mazelmazelgoodthings

the old jags are just a pain in reliability, (pushing them in and out of the showrom and garage gets old real quick) but then they work, they are truly awesome cars. you also have to think that not many people own those old jags its mostly newer jags that come in for little electrical problems.

Saki GT

Well, the F Type is a new Jag, and I have every reason to believe it will be dependable based on the other Ford-era Jags.

That doesn't change the fact that the F Type is being marked as a sports car and has no manual transmission though. That pretty much eliminates it from the small cadre of buyers looking for sports cars with luxury, and leaves it to those who want cruisers like the XK.

mazelmazelgoodthings

is there any particular reason why jaguar doesn't offer a manual transmission on their cars? does anybody know the answer or history to that?

mosesbotbol

They offered it on some models - X-Type, 4.0 S Type and Previous generation XK8, but were really rare. I have never seen the XK8 manual in person. I was looking to buy an X-Type 3.0 Estate with manual a few years ago for my girlfriend but went for a XJ8 Vanden Plas instead. A buddy has a 95 XJS with an inline 6 and manual. He recently did an engine swap for an older Supercharged engine, just under 400 hp. I have not been in it since he did it, but it's supposed to be a rocketship now. Very easy swap.

Jag doesn't have a manual for the same reasons Ferrari and Lamborghini don't; consumer demand is not there for a smaller niche company. BMW, Porsche, Audi, MB can offer because even if 2-3% want them, the quantity is there to make it a reality.

Saki GT

Ferrari doesn't have a manual transmission with a clutch pedal because Ferrari builds race cars, and sells its tech in consumer vehicles. Lambo doesn't because its always playing catch up to Ferrari and this is the cutting edge tech. You could at least get a Lambo with a true manual up to last year I think, but no more.

BMW has very few true manuals - I don't even think you can buy a Z4 with anything but an automatic. Mercedes and Jag are really luxury car companies, not sports car companies, even though they have some fast toys. BMW is becoming just like them.

Porsche is really the only company left in this arena that is offering "throwback" tech that adds enjoyment.

Most of the buyers of these cars want to be seen in them more than enjoy their potential. Fewer buy them to really drive them, and even fewer want to really work them with a manual transmission.

I have no illusion that the market for manual transmissions is very small, but if you have even a small portion of your customer base that wants something, its only a matter of priority if you offer it or not. Cars like the F Type will never be volume sellers, and among the type of buyer that wants a car like it, the percentage that want manuals is much higher.

None of these companies are hurting for money; they are just ignoring that group of potential buyers that wants to use a clutch pedal and shift on their own. Ferrari I get, its never pandered to the buying public. A company like Jaguar that is seeking to build market share and add credibility though... you'd think it would pander to everyone available.

What did Toyota do when it wanted to gain sports car cred? It built a sports car with an old-fashioned manual transmission. What did Honda do? You couldn't ever buy an automatic S2000.

mosesbotbol

Here's an excerpt from an article in Motortrend talking about Lamborghini's decision to drop manual transmissions, "Maurizio Reggiani shakes his head with regret. Without a word, Lamborghini's R&D director indicates that manual transmissions have no future in his company's cars. Only a tiny fraction of customers choose a stick shift for their Gallardo, and Lamborghini's new Aventador comes with a fully automated seven-speed single-clutch transmission, and no manual transmission. Just 1 to 2 percent of the cars rolling out of the company's small Sant'Agata Bolognese factory are equipped with three pedals, Reggiani says."

Lamborghini to Drop Manual Transmissions

You're right throw, row your own is not state-of-the-art and that's what these companies sell, the fastest current technology which a manual is not. I don't think Toyota or Honda could've met their price points with a fancy F1 setup.

Saki GT

Fwiw, the most vehicles Lambo ever sold in a year was around 2,400, and I think it is selling around 1,600 vehicles annually now. Exotics are typically showpieces, not drivers' cars, so who needs one that doesn't have the latest new tech?

nofearofdanger

I agree the interface that the driver interacts with (paddles) is identical, but does an automatic with a torque converter have the same response and overall efficacy of a DCT? In my experience, no.

Zoidberg

Oh dear...

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/30/j...and-v8-f-type/

... Well played, Jaguar.

S2k007

Wish they made a coupe version.