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MG ZR ZS ZT Technical - Disappointing Jags

The French Auto magazines give very poor performance ratings to the entry level Jags
ie the 2 litre X Type and the 2.5 litre S Type-in fact the 2.8 Skoda Superb beats them & several other
main contenders in that category.
MGR should be able to profit from these weaknesses with the ZT 190 & the future ZT 280- but am personally not very confident that they will.
andrew

Entry level Jags have never ever been 'fast' but by god compared to most of the similar priced cars they are 'sumptous' - that is what it is about, comfort over long distances.

In days gone by I put up with the 'not so reliable' bit for that comfort, to be able to spend a day driving 500 miles and feel fresh at the end - that is what a Jag is about.

Now they are also extremely well screwed together and are reliable - if I had to return to my 100,000 miles a year driving then another Jag would be my car - that is what a Jag is about.

Ted
Ted Newman

I am a big fan of the X-type - as it is available here, and fits my needs better than any other Jag (or other luxury car).

The 2.8L Suberb, though, shows what you can do with a longer wheel base Passat and a larger engine unencumbered with heavy all wheel drive componentry. Which would make it roomier and faster than the 2.5L X-type. Don't know about the 3.0L Jag - but if the UK pricing policy is anything like the US, than the 3.0 Jag would be a ton more expensive than the Skoda.

If it were available here, the Suberb would certainly be worth a look. Of course, the first choice would still be a ZT-T, pending "local" availability.
John Z

See MG Car Co thread 'Ford to market Jaguar to gay consumers'....................
David Beckham

Isn't the X-type a badge engineered Mondeo? It certainly shares a great deal of components with the Ford Mundane.

Ralph
Ralph

It's pretty much the Mondeo platform, which I hate to say would colour my attitude ot ever buying one. I don't know - perhaps I'm a badge snob - big Ford's just switch me off...

The early Fiestas were a hoot, though - cheap, fast and *light*.
David Bainbridge

And whats wrong with platform engineering? Whilst the X type does share many components, and is based on the Mondeo platform, the latest Mondeo is a good platform to start with.
Remember - Old Saab 9-3 was based on the 1988 Cavalier platform.
Saab 9-5 based on a stretched Vectra platform. Most VAG cars -Audis, VWs Skodas & Seats share common platforms. The Rover 800 was based on the Honda Legend platform, Volvos V40 and Mitsubushi Carisma shared the same platform, and so on etc. etc.

For relatively low volume cars like the X type it is the only economic solution.
Adrian

Adrian,

I think your post succinctly identifies why platform sharing is so bad!

Cheers

Patrick
Patrick Beet

>>>>And whats wrong with platform engineering?

Oh, I'm sure it makes a lot of sense. I just have a sort of illogical aversion to anything Mondeo. I'm sure they're great cars etc etc.

And obviously I wish Jaguar well - so they can keep on making the gorgeous XK's!
David Bainbridge

Nothing wrong with the new '04 XJ. The report states that the optioned out models are faster than a BMW M5 and a 745. The car seems inovative and solid.

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&loc_code=index&content_code=09159345

The only thing I don't like about the baby x-type is that, here in the U.S., the car is significantly overpriced compared to its competitors. Jaguar forces the buyer to add on large option packages, even if the buyer wants fewer options. The car goes from $35k to $46K very quickly.
Art DiLello

Performance of a Z may be that(or better) of the Jag, but I don't see a potential buyer of Jag even considering the MG or Skoda, whatever have marks the French Auto mags give it..

Do many French by Jags anyway?
Anyoe with sales figures for MGR in France?
Kelvin

French sales for the 11 months from ccfa.fr are:
MGR 6,600
Jaguar 2,200


Agree with Kelvin that a Jag enthousiast will not look at the others but new entrants looking for a
sporting,comfortable car will.To some,the brand name is not even important eg the sporting Seat owners
even in the UK!
andrew

And yet...

The French build so many wonderful luxury cars.

The Safrane, the R25, the Vel Satis.

Let's be reminded that the French invented chauvinism.
And they invented it to be chauvinistic toward the British.

JH Gillson

This thread was discussed between 17/12/2002 and 22/12/2002

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