[Rob_H]

Hey all, I've recently become an owner for the first time. A lifelong dream fulfilled, actually!
I'm based near Coventry, home of the brand.

Mine's a 2015 XE 2.0 Diesel, Portfolio trim in storm (Carpathian) grey. Definitely a head-turner - certainly to me - and also to neighbours, friends, and family, judging by their feedback!

I've been an enthusiastic "lurker" on this forum for some weeks, and I thank you all sincerely for teaching me a great deal already. I figured it was high time I took the plunge and registered!

The car may be seven years old already, but it's still the most recent car I've ever owned. I'm no mechanic, by any means. Nor do I have bottomless pockets!

At present, I'm trying to iron out some of the many quirks and kinks I've found. Some I've managed to resolve, and others will need more investigation.

For example:
Both key fobs were acting erratically (new batteries did the trick);
The audio randomly refused to output any sound whatsoever on one occasion;
The ICT software and navigation both seem well out of date;
A piece of exterior trim near the side skirt is slightly misaligned on one side;
The tyres were all incorrectly inflated (easy fix);
The car battery seems to be on its last legs (I've now taken out battery replacement cover from the RAC);
and last but not least:
The Meridian sound system sounds pretty ropey at best.

I'm almost certain that the car needs that legendary K451 update because I'm pretty sure that it's not supposed to sound like plastic speakers in a shoebox!

Again, my grateful thanks for all that I have gleaned from you guys so far. You are a credit to this forum, and to the Jaguar community at large. I hope to continue to learn from you in such a friendly and enjoyable way.

 

[Dragos]

Welcome to the forum, some pics?

 

[Rob_H]

Welcome to the forum, some pics?

Thank you for the warm welcome, Dragos!
I don't yet know the proper etiquette for posting pics, but I'll give it a go!

 

[PaulTolga]

Welcome Rob!
That's a lovely spec car there. I am a big fan of those alloys on the XE. They suit it very well indeed. I'm sure people will be along to suggest all sorts of ways to improve your new toy. I have learned a lot here.
I see you worked the posting pictures just fine, so no excuses not to add more. They liven up the forum considerably.
Paul

 

[Dragos]

Lovely car Rob, enjoy. It's a Jaaaaaag

 

[Rob_H]

Welcome Rob!
That's a lovely spec car there. I am a big fan of those alloys on the XE. They suit it very well indeed. I'm sure people will be along to suggest all sorts of ways to improve your new toy. I have learned a lot here.
I see you worked the posting pictures just fine, so no excuses not to add more. They liven up the forum considerably.
Paul

Thank you for the kind compliments, Paul!
I'm now emboldened to happily add a few more photos.

I may be biased, but I find that these (dealership) photos don't do the car's design justice. I reckon it looks much better "in the flesh" (or aluminium). The car's spec is arguably pretty conservative and understated in appearance; it's not exactly sporty-looking or ostentatious. Understated, smart, and upmarket is how I'd describe its looks.

 

[IvorB1H]

Merry welcome lovely car

 

[PhilB]

When you upload pictures using the paperclip on the reply box, once loaded it gives the option of "Thumbnail" or "full image"
The advantage of a full image is people don't have to go clicking on thumbnails to see your pictures in a bigger format.
Just for info.
😉

 

[Rob_H]

Noted, PhilB. Thank you! A beautiful car and a fabulous shot, by the way. Looks very much as though that's the British Motor Museum near me in Warwickshire, if I'm not mistaken?

 

[PhilB]

Yep.
There's a thing called the "Jaguar Breakfast Club" that meets there on the first saturday of each month.
If you google it then dates and times are on their website.
A few of the reprobates from here sometimes turn up to chew the fat .......................
🙂

 

[Fighterpilot]

Welcome, mine is a 2015 model so I may, along with a few others with similar age cars,be able to help with any niggles if they occur. As the models were upgraded I have not really got to grips with later cars.

 

[BOBCDP]

Welcome to the forum.
I’m afraid you’re stuck with the existing navigation. You may be able to update what you have if it’s never been updated before but it’s really throwing money down the drain as the final update to the plug in memory card type was 2018.
I never found the sound system that bad but then I think expectations from younger owners are much higher than older owners who were lucky to have a radio, usually an extra, perhaps with a cassette and a single speaker or if you were very lucky 2 speakers🤣🤣. I just like a bit of background music and with all the other noises in a car I don’t expect hi fi. You might find you can play with the setup though to improve it.
As to no sound, my 20d used to do that now and again and sometimes would suddenly frighten the life out me rebooting and producing 2 loud bangs. It’s a computer on wheels and sometimes gets it’s knickers in a knot. 🤣🤣

 

[Rob_H]

Thanks very much, Fighterpilot and BOBCDP. I've delightedly followed many of your earlier posts, and have learnt a lot in the process. All absolutely invaluable insights that I would otherwise not have!

I don't want to come across as some kind of audiophile snob(!) but decent sound quality is quite high up on my wishlist. I probably exaggerated the system's limitations earlier. It's not unuseable by any means, but I'm giving the Meridian system a generous 5 out of 10, as it stands. I'm virtually certain that it needs a tweak or an update in order to really come to life.

I actually called Jaguar the other day to ask about ICT updates. I was told that there was a settings option to update software. I was pretty sure that the option didn't exist on my touchscreen, but I gave the listener the benefit of the doubt, regardless. So I went and looked again - in more forensic detail this time - and nope, it's really not there!

The hidden engineering menu gives me these details:

 

[mark.lewis]

OTA updates are only available on the Pro version. I did find mine was massively out of date but not sure on what the versions fix/introduce/improve

 

[Rob_H]

OTA updates are only available on the Pro version. I did find mine was massively out of date but not sure on what the versions fix/introduce/improve

Thanks v much, Mark. The Jaguar staff member didn't seem to accept that the stated age and model of my car would inevitably preclude any such OTA updates. Still, I'm hardly in any sort of position to argue against the experts themselves!

 

[bik3rz]

hi there, welcome to the fold

nice looking jaaaag you got there

 

[pauljobr]

Hi Rob,
Love the colour of your car, mine is the corris grey which is a lot lighter.
In regards to the navigation there are some 3rd party installs that allow CarPlay/Android Auto so that would give you some modern mapping, but it does cost a few hundred pound.

 

[chrisjp]

I have the Meridian 850w upgrade in my XE and, to be honest, I'm a bit underwhelmed by it. I play music off a USB stick with mp3 tracks on it and randomly I get tracks playing with either much reduced bass, or much reduced treble. I can compensate for either of these with the audio controls, of course, but I can't find one setting that gives good results for all the tracks. It might be said that I'm just experiencing limitations of the mp3 format, (or maybe problems with my ageing ears!) but the same USB stick sounds much better in other cars I've tried it in, without the random loss of treble or bass.

 

[Rob_H]

Thanks guys! @pauljobr, I have been hearing the same things about third-party devices for CarPlay. It’s all new to me, I must admit. They can’t all be wrong! As an Apple user, it could be a great fit for me. I have been reading another user’s thread about the Road Top system, and that does appeal. I’ll probably have to ask the OP a few more detailed questions in order to figure out if it meets my needs.

 

[Rob_H]

I have the Meridian 850w upgrade in my XE and, to be honest, I'm a bit underwhelmed by it. I play music off a USB stick with mp3 tracks on it and randomly I get tracks playing with either much reduced bass, or much reduced treble. I can compensate for either of these with the audio controls, of course, but I can't find one setting that gives good results for all the tracks. It might be said that I'm just experiencing limitations of the mp3 format, (or maybe problems with my ageing ears!) but the same USB stick sounds much better in other cars I've tried it in, without the random loss of treble or bass.

Cheers for the feedback, Chris. As far as I can tell, my system is the 300-odd Watt Meridian one with 11 speakers. There are so many potential variables of course (bitrate, sound-proofing, personal acoustic taste, ambient/ engine noise, ICT software configuration etc). I’m not in the hunt for perfection; but something that beats muddy + mediocre. Hopefully that’s not too much to ask!

It’s old-school I know, but I play my iPod Classic 160GB through the car’s USB input. Many of my tracks are ripped in Apple’s lossless format, but not all. Since it’s always sounded great in every other car I’ve driven, I’m convinced that improvements can be made! 😄