Modern Art Monday is a new series which will focus on an newer cars, and the specific highlights that stand out in their design.
Lately I have been thinking of tail lights. I was about to go with the current design of the BMW 5-Series but then I remembered a Jaguar event I attended for a customer (of which I am not one) reveal of the all new XJ sedan. I loved the iconic style of the old model, and I was prepared to dislike this new one out of spite. However, the design elements on it really surprised me and one area that still stands out in my mind is the style of the tail lights.
The tail light here flows with the body line perfectly, and the three distinct LED strips shine brightly at night. This isn’t just a box with some bulbs – this is form and function working together to create modern functional art.
For comparison, here is the last tail light style prior to this one:
This older look fit in well with the more classic style of the previous generation XJ… but the new one shows that the company is continuing to move towards fresh designs wrapped around well built cars.
Tail Light – Jaguar XJ
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16 responses to “Tail Light – Jaguar XJ”
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I never really saw the detail in that taillamp before, it looks nice now that it's been pointed out. Very modern, something the XJ hasn't had in a while.
I'm a fan of the Caddy CTS's lamps, with their "light pipes" that accent the sides of the fixtures, both front and rear. GM's really added some cool touches to the Cadillac lamps designs. Another is the new SRX, which not only has the light pipes, but Cadillac wreath and crest logos inside the fixture as well. It adds a little class to a lineup of vehicles that need as much help as they can get.-
I was in traffic next to a new SRX last week.
I've no use for a 40-50k compact luxury crossover, but the lights were really striking: perfectly white LED headlights and the tail lights were really sharp.-
Yeah, the price gets up there in a hurry, but it starts under $40k, right where the Lexus RX is priced. And for once, GM actually has something in the SRX that can actually compete head to head with the Lexus. But I'm with you, I paid quite a bit less than $30k for my loaded TrailBlazer, and it's actually capable of towing a trailer and has room for 4 adults comfortably and their luggage. Those little CUVs typically don't.
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CUVs: all of the drawbacks of real SUVs, none of the benefits.
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<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2607/3789372083_fc29fa3a68_b.jpg" width="500">
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That color is AARP maroon.
Black, please.
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I think it's a shame that they no longer use that same shape tail light (which has been used since the 1970s).
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I am torn by the new XJ. Personally, I like the old styling. It was classic. Timeless. Svelte. Now they've gone for edgy, muscular and modern. No longer is the XJ indicative of understated British luxury. It now screams, "Look at me!" It has more in common with the nuveau riche than with royalty.
It isn't a bad looking car. Don't get me wrong. I spent some time with one at the auto show last week. I actually like the styling. Just not on an XJ. They should have called it something else.-
My exact thoughts as well.
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I agree, the XJ was timeless. It always made me laugh when people would say that you can't tell the new one from the old one. The differences from generation were always, in my eyes at least, easily discernable. The heritage was easily recognizable in each design, but you could tell that it was new. Nobody ever bitches about 911s looking too similar to the last generation, or how the new Morgan looks like it's straight out of the '30s, or even how the Range Rover has looked nearly the same since the '80s, so why was it so bad for Jaguar to keep the gorgeous style of the XJ for so long? Now it just looks like a larger XF to me, and although that's not a bad thing, it's not that much different than the other anonymous luxury sedans out there today. I mourn the loss of a classic design in the old XJ.
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I have to stick up for the new design here. If you believe that no one complains about the 911 looking the same, or even the last generation XJ, you must be new to the internet. Which is populated by fools. I am an undying fan of both the 911 and the XJ through every facelift, but nothing stays the same forever. And frankly, we have a gorgeous design being replaced by another gorgeous design, a rare feat in the automotive world. They didn't ruin it like the E-Type, instead definitively replacing the old design, and perfecting the language promised, but never delivered by the XF.
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Oh, I know there were lots of people who have been complaining about the XJ's design for years. I just never got it. Like the 911, Range Rover, etc. the XJ was always evolutionary, never revolutionary. It was always understated and clean, never heavy and chiseled. Like I said, I don't mind the new design. It's a very striking car. It's just not an XJ. Call me old school or conservative, but I personally think they ruined what the XJ is.
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I bet if they came out with an Eddie Bauer edition XJ, you'd be all for it.
(I sense a lame frame rust joke coming…) -
i could never convince my wife on the benefits of owning a 2nd hand XJR because through her eyes the design was just soooo old and basically smelt of old people – even with M5 equally performance, the styling was distinctly old man…
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Great blog post.Really looking forward to read more.
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