Jaguar: Luxury for less

Jaguar has sliced their prices. Photo / Supplied

Kiwis cashing in on the exchange rate and buying Jaguars direct from British dealers is one reason why the carmaker has cut its prices by upwards of 20 per cent.

It is part of a realignment after the company recorded just 45 sales in 2011, down from 150 in 2008.

Jaguar NZ brand manager Paul Ricketts is hopeful for 2012, following a buoyant 19 sales in January.

"We expect to do more in the next few months than we did for the whole of last year," he said.

The price cuts are on every model in the updated XF, XJ and XK range. The XJ entry-level 3-litre V6 diesel, for example, is now $155,000, down from $174,990. The 5-litre V8 premium luxury XJ is $180,000, down from $209,990. The price of the entry-level XK 5-litre V8 coupe has been slashed from $229,990 to $175,000.

"Parallel imports are just one of the reasons for the price cuts," said Ricketts. "We buy from the factory in New Zealand dollars and want to be more competitive in the market."

One advantage Jaguar NZ says it has is the sat-nav system in parallel imports won't load CD maps of New Zealand, unlike the NZ-spec cars.

Jaguar owner the Tata group is investing more than $3 billion a year over the next five years in the development of five new models, including a competitor to the BMW 3 Series.

Sales of the XF account for more than 75 per cent of Jaguar numbers and Ricketts expects the new four-cylinder diesel addition to lure buyers.

The 2.2-litre Euro5 unit is mated to an eight-speed gearbox with stop-start, and comes with a claimed fuel economy of 5.4 litres/100km (52mpg) and a CO2 emissions rating of 149g per km.

"At $90,000, it's a compelling package," said Ricketts. "While Jaguar has put a four-cylinder engine in the XF for the first time, the car has lost none of its refinement."

The XF 2.2D Luxury gets electrically adjustable front seats and steering column, xenon headlights, keyless entry and start, rear parking aid, six airbags and traction and dynamic stability control. Every XF in the revised six-model range has standard Bluetooth, DVD player with iPod, MP3 player and USB port and a minimum 10-speaker, 400-watt sound system.

Two versions of the 3-litre V6 turbo diesel are available. The 3.0D Luxury model delivers 177kW and 500Nm, while the 3.0D S version comes with 202kW and 600Nm of torque.

Both cars are Euro5 compliant and, thanks to the new eight-speed transmission, return a claimed overall fuel economy of 6.3 litres/100km.

The $100,000 XF 3.0D Luxury model has the same specification as the new 2.2-litre diesel model, providing a higher specification than previous years.

The still higher specification XF 3.0D S comes in at $115,000, down $19,000 on last year. It has adaptive dynamic suspension, a performance brakes package with larger front discs fitted inside 19-inch Aquila alloy wheels, and an aerodynamic package that includes a restyled front bumper and black grille, side sill extensions, rear spoiler and rear valance.

A 3-litre V6 petrol engine model with 175kW also comes with the same specification as the 2.2D and 3.0D and costs $95,000.

The naturally aspirated 283kW, 5-litre V8 XF costs $125,000. Its price last year was $159,990.

The supercharged V8 in the flagship XFR delivers 375kW and 625Nm. Last year the XFR cost $209,990; this year it is $170,000.