I am beginning to think that the only people who write about their X-Types are either one of the tiny minority that got a bad one ... or someone who never drove one. Here's my take ..
We have a 2004 X-Type 3.0L (USA) with the SATNAV and it is clearly one of the finest cars we have ever had.
After doing a lot of research online, on purchase day I had narrowed my decision down to 4 options ... BMW 3 series, MB C series, Acura TL, and Jaguar ... in that order. My plan was to visit all 4 places, drive/shop and then decide. I only left the Jaguar dealer after buying the X-Type! Why? Value, luxury, performance, and style. In all 4 categories there was absolutely NO comparison. The X was clearly the winner.
Since then, I have been nothing but impressed with the overall quality and performance of the X. The exterior style is unique and yet it's clear the X-Type is the younger brother of the stunning XJ - turns heads every day. The exterior paint finish is the best I've ever seen on a production car, bar none. The interior leather, plastic materials and real wood are a joy to "live in" every day. The handling is superb and the AWD is a must since around here (Washington State) it rains a lot!! The performance is not that of an F-1 race car ... but plenty zippy enough to make heads turn!! And, I have no complaints whatsoever, be they mechanical or "fit & finish".
Can't really rate the dealer one way or another because my contact with them has been sparse ... which I see as a good thing!
So, why is the X selling below expectations? IMHO I believe there are several reasons:
1) Too high an expectation. This is a new market for Jag and a lot of folks who are deciding to buy a "luxury" car are drawn to the historical leaders ... MB, BMW and (to a lesser extent) Lexus and the other Japanese brands. It will take a while for people to realize that Jag has a viable option in this price category. Remember, prior to the X-Type the "cheapest" Jag was a $50k S-Type!! That's a big step up from a $20k Ford, Honda or VW owner.2) Advertising/marketing ... PR and marketing for the X has been terrible. Someone decided to market to 30-somethings which may be an emerging market, but I'm 50+ and just reached an economic situation where I'm comfortable buying a "luxury" car. I believe there is a much wider audience demographic for the X-Type than the experts believed ... and that seems to be the case when I see and meet other X-Type owners. Very few are in their 30s!! Also, the PR folks clearly allowed the crap about parts sharing with the Mondeo to get out of hand (less than 20% of the content is shared, and you know what ... I DON'T CARE if I have a Ford power window motor inside my Jaguar as long as it works!!). Platform and parts sharing happens in all car brands and it's simply not a big deal. How they let this get to be such a major issue is beyond me. Maybe Ford/Jaguar should hire some folks away from Honda or Toyota as they've been pretty adept at sharing platforms without the negative publicity!! (Remember ... the Acura TSX is REALLY a Civic, the MDX is a Pilot, the Lexus ES is a Camry, etc!!)
3) Value perception ... in my opinion this is the real "problem" with the X and it's associated with the abysmal marketing efforts. Everywhere I have driven my car, the folks who comment on it or look at it have said the same thing ... they can't afford a Jaguar!! When I ask them what they'd guess the MSRP would be, they have all overshot by $5-10k. (Actually, this is not surprising since a BMW 330 with a similar size engine, auto, real leather, and AWD would sticker about $7,000 more than the X-Type). I will agree that this is a thorny and difficult issue ... how to let people know you have a strong vehicle at a very modest price point without making the brand sound cheap. I probably don't have the answer ... but then again, I'm not a $500k a year Marketing VP either!! If I were Ford, I'd look around and find some new folks and pay them to find an answer!! With the X doing so well in the UK and Europe, maybe they should stick close to home and let some of those fine folks market the X over here!! (As an aside, to overcome this problem, my local dealer has started advertising in a throw-away publication called Auto-Trader that is normally filled with cheapie used cars, which doesn't seem to me to be the "right" answer to this problem. A Jag ad mixed in with $700 ancient Toyotas? Even I know that's not the right target market!!)Maybe we just need some more active, happy, X-Type owners to spread the good word!!
Unfortunately for Jaguar, their own people are not.
Cheers!!
Ken