Jag S-Type - first hand experiences?

[twosmoke300]

I reckon I could cope with canbus tbh 😄

The 70's fiat levels of rot on the other hand

[garethj]

I looked at a few when buying ours and rust wasn't an issue as I remember.  The ones I was looking at were about 7-8 years old, we kept ours until it was 11 years old and the underside had nothing more than dirt on it.

 

I'm sure there are rusty ones around, they sold loads so there's bound to be plenty of duff ones around.  I spoke to an independent specialist before choosing our car and he said that diesels were capable of giving big bills.  We got a 3 litre petrol and it was fine, but a quick google search shows that people have had problems with that engine too.

[Pete-M]

I reckon I could cope with canbus tbh 😄

The 70's fiat levels of rot on the other hand

My '99 Mercedes has Canbus. It still appears to do exactly as it was designed to. I imagine Jaguar are equally capable of making Canbus work.

[SiC]

CAN bus is pretty simple and straight forward tbh. You can see the data and decode it by eye using a cheap oscilloscope. Wait till Flexray or Ethernet becomes more mainstream (already in big use on BMWs)...!

[AnthonyG]

The early ones had horrible interiors, like a Hyundai designer had been asked to do a 'classic British dashboard' and shown a pic of a Vanden Plas Maestro interior as a starting point. They were mildly externally facelifted about 2002 and a much better dashboard was included as part of this.

 

Like all Jags, evidence of caring ownership is a definite plus. The V8 R version is a beast, a definite one to lay down for the future.

[Mr A Lawrence]

Can you see the nod to the spitfire in them??

 

Especially in the mk1 early ones.

[Rave]

My uncle had an early 2.5, which seemed perfectly nice, and I don't think it ever gave him any serious trouble. He kept it when he bought an XKR coupe as it was worth so little he couldn't be bothered to sell it- I guess he's got rid of it now that he's lost his license for good because of his diabetes . I quite fancy one of the early 02 facelift ones, apparently that's when they sorted all the suspension issues; the later facelift makes them look fussy IMO, same way they ruined the later X350s.

[Lacquer Peel]

Can you see the nod to the spitfire in them??

 

Especially in the mk1 early ones.

 

Explain.

[Formula Autos]

Agreed.

Seconded.

 

But, having run one as a daily driver they aren't much actual use as a car to rely on every day. Certainly not the dizzlers.

 

Mine looked lovely and had a seriously cosseting interior. In theory it was great.

 

First came the rattles. Fair enough in a £500 snotter, but not OK IMHO in a 5YO car that cost me five figures. Then the FTPs, the parking sensors that would drop out, comedy electrics, a tailgate that was so rusty it was completely replaced under the paintwork warranty at 5 1/2 YO, and a boot floor that just wasn't painted on the inside (just a few random flecks of primer that accidentally landed on it).

 

I suspect most Kinder toys would be more carefully assembled. Shame, as it was a lovely design to my eyes.

 

As for S types, they drive well enough in that typical Jag way; a cosseting ride whilst still having sharp steering and being entertaining to drive if you get tired of wafting about. They seem a bit old tech for their time to me as well (even the facelift ones), but that's no doubt because It's a Jag, where they struggled to let go of the past until the current XJ arrived.

 

It's also ugly as sin, though you can't see that unless you walk round it or drive past shop windows. So, as Pete has alluded to, more of a Scorpio replacement than you might think.

 

Don't necessarily dismiss the dizzlers either. My missus has the same V6 in her RR Sport (yeah, I know - but what can you do?), and it sounds good and pulls like a train. Much like the engines in proper old Jags. Coupled with an auto it works very well. Don't forget too that the same engine also found its way under the bonnet of the Citroen C6.

 

Edit: somehow the double quote has been lost at the start of this thread. Was agreeing with a post that said X type estates looked better than the saloons. Which, thanks to Ian Callum they do.

 

Still a pile of toss though, IMHO.

[Formula Autos]

Can you see the nod to the spitfire in them??

 

Especially in the mk1 early ones.

You mean you can often find burned out remains of them around Southern England?

[Mr A Lawrence]

The spitfire/S type connection.

 

 

Jaguars chief architect of the S-Types styling, Simon Butterworth, drew attention to the deliberate use of an elliptical spitfire-wing shape throughout the S-Type. Examples of this elliptical theme can be seen, as mentioned, in the air vents, but also on the inside and outside door handles, the wood door trims, the centre console (although a lot of these were lost in the facelift or series II cars), as well as the shape created by the rear light clusters and the back of the boot lid. Butterworth doesn't say so in the article, but the reason for the Spitfire wing theme being chosen is that the S-Type is built at Castle Bromwich the same factory which turned out the iconic Spitfire fighter of WWII, and these design cues are therefore a tribute to one of Britains most iconic aircraft on one of Britains most iconic motor cars. And what is more emblematic of Britains transport heritage than the Spitfire and the Jaguar? All of which goes to bolsters the S-Types right to claim to represent the best of British. In October 1998, Jaguar produced a numbered limited edition commemorative Book for the S-Types launch. Bound in heavy brushed-aluminium covers, the book includes the story of the Spitfire connection and a picture of the aircraft being built at Castle Bromwich. Its interesting to read this history of the factory where our S-Types are built

 

 

From here.....

http://www.jaguarforum.com/showthread.php?t=5654&highlight=Lofty

[Guest Hooli]

The spitfire/S type connection.

 

 

Jaguars chief architect of the S-Types styling, Simon Butterworth, drew attention to the deliberate use of an elliptical spitfire-wing shape throughout the S-Type. Examples of this elliptical theme can be seen, as mentioned, in the air vents, but also on the inside and outside door handles, the wood door trims, the centre console (although a lot of these were lost in the facelift or series II cars), as well as the shape created by the rear light clusters and the back of the boot lid. Butterworth doesn't say so in the article, but the reason for the Spitfire wing theme being chosen is that the S-Type is built at Castle Bromwich the same factory which turned out the iconic Spitfire fighter of WWII, and these design cues are therefore a tribute to one of Britains most iconic aircraft on one of Britains most iconic motor cars. And what is more emblematic of Britains transport heritage than the Spitfire and the Jaguar? All of which goes to bolsters the S-Types right to claim to represent the best of British. In October 1998, Jaguar produced a numbered limited edition commemorative Book for the S-Types launch. Bound in heavy brushed-aluminium covers, the book includes the story of the Spitfire connection and a picture of the aircraft being built at Castle Bromwich. Its interesting to read this history of the factory where our S-Types are built

 

 

From here.....

http://www.jaguarforum.com/showthread.php?t=5654&highlight=Lofty

 

I like that, but I thought you meant they had the build quality of a Triumph Spitfire.

[alf892]

Love that too...........also love the S Type and if I was braver/richer I'd have one

 

but there is a specific thread for such eloquence...........

[Pete-M]

If you do buy an S type and it has electric / memory seats make sure they work properly or you'll spend the next few months replacing expensive modules.

[Mr A Lawrence]

From experience??

[SiC]

I like that, but I thought you meant they had the build quality of a Triumph Spitfire.

To be fair, the average Supermarine Spitfire apparently didn't have a great build quality either! Rushed production due to war, etc.

[garethj]

Interesting story about the Spitfire, but I'm not sure drawing a few squashed ovals constitutes a direct lineage or anything.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Sounds like primo marketing toss to me.

 

 

"Yes, but these fokkers were Messerschmitts" [/old gag]

[Noel Tidybeard]

the simple equation you need here is "would Breadvan drive one?"

[Timewaster]

I remember the press coverage when the S type launched.

Basically the newly launched Rover 75 bombed it out of the water.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I remember the press coverage when the S type launched.

Basically the newly launched Rover 75 bombed it out of the water.

They weren't competitors. The Rover is a smaller cheaper car available as 2.0 and 2.5 initially, the S-Type a class above and available as 3.0 And 4.0.

I agree that the Rover 75 is a neater more resolved design, although it too was unashamedly retro and from memory received some criticism for this at the time.

Based on the CastleBromwich Spitfire nonsense maybe the 75 has design elements from the Crusader tank which was produced at Cowley in it.

[Timewaster]

True they weren't competitors but there were obvious comparisons drawn given that they were both new eagerly awaited retro styled saloons from British manufacturers with turbulent pasts and the first new product under their new powerful car brand owners.

 

Also the lowest spec S type was a similar price to the top spec 75 at around £25k although I am clutching at straws now

[Pete-M]

75 has better interior.

 

Otherwise the Jaaaag kicks bottom.

[Vince70]

Poor old Reg Mitchell now the Buck is getting past on to him for the crap interior..

So if he had made straight edged wings like Willy Messerschmitt at the time are we saying it might of got a decent interior.

 

I went on one of those Spitfire experience days with my father last summer and the one we sat in had a massive pan under the engine to catch the oil leaks, when I asked the guy about it he said Rolls Royce Merlins are like a British Motorcycle engines and are never oil tight whereas the Packard Merlins don't leak.

So I wonder if Jag built that into the retro experience..

[smellypoo]

Thanks for all the input so far, based on what is available on the market currently I'll be having a rethink on what to replace the Mondeo with - I will keep looking at S-Types in case 'the one' turns up, but I'll look at other makes/models for now. 

 

Thanks again all!

[Mr A Lawrence]

No bottle??

[smellypoo]

No bottle??

 

Nope. Wimpy, lager drinking southerner with as much backbone as a jellyfish. That, combined with the thought of spending 2-3k on something that knowing my luck will grenade itself - I'll wait till Dad gets back into the country so that if he buys the car and it goes bang, it's his fault rather than mine

 

Still, I am playing DMF russian roulette with his Mondeo.

[Pete-M]

Don't let us put you off. Google common faults with any car and you'll find a big scary list of things that'll go wrong.

[Guest Breadvan72]

I was hoping for some OMG SNOKAOS to test the 4Wd in me X Type, but it looks like we might just get some sleet.

[smellypoo]

I was hoping for some OMG SNOKAOS to test the 4Wd in me X Type, but it looks like we might just get some sleet.

 

We have snow in Epsom. It's settling enough to make sure it'll be slippy out there if it carries on to tomorrow morning (it's not particularly heavy snowfall)