (listen i have only just replaced vinyl). Also, i have found that by off setting the speakers the sound of them has improved dramatically. From what i recall i have shifted the right balance and front/rear balance and now they are fine (Led Zeppelin, Killing Joke, Hawkwind, and Gary Numan all helping me on the sonic experiments cure).

With a FSH and just 78k miles i hope to have a couple of years enjoyment before getting a slightly newer X Type and then onto an XE. But i really do love my Jag. Just saying 'let's take the Jag...' or 'i have a Jag' (casually dropped into conversations), or toying with it's key in my pocket and the small leaping cat keyring knowing that soon i will be slipping behind the wheel for another blast.

I have attached a photo of it's first post Christmas polish. 

 

 

 

 

[JohnBoyL94]

Hello Mark.

Glad overall you are happy with the X Type. I was impressed when i bought my 2.2D. What people fail to realize is that yes it is a ford engine, but it shares its engine with the Diesel Mondeo ST, needless to say it goes very well for a diesel and i have been to blame for many people going home and scrapping their S3 after being left in a cloud of soot (i was shocked myself).

The X Type is underestimated for what it is. It really is a real Jaguar. The second your in the seat, close the door and total silence from the outside world is immediate. It does not rattle, shake or sound like a tractor. The shape is much similar to the S Type and XK. You can see where they kept the same ideas when designing the shell. It just feels like a Jaguar and i can say this because my dad has owned many!

Oh as for your headlight issue, this is very common with the X type, you might want to take the rear caps off and have a play with the housing, the adjusters normally break and end up aiming your lights to the ground, speaking from experience. I bought a new set of repaired headlights for £150 on eBay, now all is well and i can see again! And with the sound system set the base to 4 and the treble to 6 by using the systems equalizer, i found after much experimenting that this is the perfect settings. If that does not make an improvement then some numpty has probably blown your speakers. 

Anyway enough of my blabbing. Welcome to the X Type club!

[Old Peter]

There are many people who think that the make of the car means that the engine is made by the same company.  When Rolls Royce started to build cars again after WW2 they used a Buick engine for years, in fact until they were sold to BMW. Since then they have been using BMW engines.

Gearboxes in the main now come from ZF and electrics mostly from Bosch.

I am fairly certain that Jaguar will be supplying the engines now being made in Wolverhampton to many car manufacturers over the world.

When Ford bought Jaguar much of the Ford technology was used to great effect.  The Ford Duratorq engine as used in the X Type 2.0 litre Diesel is a fine engine, and the Gemini V6 diesel used in the  S Type and the Freelander was designed by Ford and Peugeot.

What makes a car is the design, the equipment used, the materials used and the way it is put together by the manufacturer.

It would surprise many people if they knew how many different companies, mostly in Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country make the bits that go into a car. I was visiting a Drop Forge in the Black Country some years ago - about 17 - while I was still working, and asked what they were making at the time.  I was told that they were making push rods for the Hillman Hunter - a car that was discontinued in the mid seventies, but still produced in Brazil.

The last Car Manufacturer to produce everything for the Car they made in the UK was Ford of Dagenham, who started off with Iron Ore, Blast furnaces, a foundry for the engine castings, Rolling mills for sheet steel, and metal mechanics and sheet metal workers to use various presses to make and  put the car together.

Iron Ore cam in at one end and a car came out the other.   Now it is specialisation.

Peter.

 

[Vanquishman]

Thanks chaps I love it and have since sorted both my speakers and fogging issues. 

Speakers seem to be okay now i have off set the balance and fade. This has resulted in good sound and so it was worth fiddling about with. No need to do anymore to them now as a result.

Best thing is its no longer a fogger. I brought a wiper arm removal clamp and so have finally been able to take the cowl off. I used some small snips and removed some mesh to get my fingers at the air circulation door. Then i opened it and stuck it in place to the inner roof with heavy duty tape. Popped in a new pollen filter for good measure and now i hardly need aircon at all (let alone the air blower). The windscreen and windows stay crystal clear. The upshot is i can enjoy the car without having to fiddle about and my mpg has gone up by 3mpg combined and i am noticing that at the pumps. Result. 

Next job is sort my wifes mx5 hood and vandal damage by pikey scum to her bonnet but after that its 17" original jag alloys for my car. I dont mind the wheels it has but they would fill the arches better. 

I still find myself going to our kitchen window to look out at my jag and i am so happy with it. As we do when out in the mx5 i always wave to other xtypes but we need to educate some owners into responding. I think these cars will gain appreciation as people cotton on to how good they are and a universal wave shall result. Anyone reading this lets get that happening. 

[pugsleysimon]

Had my X type 3.0 litre awd just over a year now, and I love it. Always been a Jag fan.

took it for MOT end of January and oh my what a shock, failed on a few things,

needed new brake discs and pads on rear, new drop links on front suspension,

but the big shocker was it need welding on front sills on both sides, ok I thought

it's of a certain age and should not be to bad. as photos attached show it was 

a total shock to see how bad they had become. so I urge you to get your cars checked.

£400 to get a welder to put right, but I still love my Jag, that 3.0 Litre Purrr and AWD 

is pure heaven.

the cause of the problem is water gets trapped behind the plastic trim, and cannot escape

fully, so just sits there

[Vanquishman]

That is truely frightening and I am sorry to see what you faced. I must admit i tried the best i could to poke about the sills and underneath of mine at purchase but it's a hidden killer. I would do the same as you and pay to get mine repaired should i ever have to. Once it's been welded and protected then you should get many years no problem. Ironically, i sold a nice Mk2 MX5 to get my Jag and they all have sill issues that can creep up. So i am no stranger to this but sobering photos all the same.