When Jaguar’s latest-and-greatest sedan arrives on American shores next spring, it will do so with an extra option on the order sheet — a manual transmission.
According to Car & Driver, the Jaguar XE will get a third pedal and a stick in the middle of the center console that does things. Apparently, there are still enough people out there that know what to do with that thing in the center console that Jaguar believes it will make up between 10 and 20 percent of overall sales.
“It is enough to be worth the investment, and we are happy with our decision,” North American CEO Joe Eberhardt told C&D.
The XE will be part of a small club of luxury sedans still available with a manual transmission.
The BMW 3- and 4-Series are available with a manual transmission, but BMW’s online configurator selects an automatic transmission by default. Mercedes-Benz doesn’t have a manual transmission available on the C-Class. It was earlier reported the new Audi A4 would be available with a manual transmission, but that was also when they said the A4 would have a 2-liter diesel engine in North America.
Now I just have to win the lottery. And complain because they are not offering it in ‘estate’ or ‘shooting brake’ versions.
Win the lottery and you can order a bespoke shooting brake.
Jaguar has made some poorly-reviewed manual transmissions in the past. Let’s hope it goes better this time.
Its a ZF box. Not sure how they shift. My Getrag equipped Lincoln shifts great but is in need of replacement. If Jaguar holds the line on pricing it will be a stretch but I may go for it. With the strong dollar and Jaguar not having to defend existing owners resale value in this segment, they could come in in the low to mid 30’s. My fear is the manual will only be available in the diesel (at least no gasoline MTs until after the Lincoln gives up the ghost).
From what I read the plan is to offer the manual in the 2.0t (gas) base model.
10-20%? Nope.
This is just to appease auto journalists, and make for more glowing initial reviews.
My prediction, <5% take rate, and the option will be gone in the US by its second year.
Probably wont matter since they wont sell more than 800 of these a year combined anyway. This is a car nobody wants or asked for.
Jaguar is extrapolating. According the article in C&D, the manual has a “solid” 10%-20% take rate on the F-Type. Wow. Those are similar take rates for the manual MINIs. Perhaps niche cars can do this. Or perhaps Jaguar has an older demographic who knows how to use that thing in the center console that’s not a cup holder.
You mean the cigar lighter? A pointless device intended to accommodate a disgusting habit.
Correct, <5%. Jag buyers are older and conservative. They like large cars, wood, automatic transmissions, and large engines.
A manual XE is none of those things.
I really don’t know who is buying these things in the last about seven years.
Really nobody. I never see newer Jags. The XF is so old now (needs cancelled or a do-over), and they’ve styled the XE to look just like it.
Occasionally I’ll see an F-type, but that’s rare. Or a recent XK. Almost never a boat-styled XJ.
I think the F-Pace will skyrocket their sales though.
I’m bearish on the F-pace becoming a big hit for the brand.
Standard V6 with lots of HP, and a price lower than other luxury competitors (IIRC) ought to do it!
Ah but there is nothing special about these anymore, Jaguar would have had to be one of the first to the party to really cash in. PAG Volvo sold 390,439 examples of the XC90 in its first five model years because at the time, they were one of the few who offered a faux SUV. In contrast the popular CR-V was selling about 150K units a year at the time at less margin and triple the number of dealers. XC90 was initially very popular, Jaguar needs to innovate if it wants to see real success.
XC90 2002-2003 21,886 SUV 286 5-7 5-6 2401-2922 163-272 —
XC90 2003-2004 106,891 SUV 286 5/7 5/6 2401-2922 163-272 —
XC90 2004-2005 88,879 SUV 286 5/7 5/6/V8 2401-4414 163-315 —
XC90 2005-2006 90,860 SUV 286 5/7 5/6/V8 2401-4414 163-315 —
XC90 2006-2007 81,923 SUV 286 5/7 5/6/V8 2401-4414 163-315 —
https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/history/xc90_stats_search.shtml
Could be. The XC90 was indeed very ahead when it came around. Price and lease offers will be very important. I feel Jag still has a higher brand image than Volvo.
There is already an all-new XF for 2016 on the same aluminum platform as this XE. The problem is it’s styled to look almost exactly like the old car, even more so than the 2016 Camaro.
I think the F-Pace will sell relatively well, but the problem is that its pricing isn’t as good as it seems. I played with the config tool a few weeks ago and they nickel and dime you for options even more than the German marques do; it’s easy to pile on 10-15k of options to get a decent luxury kit out the door vs the base price.
I guess that it is good to see the other side. I can’t wait to replace my Saab with a Jag XE. I hate driving cars that everyone else has, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a BMW/Merc/Audi, Acura/Infinity are just warmed over economy cars, Lexus-No….
A Jag or Volvo or Alfa…. Now I’m interested. Give it a 2.0t and ~35mpg — take my money.
Bold moves by Doctor Sandman
“A Jag or Volvo or Alfa”
A masochist?
If it comes with the NA 4.2 l V8 and RWD then they have a winner. If not, no dice.
I could be mistaken but I believe Audi is ending the availability of manual transmissions in the US. Jaguar is stepping in and offering an A4 sized car with a manual gearbox, perhaps not a bad idea by Tata I mean Jaguar.
Depending on the powertrain, this could be verging on “shut up and take my money” territory for me. I just read last week that the 228, 328, and 428 will no longer be offered with a stick in ’16.
I agree that it won’t last for the car’s whole run though, and buying the first year seems dicey.
All of 100 will be sold in the USA with a manual transmission.
I can applaud this. I’m not a “manual or nothing” guy but I appreciate the choice, especially in a sporty car.
However I checked out this car at a Jag dealership in England when I was there for work several months back. Did not drive it. But sitting in it I just didn’t find anything there that made me think “wow” enough that I would want to consider it over something else. Nice looking. Nice style inside. But just felt cheaper than 3s and Cs I’ve been in.
The F Type though? If I had the money that is my shut up and take my money car. Wow.
I hope jaguar is successful with the stick. It really is a shame they’re nearly completely gone. My biggest disappointment is really Acura honestly. The sticks in those cars were great, they weren’t full luxury cars but rather zippy and fun fancy Hondas, and manuals fit that personality better than say a 5 series manual. But now? Why even consider Acura?
Agreed on Acura, and I’d add infiniti to that list. Their MT was well suited to the high revving nature of their engines, not to mention it was the most satisfying shifter. Loved my TL, but couldn’t tell you why either brand matters any more.
Likewise, now that a new TSX is off the table, the only Acuras I could recommend would be either a CPO TSX or babyed NSX for sunbelt shoppers. I still get double-takes from new passengers who wonder how I found a 3-Series coupe with a manual. Jaguar is really going out on a limb, and I, too, feel they won’t offer the manual gearbox for long. I’m more inclined to tell friends to take the trouble to search for a CPO 3-Series with a manual gearbox. I’ve recently driven new 3-Series and 5-Series BMWs with autobox, and don’t fancy owning either one.
A friend just bought a new 328 sedan with a stick. There were 3 in the whole southeast, all silver with vinyl seats.
The take rate on the manual Cadillac ATS is around 1% from what I gather, so that seems like a good place to start conjecturing. (The dealer finance guy congratulated me on being in the 0.5% when I bought mine, and a cars.com search shows 1.5% of inventory nationwide has a manual.)
The Euro badge may boost that some, but not much.
It was higher than 1% in certain packages for MY13, but in ’14-15 demand apparently dropped off.
2/6 of 2.0T in “Premium”
09/09/15 NJ Regular $26,750 13,704 Above BLACK 4GT 6 Yes
10/22/15 MISS $16,000 14,631 Below TAN 4GT A No
09/17/15 TX HOBBY Regular $25,300 25,080 Avg BLACK 4GT A Yes
10/01/15 TAMPA Regular $24,000 29,189 Avg GOLD 4GT A Yes
09/29/15 GEORGIA Regular $21,900 32,233 Avg BLUE 4GT 6 Yes
09/03/15 DETROIT Regular $22,200 52,477 Avg WHITE 4GT A Yes
2/6 in of 2.0T in “Performance”
08/19/15 NASHVILL Regular $25,300 14,575 Avg RED JEWL 4GT A Yes
09/24/15 DFW Regular $25,000 14,997 Avg RED 4GT A Yes
11/04/15 NASHVILL Regular $24,500 17,599 Avg BLUE 4GT 6 Yes
10/20/15 STATESVL $24,100 22,312 Avg BLACK 4GT 6 Yes
11/11/15 GEORGIA $13,100 24,700 Below BLACK 4GT A No
11/03/15 ORLANDO Regular $22,400 28,404 Below BLACK 4GT A Yes
Zero in 2.5G
Sounds reasonable about the dropoff. I certainly got my ’14 for a song.
Nice to hear, I hope long term you don’t run into trouble.
Thanks! There was an issue at first with it going into limp mode, I think because the dealer neglected to do the reflash as prescribed by a recall. Since then, it’s been close to flawless. Consumer Reports, for what that’s worth, actually has engine reliability at average or above, and mine doesn’t have CUE.
2.0T or the 2.5?
It’s the 2.0t. That’s the only engine that has the manual available.
Edit: aside from the ATS-V, of course.
I also doubt Jaguar will see a 10-20% take rate on the manual, but perhaps they think they’ll capitalize on BMW’s move toward more luxury than sport and the absence of other MT options, and capture a larger than normal chunk of the enthusiast market. If the MT is good and the steering feel is as good as the reviews say, it could work. But the MT take rate still won’t be 10%. Heck, I think the 2G Acura TSX (which I own) had about a 5% take rate, and that car is extremely well-suited to MT.
10-20% just seems unreasonable in a car that people will be mainly buying as a daily driver. The F-Type can do those numbers because it is basically a toy for almost all of the people buying it; few are commuting in that car.
This makes me soooooooooooo happy.
Enthusiasts may be a small segment but the value they can bring to a brand is disproportionate to their numbers. “Car guys” are the ones regular people, the little people, go to when deciding on which car to buy. Their recommendation carries weight, even if they ultimately end up purchasing a tame and automatic product of the manufacturer the enthusiast favors. I think Jaguar understands this.
The official press release specifies only automatics across the model range. I’ll just see myself out…
My question is will you be able to get the manual paired with the V6, or will they pull a Cadillac and only offer it with the 4 cylinder? BMW unfortunately wins this segment by default by being the only manufacturer to pair a six with a manual in a (non performance edition, so no M4 or ATS-V) 4 door sedan.