2011 Jaguar XJ: From Jurassic to the 21st Century!

In 2009, Jaguar sold 77 units of the XJ in Canada. Otherwise put, it was a miserable year. And things weren’t much better south of the border, when you look at per capita sales. But Jaguar’s luck should change for the better with the arrival of the new XJ, which is expected to roll into dealerships any day now, or within two weeks at the latest.

The 2011 XJ is miles, or should I say light-years, ahead of its predecessor. So much so, in fact, that wonder whether Jaguar would have been better off changing its name. In the U.S., where manufacturers ditch well-known names faster than a gardener can pull out a dandelion, the question would never even have been asked. Like other recent Jaguar creations, the all-aluminium body is the work of Ian Callum, one of the most influential designers out there today. The front end is inspired by the slightly smaller XF sedan, while the rear is very bold for a Jaguar and as such is more controversial. The low roof line that stretches on and on – especially in the long wheelbase version – is underlined by tail lights that come up high on the fenders, a little like the Citroën C6. When the XJ launched, opinions were divided, but a drive through Beverly Hills (where people have generally seen it all) proved to us that this car leaves no one indifferent. Whether it’s parked on the side of the road or burning down the highway, the XJ, with its sporty and stocky lines, has a presence that the old generation had lost.

Inside, they’ve retained some of that signature vintage Jaguar look. The style of the gauges, located in an HD screen, is traditionally English, while the oversize air vents add a certain something. Naturally, real-wood appliques are the right choice for this car, but, a sign of the times perhaps, carbon appliques are also available. As we’ve come to expect, the interior is swathed in noble leather, and the few bits of plastic are of excellent quality. The various panels are assembled with care, and absolutely no noise from the vehicle made its way in to disturb the tranquility aboard our test vehicles.

Short or long wheelbase?

Just like the last generation, two models of this XJ are available: one with a regular wheelbase, and another with a long wheelbase. On the latter, the rear doors are five inches (125 mm) longer. A ride in the back of an XJ L (the "L" is for "long") proved to us that there is no lack of space. The seats are very comfortable despite the fact that they are somewhat firm and their slippery leather makes for a rather mobile derriere. However, I sat in the middle seat just long enough to determine that I wasn’t particularly impressed with it. The more expensive versions have a folding table behind each of the front seats. Are they useful? I’m not sure about that, but they certainly are swanky. Despite what you might think, the trunk is not very big, and you can’t lower the back seats for extra storage. Not even a rear pass-through for skis. UN-AC-CEPT-ABLE!

Up front, the seats are very comfortable and do a great job hugging your body on tight curves. The steering wheel has a great feel to it – a far cry from the flimsy sausage ring found on older XJs. Facing the driver is a very complete digital instrument display, entirely in HD, thank you very much. Yes, there are needles, but they’re virtual. The advantage of this type of instrumentation is that it has fewer constraints in how it is presented, and you can even customize several parameters. Nestled right in the middle is a big console – clautrophobics would probably call it too big. This console features a knob, already seen on the XF and XK, that you rotate to shift gears. It’s practical, intuitive, and all the rage. At night, the illuminated dashboard is really spectacular. Also worth noting is the fact that the pillars holding up the roof are narrow enough to not compromise visibility – a pretty rare thing nowadays with safety being such a priority. And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the superb Bowers & Wilkins 1200W surround sound system. We weren’t able to test out the 600W base system, but we’re willing to bet it does a mean job, too!

One engine, 1365 horses and 1265 lbs-ft of torque

The hierarchy of this prestige sedan is XJ, XJ Supercharged (SC) and XJ Supersport. These three versions all come with either a regular or long wheelbase. And they all get a 5.0-litre V8. The poor man’s version delivers 385 hp and 380 lbs-ft of torque. Paired with a fine-tuned ZF six-speed automatic transmission, it can move this 1800 kg car from 0-100 km/hr in 5.7 seconds. That’s according to Jaguar and confirmed by my stopwatch.

For those who prefer to pack more punch (and part with more pennies...) there’s the XJ Supercharged which, as the name suggests, comes equipped with a supercharger. This accessory draws no less than 470 horses and 424 lbs-ft of torque from the 5.0-litre. An afternoon of test drives cost us, on average, 15.7 L/100 km. Of super fuel of course. Admittedly, we did play with the angle of the accelerator a few times... And like any fine English car, the accelerations were both powerful and suave. Whether you’re out and about in the city or simply off on a Sunday drive, the XJ SC is like a gentle kitten. But tap the accelerator and you awaken the animal inside, which lets out splendid roar. Meanwhile, the top of the line is the Supersport, a real road beast with 510 hp and 461 lbs-ft of torque. Sadly, we didn’t have the chance to try this one, but we have every reason to believe that once you’ve gone a mile in it, you never want to let it go.

Thanks to its ultra-rigid aluminium chassis and the extraordinarily well-calibrated adaptive pneumatic suspension, this vehicle sticks to the road with rare determination while remaining comfortable at all times. On tight turns you feel very little roll, and the steering (once Jaguar’s weak point) proves to be very precise and offers great feedback – a first for an XJ. As soon as the transmission control is set to Sport, the engine revs increase, and the pick-up is more pronounced.

This XJ is dynamic!

But things really get exciting when you put the vehicle in Dynamic with a touch of a button on the console. This puts the engine in attack mode, the transmission waits longer before up shifting (if you choose not to use the paddles behind the steering wheels of all the XJs – which would be a shame), the accelerator is more sensitive, the steering ratio becomes tighter and the suspension gets firmer. In short, it’s awesome. Especially in a Supercharged. What’s more, the XJ Supercharged and Supersport both come with Active Differential Control, which automatically adjusts the amount of torque sent to each rear wheel (as the XJ is RWD) depending on road conditions and the amount of power needed. After trying both the base XJ and the SC, I have to admit that the engineers at Jaguar did a mighty fine job. At no time on the thin whisps of windy road that feed into the Pacific Coast Highway did the XJ seem heavy or clumsy. And yet, it’s no featherweight, despite the extensive use of aluminium on it. Of course, the XJ is not as sporty as an XK-R, but that’s not what it was made for either.

Let’s talk $$$$$$

The price of the XJ starts at $88,000 for the base model and goes all the way up to $130,500 for the Supersport, with the Supercharged sitting in the middle at $104,000. Add between $3,000 and $7,500 for the long version (depending on the model). These prices may seem exorbitant at first glance, but the competition is much, much worse. The BMW 7-Series, Audi A8, Mercedes-Benz S-Class all cost tens of thousands more.

The Jaguar brand, which was well on its way to nowhere a few years ago, seems to be rekindling its flame. Reliability is still an issue that haunts the English brand, even if it no longer figures among the lemons according to J.D. Power. To improve its image in this regard, Jaguar now offers Platinum coverage, which consists of a full warranty (including oil changes, windshield wiper replacements, etc.) for five years or 80,000 km. Between you and me, that’s not among the most generous of offers... But the confidence of the big-wigs at Jaguar is enough to make you think that this brand will still be impressing drivers for many years to come!