This house is around the corner and down a block from our house, and I’ve noted the owner’s love for fine British steel in his carport: a TR-8 and a Jaguar XJ-S V12. Then we walked by it a week or two ago, and noticed that the Jag’s spot in the carport had been taken by a new acquisition, a Hyundai Ioniq5, my favorite new car, design-wise. Uh-oh.
The TR-8 seems safe for now. It has a lovely burble when the owner drives by. The Ioniq doesn’t.
Here sits the Jag, out in the rain. Don’t you know cats don’t like to get wet?
And here’s the clincher: we walked by this evening, and the Jag was gone. Out for a drive, or did it take off to look for a more loving home?
I call that new Korean styling “origami”. I think it’s very visually “fresh”, given that you don’t see much of it yet, and the compound curves festooned with blurbs on the current fleet seems a bit overdone and tired.
Unlike most new cars, they weren’t afraid to take Wedgewood Blue all the way to 2023.
This story was sad, I hope the XJ-S goes to a good home. The British Charger still appeals to me the same way the American one does.
That does not look good. A year or two in the open and XJS will grow rust spots and the leather crumbling. The Ionic would have none of that (does it have leather? Probably not, not fashionable anymore).
They wanted something smoother and torquier than the Triumph V8 and got the Jaguar V12. Then they wanted something smoother and torquier than the V12…and found it!
I hope the Jaguar went to a good home and not just the junkyard but can’t fault the new acquisition, an excellent new EV with tons of room, a far better seating position and visibility, and far fewer maintenance needs. And yes, the styling of the Ioniq5 is just as distinctive today as the XJS and TR8 were in their days.
I’ll take heat from both the E type purists and the F pace technophiles but this is my favorite Jaguar, in one of its best colors.
I like that the Ioniq did what Elon thought his vaporware Cybertruck would do with bringing back the origami. I definitely like the looks of it more than the prevailing soft egg shaped designs, but I’m not quite gaga over it, the thing is just as retro as a New Beetle, 05 Mustang or Mini Cooper, only Hyundai isn’t directly channeling one specific design source for its 70s hatch lines.
As much as I dig the British iron, there is much to be said for a new, or newer, vehicle you don’t have to futz with.
Not a fan of the Ioniq5’s looks, but it likely gets the job done, although I suspect the tech will be rather obtrusive, as with most modern personal transport.
Not a fan of that Hyundai but lots of people are, theres plenty about I;d be parking it in the rain and keep the Jag under cover, wet Jags rust.
While not a fan of foreign cars, Jaguars and ROLLS-ROYCE have always been exceptions. Anyone leaving a Jag out in the weather While a Hyundai is protected must have strudel in the noodle 🍜 🤔. HOPE the Jag finds a good home where it is appreciated 😀
589 MPH. That V12 is fast!
I was led to believe that the license plate revealed the owner must be a pilot. Now, I’ve been in aviation while, and the Jaguar fits the pilot/aviator profile… but not the other two cars.
The Ioniq5 is my favourite EV. If I were to buy an EV, this would be my first choice-that is if the wait isn’t a year, like it is now. Only Tesla has EVs in stock and with cut prices, they now qualify for the EV grant in Canada.
Last year in the province of British Columbia, 18% of all new cars were EVs and we are on track for 25% this year. It is a direct result of pricing pollution and road use.
I taught a group of Hyundai engineering MA students in 1995. At they time, they were reverse engineering everything and were quite ashamed of it. I told them to wait twenty-five years and see what the Korea auto industry is like. I knew their work ethic and attention to detail would translate into greatness soon enough.
The Koreans are going big into EVs and I have no doubt they will continue making new game changers like the Ioniq5.
The Hyundai should be parked outside beside the other appliance Prius.
The beautiful XJS. A pleasure to drive with that V12 wall of torque.
How sad to swap an XJS with a Hyunday. I wonder if the Triumph will also be gone soon.
Perhaps the guy is getting on a bit and XJ-Ss were always a bit of a struggle in enter/egress.
At least the Hyundai looks like something by Bertone or Italdesign from the early-seventies for the Turin show. There’s a bit of Pininfarina H.I.T. in it as well.
It’s kinda retrofreshing, if that’s a word…
Very close. The designer says he was inspired by the 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe Concept penned by Giugiaro. Some say it’s retro-futuristic, I like it but only time will tell if it endures.
I’ve driven the 5 and 6 in AWD form, each for a week, and they’re knockouts. EV torque has to be experienced to be appreciated. It’s different than ICE twist but more impressive in its immediacy, it’s punch. They handle well, too and are anything but appliances.
I enjoy returning to tradition in my sports car with its straight six and 6-speed manual, love to hear it spool up and enjoy its song at cruising speed. But the future of motoring is here and I love it.
And when the 5 is charged please put the Jag back. Rain bad for Jag.
Our neighbors who had an eclectic (though not as exotic as XJS and TR8) fleet of Passat W8 wagon 6 speed, pre-GM Saab, and Vanagon Westfalia have now whittled it down to two: the Westy and an Ioniq5. They LOVE the Ioniq.
I wonder if Hyundai et al will start making “engine burble” noises available like Shelby is with the Mustang Mach-E…..
H-K is doing some amazing things lately – very innovative. I should hear in the next 6 weeks whether or not my Maverick hybrid will actually get built. If it’s a no-go, all my Plan Bs are H-K plug-ins (depending on reasonable availability).
I like both the Ionic 5 and 6. Curiously, against prevailing convention, there doesn’t seem to be a shared “design language” between them – the Ionic 6 looks more Citroën than Hyundai, and the 5 doesn’t really resemble any car or car brand I can think of.
If you see them in person and study some of the details such as lighting and other small things there are similarities that kind of bring them together a bit. But it’s refreshing not just having the same sausage in different sizes.
The 5 looks a LOT like a Lancia Delta Integrale but at 120% size.
Or is the Hyundai in the car port for proximity to the charger?
^^THIS^^
Folks, I think we have a winner! 🙂