Monday, May 12, 2008

Where's the Jaguar?



Ever since I saw the new Jaguar XF, I asked myself: "Where's the Jaguar?"
I've seen a lot of Blog talk about the resemblance to the Lexus GS and honestly, this is utter nonsense. The Lexus is sooo much more dynamic! Yes, I never thought I'd hear myself say a Lexus was more dynamic than a Jaguar- but it's true. Sure, the side views are remotely similar (as are many cars) but that's not the point. The issue is that the new XF has only one Jaguar characteristic:
1. The name Jaguar on the bonnet!

What happened to the the DNA of the Jaguar brand- the oval grille, the round body section, the distinct dual round headlights, the low shoulder and flat proportion or anti-wedge? I literally was driving in my car and up ahead was a new car- it looked like a luxury Ford. It resembled a Mondeo or a Focus but neither has the proportion of an XF. As I approached it became clear - and sad all at the same time. Could it be that body section and anti-wedge have gone out of style? I think not as Citroen is still finding new ways of doing it after all these years. Bentley's new Brooklands is an absolutely stunning lesson in design and modeling - it's got a small anti-wedge character line that subtly indicates its roots.

Don't get me wrong, the XF is a fine looking car - it's just not a Jag. Now that Jaguar's in new hands, they need to be VERY careful not to isolate themselves from their DNA...because sometimes that's all a brand has left.

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