- I think that sums up JLR engineering. Hic.
This 'facelift' hasn't touched the suspension, the steering, the brakes, the gearbox, other than dropping the manual, the engines, other than dropping the V6 petrol and lower tuned 4-cyl. versions, nor hardly the bodywork, other than a possible tiny change to the bootlid.
Obviously, even to the most brain dead JLR fanboys, the original purpose and intention of this mid life lift, planned we're told since 2015, early 2016, was to put in the trailed since 2016 mild hybrid Ingeniums, either 3-cylinder, 4-cylinder, or both, and to finally pension off the petrol V6, especially since Ford will stop making it the end of this year, if not sooner, and put in the Ingenium straight six.
Now we're told that 'it'll be released later', 'rolled out later - all planned'.
JLR and its media mates have been trailing the Ingenium I6 since 2013.
How long does it take to make a new JLR engine? 7 years? WWII was fought in 6.
Come on, grow up. If it existed, it would have been launched. Not in the 2019/2020MY XE, but in the XF II, possibly XE.
Speth knew in 2013 it was a dud - Ingenium is modular. The I4, both diesel and petrols, were known duds dy then, so the I6 was going to be too.
Speth went shopping, and failed.
The I6 has been covered up since. It doesn't work - too low power, too high vibration/no smoothness, too high fuel consumption.
Launching in the Facelift XE would have exposed it directly to the 'B58' Bimmer engine, which would have ripped it a new one - as everyone knows.
JLR, even with 100% of the media behind it, couldn't pull that off, such a turkey against such an excellent engine/car.
JLR has, I believe, decided to:
- bin the Ford-supplied V6
- try to make XE, XF and co live on, on just 4 cylinders
- get the media to obscure as much as possible this fact
- then, er... pray
- actually, kid on, using Cropley and co, 'fairy dust etc', that Jag's future is EV anyway, and ICEs, whether I4, !6, V8, don't matter anymore; so the I6 Ingenium's no-show is moot anyway.
BUT, I don't see how they get Land Rover to this EV/'MLA' future, without a particulate filter, certified, 'ULEV20' or whatever V6 and V8, for their huge, heavy SUVs.
You can't sell 50k of RR Sports and full fats in the US each year with 4-cylinder PHEVs, at $100k+, when the competition, like Porsche, is doing six-cylinder, much more powerful PHEVs, with greater range etc.
So, it's either actually they are praying, or they're about to announce a V8 supply deal with BMW - 'Project Jennifer'.
Personally, I think it's the former, prayer, as BMW has moved on itself to killing off anything above 6 cylinders, and is concentrating on iNext EV etc.
Speth and his lieutenants must be hoping/expecting that before all this engine malarkey, disastrous situation really hits the fan of public knowledge - 'where did all the Ingenium public money go, to what purpose? etc - that either JLR will have been sold by Tata to the Chinese, or they will have retired - Callum goes this year, 65, and Speth is due in 12 months or so.
That's 'The Plan', guys.