NO!! Please no!
Discussion
I'm horrified to see today's rendered drawing of the imminent new XK diesel.
PLEASE reassure me that it won't look like this:
Thanks to the whistleblower: http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?AR=...
PLEASE reassure me that it won't look like this:
Thanks to the whistleblower: http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?AR=...
This is Autocars' rendering - probably a picture drawn up by Jaguar to gather opinion before the XK replacement is signed off.
Would not want one but XK diesel will make sense financially to customers and Jaguar - BMW sell 6 series diesel sells way more than petrols. The JLR V8 or TDV6 are great engines and would suit the leaping cat very well.
Would not want one but XK diesel will make sense financially to customers and Jaguar - BMW sell 6 series diesel sells way more than petrols. The JLR V8 or TDV6 are great engines and would suit the leaping cat very well.
I don't mind the grille but the rest of it reminds me of TVR in their terminal years - namely that the more slots, dinks and weird bits you put in it, the better it must be...
At this point Jaguar would be better off looking to their splendid hertiage and remembering that Jaguars are about sleek, flowing classic lines - not some kooky invention from a 20-something trying to cram in as many gimmicks as possible (but with a Jag badge on the front). Bill Lyons and Malcolm Sayer may have gone but where's Ian Callum when you need him?
At this point Jaguar would be better off looking to their splendid hertiage and remembering that Jaguars are about sleek, flowing classic lines - not some kooky invention from a 20-something trying to cram in as many gimmicks as possible (but with a Jag badge on the front). Bill Lyons and Malcolm Sayer may have gone but where's Ian Callum when you need him?
There are two stories here rolled into one in the article so I will address them specifically.
The claimed 'new look' is not just for the diesel - it's for the whole range. Autocar's images of future cars are often fairly speculative. They are always based on something they have heard but often they fill in the gaps and guess what the impact would be on the design - and the effect might be rather exaggerated. They've heard it will have a different grille (which is not news because it's been mentioned before), so they've simply slapped on the biggest one that will physically fit. Autocar say the car will feature all new sheetmetal - but their rendering is clearly the current car with a couple of changes. So in order to add something else to the picture so it's not just "look we've drawn a current XK with a monster grille" they have revised the existing styling feature behind the front wheel arch to make it more dramatic and extend it down the side of the car. That doesn't mean it will actually happen. I think I will have to reserve opinion for when there's actually something to look at that's not just a speculative guess.
A diesel will happen for sure. Whether or not it really will be a 3.0, or they might use a version of LR's V8 diesel, or both, is more of a question. I'm not totally against the idea if it broadens the market for the XK and ensures it survives long term in a world with ever rising fuel prices. Nearly every new BMW 6 series I see nowadays is a 635D. You can see the appeal of close to 40 MPG compared to around 20 for people who do higher than average mileage.
Imagine for a minute that the 6 series wasn't a fugly pig with a poor ride, dull interior and rock hard seats. Imagine instead it was a thing of beauty, which effortlessly combined comfort, handling and performance. Maybe it would sell really well. That sounds a bit like what an XK with a good diesel engine might be.
The claimed 'new look' is not just for the diesel - it's for the whole range. Autocar's images of future cars are often fairly speculative. They are always based on something they have heard but often they fill in the gaps and guess what the impact would be on the design - and the effect might be rather exaggerated. They've heard it will have a different grille (which is not news because it's been mentioned before), so they've simply slapped on the biggest one that will physically fit. Autocar say the car will feature all new sheetmetal - but their rendering is clearly the current car with a couple of changes. So in order to add something else to the picture so it's not just "look we've drawn a current XK with a monster grille" they have revised the existing styling feature behind the front wheel arch to make it more dramatic and extend it down the side of the car. That doesn't mean it will actually happen. I think I will have to reserve opinion for when there's actually something to look at that's not just a speculative guess.
A diesel will happen for sure. Whether or not it really will be a 3.0, or they might use a version of LR's V8 diesel, or both, is more of a question. I'm not totally against the idea if it broadens the market for the XK and ensures it survives long term in a world with ever rising fuel prices. Nearly every new BMW 6 series I see nowadays is a 635D. You can see the appeal of close to 40 MPG compared to around 20 for people who do higher than average mileage.
Imagine for a minute that the 6 series wasn't a fugly pig with a poor ride, dull interior and rock hard seats. Imagine instead it was a thing of beauty, which effortlessly combined comfort, handling and performance. Maybe it would sell really well. That sounds a bit like what an XK with a good diesel engine might be.
Don't see what the problem is with the XK diesel. As said above it opens the market up for them and, in the end, probably makes the petrol ones cheaper through economies of scale. As long as it's an extra engine, and not a replacement for a petrol I don't mind. I have thought for a while the XK need a new, smaller engine. The base, slowest model has 400bhp!
[quote=steve-p]A diesel will happen for sure. Whether or not it really will be a 3.0, or they might use a version of LR's V8 diesel, or both, is more of a question. I'm not totally against the idea if it broadens the market for the XK and ensures it survives long term in a world with ever rising fuel prices. Nearly every new BMW 6 series I see nowadays is a 635D. You can see the appeal of close to 40 MPG compared to around 20 for people who do higher than average mileage.
quote]
According to the article, it will return about 30 mpg but 0 -60 mph in under 5 secs MUST even appeal to the anti diesel brigade!
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According to the article, it will return about 30 mpg but 0 -60 mph in under 5 secs MUST even appeal to the anti diesel brigade!
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