From Jag, a luxurious Portfolio
To say this has been a tough year for Jaguar would be a substantial understatement. For the first 10 months of 2005, the company’s U.S. sales were down 33.5% over the same period the year before, according to Automotive News. Only Isuzu and Oldsmobile showed a steeper decline, and Oldsmobile hasn’t built a car since April 2004.
What went wrong? There’s no denying that in terms of quality, this year’s models are the best Jaguars ever -- Ford has made them far more reliable than they were before it took over. My analysis -- and it’s worth what it costs -- is that Jaguar was too conservative in its styling of the new XJ Series, and that the soon-to-be-replaced XK models have hung on a bit too long. And, much as I like the entry-level X-Type models, maybe a luxury marquee such as Jaguar doesn’t really need entry-level products.
That last bit of questionable wisdom could be supported by the success of the 2006 Jaguar Super V8 Portfolio, which is the production version of the Concept 8 shown at the New York auto show in 2004. Although the Concept 8 was not intended for production, the response was so great, Jaguar says, that at the New York show in April, it debuted the Portfolio.
Jaguar is building just 250 Super V8 Portfolios for the global market, with five earmarked for Canada and 145 for the United States. All were sold before they even reached dealerships.
And they aren’t cheap: The Portfolio has a base price of $115,330.
The Portfolio is one of the most occupant-friendly vehicles I’ve driven in a long time. Why? Mainly because it starts with an excellent car, the Super V8, which combines a long-wheelbase chassis from the luxury end of the range with the muscular drivetrain of the XJR performance edition. Power comes from a 4.2-liter supercharged, inter-cooled engine that last year had 390 horsepower and this year lists at 400 because of a new horsepower-rating process. Transmission is the six-speed ZF automatic, not a big favorite in other applications but solidly in control of the Portfolio’s engine.
Out back are Portfolio tailpipes, which are enormous, chromed exhaust tips affixed to what appear to be regular Super V8 pipes.
Inside, it’s easy to see why the Portfolio commands a premium price. There is creamy leather upholstery, and the lambs’ wool rugs are toe-wiggling soft. Sun visors, headliner, door-pillar trim -- everything gets the super-soft Alcantara treatment. The black-walnut trim is flawless.
So what good is a car you can’t buy? The Super V8 Portfolio is essentially a maximum version of the Super V8, and you can buy that car for at least $25,000 less than a Portfolio. For normal driving, there’s minimal difference in the two vehicles -- they share the 400-horsepower V-8 engine and the six-speed automatic transmission. If the Portfolio’s leather is a little softer, the wood trim more exclusive, the 20-inch wheels slightly larger than the 19-inchers on the Super V8 -- well, it isn’t that noticeable.
My guess is Jaguar execs are hoping the sold-out Portfolio will move some Super V8s. For Jaguar’s sake, I hope they’re right.
