Father to buy X350, hurrah, any pointers?

[cml]

Dear father has decided to treat himself to an XJ and has settled on the X350 with up to £12,000 to spend. Petrol only of course.

Is the 3.0 V6 any good or should you hold out for a V8?

Any major mechanical issues to look for?

Is it easy to change the horrible grill?

Can't wait to test drive it for him

One sour note is the styling, not as sleek and pretty as the X308.

[Jaguar steve]

Have a look on Honest John's (Daily Telegraph) site. There's a comprehensive review of the diseasiel XJ and a overview of the X350 range.

I've been looking for an X350 too and have viewed several and driven 2 3.0 V6 ones, one with 18k miles and the other had done over 60k and still felt nice and tight.

First impressions are that even the V6 feels very agile and quite quick - it's certainly faster mid range than my 3.2 V8 XJ and it's actually hard to believe you are driving such a large car. It feels much more like Mrs JS's GTI. It's not nearly as quiet or smooth though - I thought the V6 was gruff and noisy under hard acceleration. The air suspension has a curious firm but detatched ride quality that takes a bit of getting used to after conventional coils and dampers. I drove my XJ over exactly the same route as soon as I got out of the X350 and I'm not really sure if I like the ride quality at all - one of the cars had 19" wheels and very low profile tyres which won't have helped. Road noise on both cars was much more noticable too. Fit and finish generally looks good except that one of the early cars I've looked at had a rather poor paint (Titanium grey) finish and the external door handles feel a bit flimsy.

I'd certainly have one as a first Jaguar - but so far I'm not convinced forking out the ten grand or more it'll cost me to change is worth it. Must try a V8 on the smallest diameter rims and higher profile tyres 'tho before I decide.

[RW774]

Good car and very good value for money. There have been issues with the elctronic pedal mechanism and electronics in general, usual mechanical stuff , front wheel bearings etc. In essence it is a S type in a different dress.
Heater/ face vents are a problem. The centre face vent can often blow hot on side despite altering the temp control. This is usually due to the plastic heater flaps falling out within the heater box. A days work just to remove it, new heater box is required.

[fatboy b]

I think it's a bit more than an S-Type in a different dress TBH.

[RW774]

it is

[a8hex]

The latest JEC mag has an article on owning an X350

[monthefish]

RW774 said:

In essence it is a S type in a different dress.

eh?

[G_T]

Assuming your father isn't a homosexual I think you should advise him against a V6 of any description.

[RW774]

2.5 or 3.0 V6 is fine man, mainly because the 350 is superlight. It has air suspension, but inner wings, floor pans front uprights and backend are all derived from the S type, which was in its own right, bullet proof.

[fatboy b]

RW774 said:

2.5 or 3.0 V6 is fine man, mainly because the 350 is superlight. It has air suspension, but inner wings, floor pans front uprights and backend are all derived from the S type, which was in its own right, bullet proof.

XJ does not have a 2.5 V6. It's also an aluminium monocoque, so can't see how it's "derived" from the S-Type.

[monthefish]

cml said:

Is it easy to change the horrible grill?

Yes, 2 minute job.

[G_T]

fatboy b said:

RW774 said:

2.5 or 3.0 V6 is fine man, mainly because the 350 is superlight. It has air suspension, but inner wings, floor pans front uprights and backend are all derived from the S type, which was in its own right, bullet proof.

XJ does not have a 2.5 V6. It's also an aluminium monocoque, so can't see how it's "derived" from the S-Type.

Also, S-Type = Lincoln LS chassis, isn't it?

[monthefish]

G_T said:

fatboy b said:

RW774 said:

2.5 or 3.0 V6 is fine man, mainly because the 350 is superlight. It has air suspension, but inner wings, floor pans front uprights and backend are all derived from the S type, which was in its own right, bullet proof.

XJ does not have a 2.5 V6. It's also an aluminium monocoque, so can't see how it's "derived" from the S-Type.

Also, S-Type = Lincoln LS chassis, isn't it?

Largely, yes (or at least it was until significant changes were made to suspension etc for the X202 model)

X350 developed new from ground up (and I'm not aware of much commonality with S-Type at all), so I'm not sure where...

RW774 said:

In essence it is a S type in a different dress

...is coming from, but as his profile says he's a mechanic/director of a firm that deals primarily in Jaguar...

[cardigankid]

There is nothing wrong with the grille, and as has been said the X350 is a terrific car. The 3.0 V6 is fine, and it will be more economical than the equivalent S-Type because it is lighter and more aerodynamic. The suspension lowers automatically at motorway speeds. It is hard to get across what an advanced car this is. It is safe it handles well and it can go.

If I were you I would try to get a V8, though, it will be a much more satisfying experience. Early on there was a 3.5 V8 which was a great drive, and the 4.2 and 4.2R are even better.

I would try to find one that has been pampered, as always.

[a8hex]

monthefish said:

Largely, yes (or at least it was until significant changes were made to suspension etc for the X202 model)

X350 developed new from ground up (and I'm not aware of much commonality with S-Type at all), so I'm not sure where...

RW774 said:

In essence it is a S type in a different dress

...is coming from, but as his profile says he's a mechanic/director of a firm that deals primarily in Jaguar...

I thought the early S-Type was compromised by the need to also be the Lincon, but when Ford decided it was still too expensive to be a Lincon, Jaguar were free to do it properly.

I also thought that the suspension of the X350 was based on the S-type design. Even though it uses air rather than steel springs.

[piquet]

a8hex said:

monthefish said:

Largely, yes (or at least it was until significant changes were made to suspension etc for the X202 model)

X350 developed new from ground up (and I'm not aware of much commonality with S-Type at all), so I'm not sure where...

RW774 said:

In essence it is a S type in a different dress

...is coming from, but as his profile says he's a mechanic/director of a firm that deals primarily in Jaguar...

I thought the early S-Type was compromised by the need to also be the Lincon, but when Ford decided it was still too expensive to be a Lincon, Jaguar were free to do it properly.

I also thought that the suspension of the X350 was based on the S-type design. Even though it uses air rather than steel springs.

It's more then that as all the suspension components are ali rather then steel, hence the bushes problem which i can only assume must affect the new xk as well

[piquet]

cml said:

Dear father has decided to treat himself to an XJ and has settled on the X350 with up to £12,000 to spend. Petrol only of course.

Is the 3.0 V6 any good or should you hold out for a V8?

Any major mechanical issues to look for?

Is it easy to change the horrible grill?

Can't wait to test drive it for him

One sour note is the styling, not as sleek and pretty as the X308.

Personally i prefer the 350 to the 308, but that's why i bought one, i think it looks more like a thug in a dinner jacket

just a thought of options to go for:-

Must get the sat nav as this means you get the touch screen for controlling everything else
I have jaguar voice and never use it
The phone is useful if you spend a lot of time in it, but only if you can find a solution which isn;t swapping sim cards all the time, as this is a pain and you always end up dropping them and loosing under the seat
The xenons are great
In fog haven;t noticed much improvement with the front fog lights
The upgraded stereo is worth having
I'm not that impressed with the heated seats, but my own padding may be the cause if that, the heated steering wheel which comes on with the heated seat, is only nice twice a year when your hands are that cold otherwise it's annoying
Dual climate is useful as who ever sits in the passenger seat is always cold when i'm hot, i've never had the need for quad though
adaptive cruise control is clever but really not necessary, generally i see another car i'm coming up behind and it's pretty unsubtle with the brakes, on the plus side in the event of you just about to have a crash, a red light and tone comes on with the message driver avoid, or something like that, useful so you're distracted from the moment of impact
Powerfold mirrors are useful for squeezing through gaps
The chromatic rear view and side mirrors are great when driving at night
Mine has a sun roof, i can;t help thinking why, you loose head room and is only nice on spring days when the windows are open or to open before you get in on a hot day to let the hot air out
Go for cd over md or tape
I have the rear screens, useful if someone wants to sit naked on the rear seat, i'm struggling to come up with other uses
I've never met anyone with the ski hatch
Heated front screen is great for the winter, best enjoyed while watching other people scrape the frost off
The tv has crap reception
The rear multimedia pack is really only worth it if you're planning long journeys with people in the back
Front and rear parking sensors are a must as it's a big car, especially if you're in a multistory

Mine is too old for the bluetooth option, but i'm told it only works with certain phones or the tire pressure sensors, which probably would have been useful

[cml]

Thanks for that long list!

We went to see one today and had a good look round - 44,000 miles 2004 4.2 with everything on it and two owbers for £14,000 - he loved it! Apart from the colour. Fingers crossed for something similar.

No V6 thank you - V8s sounds economical enough

First chance I've had to get a really good look while it sat next to a X300 shape. It is much taller which spoils the sleek missile look of the X300/308 - still the bext IMHO. Bonnet and boot to stubby and fat, despite the 16'7" length.

Otherwise, woo hoo.

Sad news is that they had my car (same year, model and colour) sold it for £2,000!! Ouch. In better nick than mine too. Sigh.

[RW774]

We see enough here for service and repair, they are based on the S despite what the motoring Press say. Typically with Jaguar many of the components are shared with the older car. Example, the front wheel bearings are the same as the late S , except with a longer ABS lead and a good % dearer.Can you really see a manufacturer with limited funds completely redesigning everything from scratch for the new model ?. That goes against Fords ethos
Still no matter, it is an excellent product so good luck with it

[fatboy b]

RW774 said:

We see enough here for service and repair, they are based on the S despite what the motoring Press say. Typically with Jaguar many of the components are shared with the older car. Example, the front wheel bearings are the same as the late S , except with a longer ABS lead and a good % dearer.Can you really see a manufacturer with limited funds completely redesigning everything from scratch for the new model ?. That goes against Fords ethos
Still no matter, it is an excellent product so good luck with it

Compoment reuse I'd agree. But the bodies are different underneath and share no common panels. Sure there'll be holes that will be in the same place to bolt common stuff to, but thet's as far as it will go. Using your phylosphy you could say the XJ is derived from the Model T .