The flagship finally sails in. Is the Jaguar XJ the wait?
I ONCE SAW current Minister of Human Settlements Tokyo Sexwale arrive at a gala dinner at the head of a fleet of previous gen
Jaguar XJs. As I settled in to drive the newest, even more upmarket version, I had to wonder what Toyko would think of the new car, considering he has urged cabinet members to spend less on transport, and to look at downscaling from their profligate
S-Class Mercs and
BMW 7s.
JAG XJ IMAGES
My advice to Toyko? He should swap the back seat for the front seat of the new
XJ, because it takes off where the
XF underpinnings falter. The big cat feels light and agile for its size, turning in sharply, holding its line and tracking beautifully out of turns.
Put it down to the latest air suspension with continuously variable damping, a trick electronic differential and quick ratio steering, allied to an all-aluminium body which is
150kg lighter than any of the rivals. A few creaks at the upper limits expose the car’s positioning as a supple cruiser rather than a racer, but most owners, statesmen among them, will see that as a strength.
Visually, the
XJ breaks with the uniformity of the past, design director Ian Callum boldly taking forward the
XF front end, adding a swooping coupe profile and ending in a rear that polarises opinion. No argument with the low drag coefficient of 0.29, the panoramic sunroof that expands interior space for the amply accommodated five occupants (long wheelbase version adds another
125mm of rear legroom) or the generous boot with its 520-litre capacity.
The interior is a tactile and visual fest of wood grain, stitched leather and piano black, inspired by the opulence of Reva ski boats. Switchgear is claimed to be unique to
XJ, though the knurled aluminium DriveSelect rotary gear control, which rises theatrically on start-up, looks close to the equivalent item on
Discovery 4. New safety systems, including adaptive cruise control, borrow from the German and Swedish books of tricks, but the 8-inch dual-view touchscreen driver interface (which allows the driver to use the satnav while passengers watch a DVD), is an established
Range Rover standard. It might not all be as intuitive as, say,
Audi’s
MMI interface, but what’s clear is that Jaguar plugs all the connectivity bases, with its hard-drive based media hub offering CD/DVD, radio, digital or analogue TV, Bluetooth connectivity and auxiliary inputs for devices from iPods to smart phones. And the optional
1200W Bowers &
Wilkins audio system is sublime – on par with Bentley’s Naim or Audi’s B&O.
The local XJ line-up will consist of two
3.0-litre diesels and four
5.0-litre petrols, all coupled to a shift-by-wire six-speed ZF auto transmission. The
202kW sequential twin turbo
V6 diesel shunts the
XJ from
0-100kph in
6.4 seconds, while the
283kW entry natasp
V8 petrol does the job in
5.7secs, the
346kW supercharged version in 5.2secs and the flagship
375kW version in
4.9secs. A high level of spec is standard, with three trim levels – Premium, Luxury and Supersport – and pricing from
R920 000 to
R1590 000 (see our GBU buying guide). Allocation numbers are being limited, so even if you are downscaling as Tokyo advises, get that order in quick. Our call? The entry petrol V8 is plenty.