click above image to view a few more shots of the first Jaguar XF
Is today the dawn of a new era for Jaguar or just another 24 hours of circling the drain? The very first Jaguar XF sedan rolled off of the production line today at the company's Castle Bromwich plant in jolly old England, so what happens next is anyone's guess. The car is a Vapour Grey 4.2L V8 SV8 model (that's the supercharged one) and surprisingly will not be sold to the public. Despite Jaguar desperately needing the profit from every car sold, the first one is being donated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection. The rest will go on sale next March in 66 markets, including the U.S. where interest in the new cat is high, at least for a Jaguar. That's a bit unfair, as the XK and XKR are gems that garner quite a bit of praise, from us included. Nevertheless, until Jaguar starts delivering the XF, we can't say whether it follows in the footsteps of the forgettable S-Type it's replacing or aspires to be the four-door version of Jaguar's wonderful coupe.
[Source: Jaguar]
PRESS RELEASE:
JAGUAR's FIRST XF ROLLS OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE
Castle Bromwich, West Midlands, 26 November 2007 – Today marked the beginning of an exciting new era for Jaguar Cars as the first Jaguar XF rolled off the production line at the company's Castle Bromwich plant.
The XF, which is available to order now, has already been heralded by some of the UK's most influential motoring publications for its stunning new design language, winning Autocar magazine's 'Design of the Year' award and the 'Interior of the Year Award 2007' from CAR magazine.
The first production car, a Vapour Grey 4.2 litre SV8 has been donated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection and will go on display alongside some of Jaguar's most prestigious and memorable vehicles ranging from the oldest surviving Daimler, the 1897 Grafton Phaeton to the stunning 1974 E-Type – the last ever built.
More than 500 employees from the plant gathered to watch Sir William Lyons' grandson, Michael Quinn, drive the car off the end of the Trim and Final production line. He said: "My Grandfather would have been immensely proud today. The new XF is a car that truly represents the core values which have lain at the heart of this great brand since its foundation in 1922 and I am thrilled to have been asked here today to witness this historic event from the best seat in the house!"
Jaguar has invested significantly in the new facility at the Castle Bromwich plant to ensure that the new XF is built to even higher standards than the S-TYPE – a car that was widely recognised for its excellent build quality and performance. Commenting on the introduction of this new model, Richard Else, Operations Director at Castle Bromwich, said: "Today is a significant milestone for Jaguar and a very proud moment for the Castle Bromwich team who have worked tirelessly to ensure this car delivers the highest levels of quality and refinement customers have come to expect from Jaguar."
The Jaguar XF will be exported from Castle Bromwich to 66 markets worldwide with the first UK customers taking delivery of their cars in March next year. The range starts with the Luxury 2.7 litre diesel at £33,900 rising to £54,900 for the 4.2 litre Supercharged 'SV8'.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mudzipper @ Nov 26th 2007 2:02PM
the headlights of this car remind me of a chevy impala for some reason. they really butchered the concept in my opinion
James @ Nov 26th 2007 2:12PM
what a beutiiful car period. after jaguar is sold to an indian company I dont think we will see cars like this in the future.
Ten Gears http://www.tengears.com
Craig @ Nov 26th 2007 2:26PM
The new headlights make this car look like a Buick. They should have stuck with something similar to the concept's.
VP @ Nov 26th 2007 3:28PM
@James,
Yeah because the Indians are a bunch of bozos from the stone age right? So Jaguar i guess in awesome condition in the hands of superhuman Americans? Another know-it-all who has never left the US shores, but wants to "Educate" us about the rest of the world!!
ALEXDB9 @ Nov 26th 2007 4:12PM
C'mon guys, I like it. Many of you trashed the XK when it came out( taurus this, taurus that), then loved it when you actually looked at it with your own eyes. I like Jag, it's no AM, but they will survive.
Zane @ Nov 26th 2007 2:03PM
Is today the dawn of a new era for Jaguar or just another 24 hours of circling the drain?
My heart wants the former but my brain says the latter. The production model just doesn't seem to evoke that sense of passion that seems to be an inherent quality in every Jag or Aston.
Tom Fjord @ Nov 26th 2007 3:49PM
I agree. It's not the amazing styling success that it needed to be. It's not bad, but people just don't seem to be feeling it.
Tool @ Nov 26th 2007 2:04PM
The conventional wisdom--at least at Jaguar--is that the XF is going to be the miracle cure to turn the marque around. I'm not so sure that it will live up to those high expectations.
It's a really well executed vehicle (with the exception of the headlights, which they screwed up from the concept car) but I'm not sure that BMW, Lexus and Mercedes owners are going to make the switch.
John R @ Nov 26th 2007 2:13PM
"Yay! We made a Jaguar Intrepid!"
Alex @ Nov 26th 2007 2:16PM
i'm keeping my fingers crossed for the big cat.
NYCbloke @ Nov 26th 2007 2:21PM
It’s amazing how the intrusion of the top of the circular headlamp into the hood changes the look of the car. Cover it in the photos and the front end looks down right menacing. Leave it as is and it just looks goofy. What were they thinking!
GENERALMOTORSMAN4LIFE @ Nov 26th 2007 2:29PM
Ford is now done with Jag-This vehicle looks like there was absolutely no thought process behind it-They need to sell Jag to a British Equity firm that can restore it's prestige and true classy design. This vehicle looks like the FWD Mercury Cougar and their going to ask $60-75,000 for this?-be for real!
k.w.a @ Nov 26th 2007 2:31PM
not the biggest fan of the headlights...or the car in general.. however i like jaguar so i wish them luck
Alex @ Nov 26th 2007 2:32PM
...
Jagexus XF-300
...
British_Rover @ Nov 26th 2007 2:53PM
They had to change the headlights from the concept. Do you know how I know this? Our service rep who does Jags and Land Rovers asked the designers about that during their initial introduction to the XF.
The original plan was to use the exact same headlight design on the production car as the concept used. While they were doing the initial production design and testing they ran across a problem. Those thin cats eye headlights built up too much heat. Those bi-xenon bulbs burn very, very hot. They tried keeping the shape of the lens the same and using larger heat sinks and tried slightly modifying the shape of the lens but it didn't work.
The lens would eventually start to get so hot that it would melt and distort and in the most severe circumstances it would catch fire. They had to increase the size of the lens in order to vent all the heat.
There are certain things you can do with a concept car that you just can't do with a production vehicle and I accept that. The headlights are the only thing I think they missed on the XF and I can live with them.
madgamer @ Nov 26th 2007 3:07PM
Great info. It makes you wish LED technology was just a bit farther along and cheaper so that they could have done the lighting that way and kept the concept housing shape or something.
Val @ Nov 26th 2007 6:21PM
Ok, that makes sense, but if you look at the current Alfa Romeo 159 and Mazda 6 you will notice that they have much smaller headlights, althoug they both have 3 pieces, and this one has 2. The Lamorghinis also have pretty small headlights. They could have used some active cooling if they wanted to keep the high-itensity lamps. or found some other soulution. Thats where research comes in. I have the feeling that they just wanted to save the money and probably use something already available. And this decison cost them the design of the whole car. The rims also look pretty bland, but you can easily change them. Other manufacturers would have gone the extra mile to make sure the car looks as good as they said it would, too bad really.
ProSourced @ Nov 26th 2007 2:55PM
Why does this new Jags snout look eerily similar to an old 97 Hyundai sonata? Can't be a good thing when that is selling for 3x the price.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:95-98_Hyundai_Sonata.jpg
futurama @ Nov 26th 2007 3:00PM
Although I do agree with the unfortunate headlight, to appreciate the gorgeous nature of this car, you really have to experience this car by looking, touching, and feeling it in person, not just thought the images on computer screen. the rear end of XF is simply beautiful with nice surface volume and graphics.
also, once you sit inside, you can see how much focus were given to attention-to-detail. everything you see, touch feels expensive and well thought out. the touch on/off overhead map lighting, touch open glovebox compartment (they even calculated the accidental touching, so it only opens when intended), rising shifter selector, and motorized vents opening are among many that will 'wow' potential customers.
hopefully, their marketing effort will match the exceptional quality of the car.
futurama @ Nov 26th 2007 3:01PM
not just 'through'