Help Picking the right Jaguar

[Seeker UK]

I've been looking at a huge variety of cars and have decided that for various reasons (comfort mostly) I'd probably be best of buying a Jaguar. Finance-wise, I have 3 budget ranges:

- £8k (buy outright)
- £13k (buy with HP)
- £20k (buy with a PCP)

In terms of what I want from the car, I want to be able to do 40 miles a day (80% dual carriageway with the rest a mix of 50/60/ b-road and occasional stop/starting) at >35mpg and car must have front / rear sensors, cruise, heated seats (help my back) and premium sound and it would be nice if it had nav and quick clear windscreen.

Looking around, the best bet is either an S-type but finding the right spec is proving tricky so X358 or XF looks like the best bet. So a couple of questions:

1 - Would an XJ8 3.5 give me 35mpg?
2 - Which models of XJ come with the premium sound system?
3 - Is a 2.7 XF better than a 2.7 X358?

Thanks in advance

[Jaguar steve]

Buying a Jaguar - especially an XJ - for comfort may not be a good plan. Firstly the XJ is a very low car and is pretty cramped inside too, it's certainly not the easiest to get in or out of, especially if you're parked on a slope.

Secondly your budget will get you a good aluminium bodied XJ with air suspension - I've found these to offer a acceptable ride quality on most road surfaces, but the ones I've driven seem shockingly bad on poor ones, especially when fitted with larger diameter wheels. The only way to decide if it's the right car for you is a long test drive over varied surfaces and then take your current car over the same route as soon as you can to compare the two vehicles.

You might find a earlier steel sprung XJ more to your liking but finding a good example will be tricky and time consuming.

Jaguar ride quality and comfort is good compared to most cars but IMO not as good as most people expect it to be from it's reputation gained in the 1960s. It's nowhere near the best I've ever experienced either - for that you need to try a Citroen or Renault. I have a Berlingo MPV as a daily driver - that's a much more comfortable ride than my XJ8 offers

As far as fuel consumption goes then with reasonable care you'd expect low 30s MPG from an aluminium bodied car, possibily a bit more on a long trip.

[Seeker UK]

Thanks for the advice Steve.

Re 'comfort', it's the seats more than anything else. I have a bad back and the only cars I've still found that don't cause upper back pain are Volvo and the S-Type. I'm hoping the XJ seats are similar - are all seats the same across the X350s or do some offer more support?

[Jaguar steve]

You'll just have to try some for yourself - what I might consider comfortable will be just the opposite for anybody else.

I'd prefer a very firm and supportive cloth covered seat and compliant suspension if my back was giving me grief. The X350s do have different design seats and different quality of leather through the range, but I find leather is just too slippery for real support no matter how the seat is designed or how you position it. It's OK for wafting about and driving gently but I'm always surprised to see it used on the seats in performance cars.

[cardigankid]

On the Jag diesels you have to be careful of the DPF's. Steve can probably explain the ins and outs of this, and a failure can be expensive. As he says, 18" alloys are big enough. 20"s wreck the ride. I always found the X350 very smooth and relaxing and the 2.7 goes well. I don't think you will get more than 27mpg from any Jag petrol engine but you will certainly get 35 plus in the diesel. S- Type is also a great car, but feels heavy compared with the Ali XJ. Get an S Type Sport model as the seats are terrific.

[Seeker UK]

cardigankid said:

On the Jag diesels you have to be careful of the DPF's.

The fact I do 40 miles per day should mean that DPFs shouldn't be a problem?

[Domf]

Not trying to spend your money, but there are now a large number of XF 59,10 plate luxury and premium luxury 3 litres diesels for sale between £15-20k through Jaguar dealers, the 3 litre is more economical than the 2.7 and is a lower road tax due to reduced c02 emissions. With the plate change due in a couple of weeks, a lot of 3 litre diesels will be coming off 3 year lease and be coming into dealerships offering you more choice. These will be 1 owner could be any mileage but if they've done 30-40k in first 3 years wouldn't expect DPF problems if a lot of the mileage has been motorway. Since the launch of the 2.2 XF, the number of late registered 3.0's has gone down dramatically, as many XF's are company cars, the 2.2 is the tax and green option.

[Seeker UK]

Domf said:

Not trying to spend your money, but there are now a large number of XF 59,10 plate luxury and premium luxury 3 litres diesels for sale between £15-20k through Jaguar dealers, the 3 litre is more economical than the 2.7 and is a lower road tax due to reduced c02 emissions. With the plate change due in a couple of weeks, a lot of 3 litre diesels will be coming off 3 year lease and be coming into dealerships offering you more choice. These will be 1 owner could be any mileage but if they've done 30-40k in first 3 years wouldn't expect DPF problems if a lot of the mileage has been motorway. Since the launch of the 2.2 XF, the number of late registered 3.0's has gone down dramatically, as many XF's are company cars, the 2.2 is the tax and green option.

A bit of revised thinking suggests that this might be the way to.

I might have a better chance of swinging an XF around the multi-storey.

[ShyTallKnight]

If you opt for an XF then try and get a drive in one with the JaguarSport Interior. I also suffer from back problems and find the Jag Sport seats much better than the std ones. Incidentally I've just paid not much more than your upper budget for a 2010 3.0D S Portfolio with 33k miles incl the aforementioned interior and rear parking camera (also a must imho) from a Jag main dealer.

[P700DEE]

Buy a 4.2 S type for about £3-4K. Use the money saved on the extra petrol (you will average upper 20s). Do the maths by all means but petrol is still less expensive and so apparantly are service costs.

[Fat Albert]

Also look at 5 year straight finance compared to a 3 year PCP, the interest rates are more favourable and you can legally just hand the car back when you have paid over half with no credit history penalty.

We did that with My Wife's 7 series, we bought it at 2 years/20k miles (and £35k off list!) and then after 2 3/4 years we just handed it back with 100k on the clock, it was worth far less than we owed for the car and about to cost us a load of money. The interest was less than the depreciation!! (The car has to be in good condition with service history intact, etc, etc)

[Seeker UK]

P700DEE said:

Buy a 4.2 S type for about £3-4K. Use the money saved on the extra petrol (you will average upper 20s). Do the maths by all means but petrol is still less expensive and so apparantly are service costs.

Hmm a 4.2 with no finance is about £100 a month cheaper than a 2.7TD with finance....

[roofer]

Recently bought an XF S 3.0D. 28MPG and seats are not as good as BMW Sports seats. Its on 20's and the ride is fine.

[Seeker UK]

roofer said:

Recently bought an XF S 3.0D. 28MPG and seats are not as good as BMW Sports seats. Its on 20's and the ride is fine.

28mpg is pretty poor for a diesel.

[LFB531]

I've just bought my second S type, the first was a 4.2, this latest one an R. For the money, incredible cars. The used prices easily offset a bit more on fuel especially if you're not doing loads of miles, maintenance is not harsh on the pocket and no nasty diesel tech to go wrong.

£5k puts you in 400bhp land with predictable maintenance over three years by which time you'll have a car that may have 115,000 on the clock, not a lot for these engines and it'll still be worth something as a bonus! Works for me and I don't owe a bean on it!

Edited by LFB531 on Tuesday 13th August 22:57

[pete5570]

Now that is stunning!!!!
These cars are unbelievable value now. A 4.2 n/a or one of these is a great choice if you plan on buying outright. Loads of kit and very comfortable.

[LFB531]

Thanks Pete. I agree over the n/a 4.2. I only swapped because I fancied a change after 3+ years and the Supercharger itch needed scratching. I put 40,000 miles on mine and it rates as one of the best cars I've ever owned. Properly comfortable and a delight to drive in any conditions (apart from snow!). The R is a lot harder in comparison in ride terms and I'm not convinced the seats are as comfortable albeit they fit a lot better.

I could also manage over 30mpg on the motorway in it at legal speeds with an average tank seeing around the 22/23mpg which includes plenty of town work.

[pete5570]

I have to say, I do keep looking at the S types for sale and the prices make them a serious bargain. Loads of late models with plenty of kit. If I was spending my own money and covering around 8k a year, this is where I'd be looking.

[Seeker UK]

pete5570 said:

I have to say, I do keep looking at the S types for sale and the prices make them a serious bargain. Loads of late models with plenty of kit. If I was spending my own money and covering around 8k a year, this is where I'd be looking.

I would happily go for another S type but finding one with the spec I want - a sport with Nav, Premium Audio and Heated Front Screen / Seats is tricky.

[pete5570]

We looked earlier this year and found one or two 3 litres with the touch screen nav all the toys in sport trim, but in 4.2se were mostly fully loaded. The wife plumped for a Land rover in the end, so I'll be looking next year.