Jaguar XF gets “Car of the Year” award. I’m disappointed
What Car have named the new Jaguar XF the Car of the Year 2008. What a disappointment.
Why am I disappointed? Well when Jaguar announced the C-XF Concept in early 2007 it was met with universal acclaim. Everybody (including me) loved it. It was fresh, modern looking and just damned cool. Here’s some pics so you can see for yourself:
Notice the bulging wheel arches, huge chrome wheels, “invisible” door handles, high waistline and menacing headlights. It’s a really striking car, and just what Jaguar needed to shake off their “old man” image.
So where did it go wrong? I know that production cars are always toned down from their concept versions but come on! At the time Jaguar promised us that the car wouldn’t change too much from the concept. So how come we ended up with this dumpy lumpy overweight cross between a VW Passat and a Ford Mondeo?
Maybe I’m just saddened that Jaguar have gone all “safe” when we were promised such great things from the C-XF concept. I saw the XF the other day in the metal and I swear it looks like an (old style) Mondeo. So does the 2008 Jaguar XF really deserve the Car of the Year award? Is it me or is it just D-U-L-L?
What I’m listening to right now: Missy Elliot - “Ching A Ling”
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 at 10:45 am and is filed under Cars. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Welcome to my blog. My name is Kieron Donoghue and I run UK Offer Media Ltd. I thought it would be fun to post a daily (well hopefully daily) blog, writing about my experiences in Internet Marketing and more specifically Affiliate Marketing. I'll include some personal stuff too, probably about my other passions, music and cars. Please feel free to post your comments and thoughts too.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:42 am
I definitely have to agree with you Kieron. Big let down from the concept. Big let down!
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
But it’s always the same. We get so excited about concept cars and they never look as good. Shame cos that Jag is beautiful.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Such a shame, especially when all it needs is a few tweeks to the modelling, nothing expensive.
I think it looks like my Audi A4, somewhere between the new and old model.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Spot on Kieron.
It’s an absolute disgrace.
I just hope the new Mitsi Evo looks as good as the Concept X car
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Doesn’t Ford own Jaguar anyway? I’m not surprised the concept ended up looking like a Mondeo. They chasis is probably the same!
January 22nd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Heaven help us if Tata by Jaguar then!
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I don’t think the XF is that bad, it’s just that the concept was so beautiful that it feels such a let down. Compare it to the s-type and it looks much better.
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Yep you’re being picky
Its a nice car and will hopefully turn the tide for Jag…
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Couldn’t agree with you more, Kieron.
I think it still looks nice but not a patch on the concept - how annoying is it when the ‘bean counters’ get involved!!
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:21 am
I agree, the concept is way hotter, it drives me nuts that manufacturers do this. Just look at the Infiniti Coupe Concept: http://www.automoblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/Inifniti_Coupe_Concept.jpg
And they eventually produced the G37: http://www.automoblog.net/2007/03/24/infiniti-g37-coupe/
What a let-down
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
Rich/Martin - It looks great compared to the similiar looking Mondeo but that’s not the point. It’s competing against Aston Martin and whilst the concept car (imo) looks better than the DB9, the production car doesn’t. Would you really shell out £70k-£80k for the shiny Ford-Look-a-Like?
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
It IS a Mondeo under all that. Shame about the looks, but the new Mondeo is supposed to be a very good car. Top Gear even (reluctantly) gave it the car of the year award.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:53 am
Wow, that’s shocking! At least Audi seem to get their concept cars on the road eventually. I’m still waiting on the Audi Avus though, the R8 is close, but no cigar.
January 26th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Oh?? is this the car of the year???
January 27th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
No, not a Mondeo (The Jag x-type is built on the Mondeo chesis). It does used the S-Type chasis though, which although some disliked the looks of the car, was (is) a good base for the XF.
The designer has both work for Aston Martin and Bentley, which does explain the look of the car.
I have sat in one, It ain’t no Mondeo.
January 27th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Rich - agreed it is 100 times better than the old S Type.
Gadget - the XF isn’t pitched against the Aston Martin but large execs like the BMW 5 series. Prices start at about £35k, certainly not Aston prices.
Manslipper - yes the interior is much better than a Mondeo. But the exterior isn’t. And that’s unfortunate.
January 27th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Kieron - Whilst I agree there is a Mondeoesque element (shades of Lexus too) the lines, curves and overall presence is not as ‘blocky’ as the Mondeo. The direct front and rear aspects are more akin to Bentley and Aston respectively.
…..and I am a bit biased, I have an order in, subject to test drive.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
The concept car looks great and reminds me of Bugatti and Aston Martin but the final version is like you suggest, more like a Mondeo.
The back view is not so bad as long as it is relatively cheap but I don’t like the front view. It’s too curved in I think.
January 29th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I think it’s OK. There is certainly a difference between the production car and the concept car. I’d probably put my money on the Mondeo though. You would be kicking yourself if you bought it and every morning looked out the window and thought ‘It’s a Mondeo’.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Is it me or is the new XF a Mondeo with sleeker lines. I put money on it that it’s the same chassis and even body with subtle differences. Don’t get me wrong I do like the new XF, though what a car the concept would have been!!
March 10th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Good heavens, how many of you lot are actually likely to drive one of these things? I agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, but surely only the terminally myopic can think that it looks like a Mondeo, still less an Audi.
I’m a long term Saab driver, but the XF knocks me out for looks, for stunning interior, and for a wonderful drive, so there’s one in Coventry with my name on it - anyone want a 55 plate 9-5 Aero?
October 26th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Obviously a BMW 5series driver, doesn’t like being knocked off the top by a newcommer which is well worthy of being COTY. Look at the twelve awards that it has won in less than a year…
October 26th, 2008 at 10:25 am
XFman - did you read my post? I was and still am massively disappointed at the production XF when compared to the concept. I just think it’s a dull dull frumpy car. And who is a BMW X5 driver?? certainly not me, lol!