Status: May 2025, currently still own, going on 11 years now. The car is still in great working order with 205,000 miles. Hands down the best bang for the buck European car we’ve ever owned.
Maintenance Items
Oil Filter – Mann W 713/29 or Wix 51228
Serpentine Belt – Gates K060910 or Dayco 5060910
Likes/Misses
Things I like about this car:
The engine is a 300 HP V8 that is reliable and efficient but it also has a bit of an attitude and can rev to 6800 RPM before hitting the redline. It makes itself known if fitted with the proper exhaust.
It has a spacious interior and plenty of trunk space, it’s a large car with a comfortable ride and it is made of aluminum so that reduces the weight significantly allowing it to realistically get close to 30 mpg on the highway.
Where Jaguar missed the mark:
The trip computer readout leaves a bit to be desired. It seems like they could have used a larger screen in this area and made it where you could see multiple readings at once. Jaguar should have probably also integrated the exterior temperature readout into this area. With the current design the temperature readout isn’t available if you have the AC turned off.
This is a Vanden Plas model which is one of their higher end models, it wouldn’t have hurt my feelings if they’d have used Alcantera or something similar for the headliner. They used a material that would have worked out well near the rear seats and c-pillars so I’m not sure why they just didn’t use that everywhere. They also should have used a different method to adhere the headliner material to prevent sagging. I’ve owned much older cars from Mercedes and BMW that did not have this issue.
For some reason Jaguar doesn’t use the MOST (Media Oriented System Transport) digital system in these cars so upgrading the audio system to a more modern version is proving to be a hassle.
Resources
Links to helpful images and documents –
Mount Points:
Upgrades
These are just placeholder items, will add details here…
Exhaust
Intake
Wheels
Audio Visual/Technology
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