The shiny new Jaguar Land Rover Halifax store is open

I don’t spend much time in car dealerships although I love looking at new vehicles and daydreaming. Showrooms are usually crowded and it’s difficult to get a good look at any vehicle or how the paint colour looks in natural light. Even the size of the vehicle is hard to judge.

When John Gwynne-Timothy, General Manager of Jaguar Land Rover Halifax, invited us to check out their shiny new dealership, which opened on June 1, 2020, on Livingstone Street in Halifax, I was interested but I wasn’t expecting to be so wowed.

Walking through the wide, glass front doors, I gasp. On my left, an array of all-white Jaguar cars and utility vehicles, including the F-Pace, E-Pace and all-electric I-Pace, greet me. On my right, an all-white assortment of Land Rover beauties beckoned; the Range Rover Evoque, Velar and the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The expansive room, edged by floor-to-ceiling windows, is minimalist, stylish and beautifully designed. I especially love the tasteful wall art, two gigantic photos, one featuring a Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge, the other a scene of Nova Scotia’s iconic Peggy’s Cove.

John proudly states that this new JLR dealership is the only one in Canada that was given the chance to display local images. Everything else, right down to the type of materials used on the floor in the service bay area and in the walkway outside, is mandated by the global corporate standards of Jaguar Land Rover.

John also lets us in on a secret: it was his wife’s idea to have all white vehicles on display in the showroom, making it easier to see the differences in the lines, design and size between one vehicle and another without the distraction of colour. I think she is on to something!

Before coming for our tour of the dealership, Garry had suggested a game (surprise surprise). We each would have a certain amount of money to fake-spend.

I spot my desired vehicle almost immediately, a 2020 Jaguar F-type coupé. Two subtle checkered flags, one on the rear and one in the front grille, tell me this six-cylinder 380-horsepower all-wheel drive F-Type is outfitted with a special edition package that commemorates 70 years of Jaguar sports cars.

I start visualizing the sultry stunner in our driveway and me tooling around town looking like the cat’s pyjamas.

The price, sadly, is slightly over my fake-budget. I beg Garry for some of his share. He’s not budging. On with the tour.

Behind the reception desk is a sleek personal area where you can use the techie screens to customize your vehicle. You can also pick up some upscale, refined merchandise to match the Land Rover or Jaguar of your choosing.

Walking through the bright dealership is a calming, sophisticated experience.

Driving in for service at Jaguar Land Rover Halifax is a delight. No need to wait outside in the weather. You drive your vehicle through the garage door into a modern bright ‘tunnel’. At the entrance, your vehicle undergoes an autonomous alignment audit, using 32 lasers and eight cameras. The completely unmanned system, by Hunter Engineering Company, scans your vehicle’s wheels as you drive through without stopping.

I’m on the verge of forgetting the little game we’re playing when, around the corner sits a beautiful F-type convertible, top down. Its fiery Mars-red interior practically sings my name. I sit in the driver’s seat. I sigh. I look at the price.

Oh, this one will do just fine.

Thanks for the tour, John. Congratulations to you and the Steele Auto Group team on the elegant new Jaguar Land Rover dealership now open in Halifax.