[TR] Rover

Glenn A. Merrell StagByTriumph at tscusa.org
Sat Mar 22 10:46:33 MST 2008


TeriAnn Wakeman wrote:
>
> Tata is the second largest Indian automobile manufacturer.  They have 
> cash to throw at the two British companies design efforts and plan to 
> keep vehicle manufacturing in the UK.  They will eventually undo the 
> changes Ford has made so Jags will no longer be Lincolns under the skin.
>
> This could very well be a good thing.
>
> Teriann
>
>   
Teriann,

Maybe you can enlighten me, because I hear a lot about this re skinned 
approach for a lot of models which for many is very true.

But from my experience having crawled under Jaguars and Lincolns and 
owning a so called  "Ford XJ6 VDP", and wrenched on a few late model 
XJ8's, all the drive line, frame, suspension components in Jaguars 
produced since the Ford influence are still, extremely unique to Jaguar 
XJ style and design of the parts, including the whole suspension system. 

Now the Jaguar X type is actually a reskinned Ford Mondeo (not sold in 
the US) which those I have seen are indeed very similar in the chassis 
and driveline when you pop the hood or look under, and I have read 
reports the S type is formed from another common Ford chassis, which may 
be the Lincoln LS compact series.  But those two cars are indeed 
products of strong Ford influenced design at Jaguar Engineering being 
produced in the 2002 model years. A lot of people do not consider the X 
or S types Jaguar designs, but all Ford design.  Maybe those are the 
Jaguars you are referencing?

Ford engineering has had a very strong influence on designing the XJ 
sedan series for higher reliability, and some of the components are made 
in the same pacific rim manufacturing facilities as some other Ford 
parts, but when you crawl under a full size Lincoln and then a full size 
Jaguar XJ sedan, the are quite different in every way.  I have 
autocrossed an XJ sedan, but auto crossing a Lincoln Mark or Town Car 
series would be a real laugher.

 From what I understand the new series all aluminum body, that design is 
also unique to the Jaguar XJ Sedan chassis and is not at all like the 
big Lincolns chassis.

Take one of each for a drive and you will see they are as different cars 
as between night and day, including of course the retail price tags.

I really hope Tata keeps the XJ Sedan series all unique Jaguar, but that 
remains to be seen, just like China is now manufacturing MG as a 4 door 
luxury car sedan.

My humble opinion ...

-- 
Glenn A. Merrell
Chairman, Triumph Stag Club USA (2007-2009)
The best trophies are miles on the odometer, stone chips in the paint, dead bugs on the windshield!


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