ThomasM
[PuristS]
14331
Interesting opinions and metaphors. I'm not sure I agree with all, but I do agree about
but I do agree with your conclusions about modern Jags - I want to love them, given their paper specs, beautiful lines (well, most; the new XJ is an abomination, in my humble opinion, even if a great use of space) and storied history. Along with new reputation for reliability and build quality.
But driving more than a few, for more than a few miles, I have consistently come back disappointed. Lack of "plantedness" even compared to sedans and GT's like AMGE63, CL65, BMW E39 540, current 4xx, Porsche Panamera, even (gasp!) Cayenne SUV, have left me scratching my head.
Thanks for the interesting read.
TM
An Opinion About Modern Jaguar Cars. Restaurant and car analogies within...
I'll call it my opinion. Not sure if I'm a full expert, so I won't say "expert opinion" but hopefully a valuable opinion. Jaguars are good cars, but like a one Michelin star restaurant, it's just that. A good restaurant. Two Michelin Stars equate to a goo...
It's true the XKR-S is tail happy, with 550hp on the rear.
The analogy is very appropriate. It will come to expectation and individual satisfaction. Many times, we are more forgiving because of what we put in, where we are. In a 2 to 3 star restaurant, the consumer expectation will be much higher, but sometimes w...
The problem isn't tail happiness, it's lack of stability...
The overall mechanical grip the car has is just not high enough on the XKR and XKR-S. You can be taking a normal drive and pushing it in the corners would just be potentially dangerous (the car may go into a spin) in the XKR/XKR-S and at the same speed it...
Funny world...time for Naoh's ark or Laughing Buddha to claim our sins?
Human beings are such complex animals and there's always room for anyone, as in the Chinese saying, "Above everyone's head is a piece blue sky". Only time will tell, and only the best and strongest will survive...if I can live long enough to see it. Diffe...
But I don't drive an...
But Raymond... I don't drive a 12 cylinder Aston on a daily basis. I drive a four door gas guzzler but it doesn't have an entirely handmade interior with stitched leather on nearly every surface. For style, the Jaguar is definitely a good looking car! But...
You have to keep in mind that a Jaguar, even R is a GT, not a sports car.
It cannot behave like a Sportscar. You can drive fast for long trips, but you'd better avoid small and curved mountain roads. For that, you have the BMW M3... ;) Best, Amigo. Nicolas
But Mon Ami...
But Nico, the BMW M3/M4 I was referring to is also a GT car... Think about it this way. The BMW M3/M4 has two doors, seats four comfortably, and has a big boot for luggage. It is a true GT car, it's just not sold nor marketed as one. Need more proof? The ...
Funny, I would not have classified the M3 as a GT.
It is more violent, less comfortable, in my book, than a Jaguar... A Jag with 300 HP is a maximum for me. Funny how we see things... Best, Nicolas
Let's say BMW 428i/435i?
Let's say the BMW 428i or 435i. M3/M4 may be a bit stiffly sprung. Not that the Jaguar isn't. The 428i is just as fast as the Jaguar XKR (almost as fast in the 0-100 kph sprint), bigger trunk, seats four more comfortably than the XKR, and drives/handles/b...
Agreed on the 428 / 435. But I see the M3 in a different league.
Put a compressor in a M3 and you have 600 HP! :) But I have enough fun with an original E 36. Best, Nicolas
M3
I have a friend who owns a E46 M3 with the straight six .... pumping out 700 + :-) ... well it pumped out 700 + until it blew. He's now driving around in a Peugeot 206 while repairing the engine ... taking it towards 800 hp :-) .... you don't want to be h...
700 HP?
Is the reason why the engine and transmission are blowing up is probably because the car's components simply can't cope with the power? Keep in mind, the E46 M3 came with 333-343 horsepower in most countries. 700 would be double that.
Bear in mind ..
.. he made some minor adjustments ;-) Valves, Pistons, conrods, crankshaft, clutch just to name a few ... then there's the air-intake, compressor, exhaust, motormanagement ... we're probably at 25% here :-) Basically i think all that's left original is th...
If he's a nutter...
Filip, my friend, you're already on the extreme side. If someone on the extreme side calls someone else a nutter, I have no idea how crazy this guy is. But 700+ hp in an E46 BMW M3 is probably a good indication! How can you drive something with 0 wheels? ...
In some extreme cases ...
.. one can choose the amount of wheels that will stay on the tarmac :-). With a bike in normal conditions you've got two wheels on the ground, most bikers can wheelie (not my cup of tea though) so they're riding on one wheel ... . Sometimes you go that fa...
Right...
After I saw what it meant to be driving with 3 wheels, I immediately knew what you meant with zero wheel driving. Another 20 seconds later, my suspicions were confirmed!
I could not agree more...
...many thanks for the car/restaurant analogy. Long live the freedom of choice our modern world has to offer. I did Blumenthal once and will never go back (luckily someone else paid the bill). I prefer the Four Seasons Grill in Hamburg, the dining rooms (...
Thank you for responding!
Thank you for responding to the strange post about cars and food. Do you travel to London a lot or live in London? Sometimes too many choices gets confusing too. For two years, I had the same thing for lunch nearly every day, a turkey club sandwich. It wa...
My wife wanted a F-Type R Coupe
She choose a car that was fully loaded and I mean fully loaded. I went to take a look and was shocked with one little thing. Do you see the issue it? A FAKE carbon fiber console. Why imitation? I would rather see just about anything else with options to u...
The F Type is a nice car...
But it's not a true driver's car. Don't take any clover-leaf onramps too quickly, or else the rear tires may start to get loose. And definitely not for someone who knows what real carbon fiber looks like. What was Plan B? I have to say, at least Mercedes-...
Interesting opinions and metaphors. I'm not sure I agree with all, but I do agree about
but I do agree with your conclusions about modern Jags - I want to love them, given their paper specs, beautiful lines (well, most; the new XJ is an abomination, in my humble opinion, even if a great use of space) and storied history. Along with new reput...
We offer our love...
We offer our love to Jaguar... But Jaguar doesn't have to take our love... The cars you listed have all been amazing vehicles, some of the most amazing vehicles to come out of Germany. Germany is a country where driving is taken extremely seriously and hi...
I like the analogies ...
... kinda what i'm thinking too. In my own personal experience i've always found Jaguars to be cruisers .. not even true GT-cars :-) ... beautiful, distinctive (especially pre 2000 models) and fast enough (in a straight line). I have driven and experience...
At least your Dom Perignon bottle has something in it!
Because my Dom Perignon bottle is empty! And if I were to refill it with something, it'd probably be beer at this point, because the only thing chilled and bubbly is the non-alcoholic beer in the house. Jaguars are not the most sporty. But THERE IS someth...