Posted by Tot Doc on December 30, 2001 at 23:18:16:
(posted from: (68.32.42.66))
Hello everyone, glad to be back home. After spending a few days in the windy city, and putting more than 700 miles on my 2.5 X-type, I think I am prepared to give you all a fair and accurate account of my experiences. First of all, a bit of a background. I have in my time driven more than a few "nice" cars. Since childhood, my subscriptions to Automobile and Car and driver magazines have been piling up in my basement. My younger brother is a car dealer who deals in luxury vehicles only. Every few months, he buys a car, keeps it for a while, then sells it. I have the chance to drive most of them around, taking mental notes as I do so. My last car was a BMW 325i. I have loved BMWs since my subscription to Automobile magazine started. So you can see, buying a Jaguar was no easy decision on my part. Some of the cars that I have considered AND driven are, Mercedes C230, BMW 330 xi, Audi A4, BMW X5 3.0, Lexus ES300, Volkswagen Passat 4-motion, Suburu WRX, and the Jaguar X-type 3.0. The car that I ordered and recently took delivery of is a Platinum (charcoal leather) 2.5L, Auto, Sport Package, Premium Package, with Nav. system, 6-Disc premium sound and Xenon lights. I was able to get all of that for less than 37 K (A-plan). So, you see, every time I did the math with any other vehicle with the toys that I wanted, it made more sense to purchase the Jag. After breakfast on Friday morning, I entered the address to my hotel in Chicago as a destination on the Nav. system, and my wife and I were on our way. I knew I would come back to write this, so I paid close attention to everything. Before leaving Detroit, I filled the tank with Amoco 93 Premium. Going West, my average fuel economy was 25 mpg, coming back going East, average was 25.9 mpg (maybe due to wind direction). The navigation system functioned flawlessly. It took me straight to my destination, with it's classic British accent guiding my way. As we approcached Lake Michigan, we encountered what we call around here "lake effect snow". It was coming down so hard that visibility was impaired to the point where I found it necessary to actually use both front AND back fog lights (I never thought I would actually get the chance to use the back fog lights). Driving through the snow, the X-type handled as always, like it was on rails. Not once did I feel that I was not in control, or that maybe the car was losing any traction. Even though lane markers were barely visible from the snow, I didn't find it necessary to slow down from my cruising speed of 65 mph. The 6-disc "entertainment center" kept us entertained throughout the trip. I didn't experience any of the "lines on the Nav. screen at higher volumes" mentioned in the Edmund's review. I also enjoyed the "auto" function of the wipers, as snow fell and melted on the windshield. The climate was perfectly controlled via the Auto function of the climate control. So with cruise control, auto wipers, auto headlamps and auto climate control, all I did was enjoy my drive and the company of my wife. The sport seats were very supportive and comfortable, if it weren't for nature calling, there would have been no need for us to stop at the rest stop. I did play with the inflatable lumbar support, which I found soothing to my lower back after 2 hours of driving. The average speed displayed by the message center, and the actual speed displayed by the needle were off by 3-4 miles, within acceptable margin of error. I really appreciated the one touch window up and down when we arrived at the toll roads. En route, my wife wanted to take a nap, and the passenger seat reclined to about 160 degrees, enough for her to dose off comfortably for a good hour (no radio for me during that time, but the joy of driving my baby with its superb handling kept me wide awake). When we arrived to Chicago, even though the car had turned from a shiny silver color, to a dull salt white (from the salt sprayed on the freeway to keep the roads from freezing), the valet at the hotel couldn't help but drown me with questions about the car (I'm sure the valet was used to parking nice cars at this luxurious five star hotel, but yet was very curious and impressed). The next morning, the temperature was a bone chilling 12 degrees Farenheit. I expected to hear some rattles or sqeaks due to the cold, but boy was a pleasantly surprised, my baby was as quite as when driving on the freeway the day before with my wife in deep slumber. I knew I had to find a car wash because I wasn't doing my baby justice being covered with salt. I found an indoor car wash, where they hand washed the car, inside and out, for fifteen bucks! I have to say, I was a bit bothered to see that after they dried my baby and it was shining like a gem, the washer fluid nozzles both started to weep and washer fluid drained down my hood. I just stopped at the next gas station and wiped them off, and then I guess the cold did something, because they stopped weeping. We received so many looks on N. Michigan Ave. in Downtown Chicago, that I really felt like a VIP. People crossing the street would point out my baby and I could read their lips saying, "Hey, check out that Jag!" I only saw one other X-type in Chicago during my visit, a Titanium colored 3.0 with the 16" wheels. I lost count of how many Lexus, Mercedes and BMWs we saw. The Nav. was really helpful, especially when it came time for dinner and we were looking for Uno's Pizzeria. All I did was entered POI(Point Of Interest), Italian restaurant, and all the info. that I needed including the location and phone number was displayed on the screen, where I was able to call ahead for my pizza. I did, however, lose satellite signal when driving below bridges or between tall buildings. The next morning, it was even colder, down to 8 degrees Farenheit. My Baby started and ran flawlessly, again no rattles or sqeaks from anywhere. We had breakfast and drove back to Detroit. Our trip back was just as enjoyable as the trip there, only my wife was successful in convincing me to allow her to drive for a few hours, during which I took the opportunity to read the owner's manual (did you guys know that if you push the eject and AM/FM buttons simultaneously, you get a radio control menu). So, the auto transmission, radio, nav., cd-player, windows, speedometer, cruise, brakes, all wheel drive, and climate control all functioned as they were designed to function, with superior quality. The interior fit and finish is top notch, not a sqeak yet, even in sub-zero temps. Compared to my previous BMW, this cars body rigidity, evident in the way it absorbs Michigan roads, is far superior. The handling, is neither too soft nor too sporty. Guys, I am really impressed with this car, I whole heartedly recommend it to anyone considering an entry level luxury vehicle. Joe, I don't know what kind of experience you've had, but all I can say is that you have had bad luck. Mike, GioNYC, Jan, and Chris, I hope you are also enjoying your X-type as much as I am enjoying mine. The car is like a fine wine, its only getting better with time.
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