Light Weight, Style, Dynamics
by Graeme Giles (10 Mar 03)

Those of you with long memories - and you would have to be, how shall I put this, of "a certain age" - may just remember the Jaguar Mark X. Rolled out in 1961, the same year the company acquired Daimler, it was, at 17 feet long and tipping the scales at 4171 lbs, Jaguar's biggest car.

Now compare that with the new XJ series, the first deliveries of which are scheduled to start next month. It is the same length, damned near the same width, yet, at its heaviest, weighs just 3671 pounds.

Nor, in fact, is it necessary to go back more than 40 years for impressive comparisons. Despite being bigger all round than the outgoing XJ, the new car is a remarkable 40% lighter, yet has a bodyshell which is 60% stiffer. The reason? Jaguar has switched from steel to aluminium for this seventh-generation XJ range.

Ah, I hear you say, taking a leaf out of Audi's book, which uses the lightweight alloy both in its A8 flagship saloon and in the small, quirky A2. Well, yes and no. Yes, the material is the same but, whereas the Germans favour a space frame construction, Jaguar has gone down the monocoque route which, it claims, yields greater weight saving.

And that is the key reason why the famous XJ6 badge makes a welcome return, the Jaguar bosses being perfectly relaxed about slotting the three-litre V6 from the X-Type and S-Type into what is, after all, a BIG car.

But I digress. The nice thing about the new Jag is that it is patently an XJ. At 200 paces, let along 20, its well-proportioned and familiar styling cues ensure it cannot be mistaken for anything other than Jaguar's flagship saloon.

Styling Gets The Nod

At the on-going international press launch at Seville in Spain the group of motoring writers I accompanied, some of whom nit-pick about aspects of the smaller Jaguars' styling, were unanimous that design director Ian Callum and his team had come up with a handsome, beautifully proportioned shape.

Cramped accommodation, especially for those sitting in the back of the standard-wheelbase car, was an oft-heard grouse about the previous model. The new XJ answers that criticism by providing significantly more headroom, leg and knee room, and shoulder space. The boot, too, gains much-needed extra capacity - at 16.6 cubic feet it is 25% bigger.

Now, let's delve under the skin. Four engines are available. I've already mentioned the entry level V6, which totes 240bhp. Next up is the first of the trio of V8s. The new 3.5-litre unit is a short stroke, 262bhp variant of the 4.2-litre, 300bhp normally aspirated eight. Sitting atop the powerplant tree is the supercharged 400bhp V8.

All new XJs are fitted with a six-speed German-sourced automatic gearbox (there is no manual option), which features Jaguar's trademark J-gate shift, now with electronic signalling.

With less weight to lug around - and we're talking the equivalent of three fully-grown adults - the new cars accelerate more quickly yet use less fuel than their predecessors.

Self-levelling air suspension - with sport or comfort settings, depending on the model - is standard fit across the range with the latest incarnation of Jaguar's Computer Active Technology Suspension or CATS for short.

Inside, the traditional Jaguar craftsmanship and materials - copious use of wood and leather - are very much to the fore, along with the bells and whistles you would expect in this class of car.

Spiky Remarks To Munich

Hi-tech kit is available if the buyer seeks it but, in a thinly disguised sideswipe at the rival BMW 7-Series, Jaguar insists owners do not have to be a computer programmer to operate the XJ. Customer clinics, says the company, highlighted real opposition to "gratuitous technology" and so the features which are fitted, such as advanced telematics and communications systems, and touch screen operation for climate control and satellite navigation, are there to ease the driver's load or enhance passenger comfort.

Eight variants of the new Jaguar XJ are available and, underlining its aggressive pricing policy, Jaguar points out that three of them undercut the cheapest S-Class Mercedes-Benz.

With SE and Sport models priced the same the full list is: 3.0 V6 £39,000, 3.0 Sport £42,250, 3.0 SE £42,250, 3.5 SE £48,000, 4.2 Sport £51,500, 4.2 SE £51,500, XJR £58,500, and Super V8 £68,500. The latter, incidentally, features the same supercharged engine as the XJR, but softer suspension settings and an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink specification.

Insurance ratings span from 15E to 19E and Jaguar claims best in class BIK figures - a crucial consideration in the boardroom, no doubt.

I drove three of the new XJ Jaguar saloons on the press launch - a 3.0 V6, a 3.5 SE and an XJR. Banish any thoughts that the six-cylinder engine will be found wanting in this application. It zips that lightweight body along in impressive style, sprinting to 60mph in 7.8 seconds and only sounding a trifle strained right at the top of its rev range.

The entry-level V8 is a delight, silky smooth, responsive and muscular when under the cosh. It shaves half a second off the benchmark sprint time and would be my choice for UK conditions. The supercharged XJR delivers genuine iron-fist-in-velvet-glove acceleration at any speed (for example, 0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds), accompanied by a distinctive rasp from the supercharger when giving of its all.

The new six-speed transmission scores ten out of ten for both throttle response and its ability to slur from one ratio to the next. Very impressive.

The Big Change

But the real eye-opener is the XJ's handling. The conventional suspension of the old car - XJR apart - was tuned with comfort to the fore. Motorway and main road handling was fine, but twisty, uneven B roads emphasised the Jaguar's slight lack of body control over dips and crests.

Not any more. Regardless of the going, the new air-suspended XJ feels taut, alert and agile with very communicative steering. From behind the wheel it does not "feel" like a big car.

And this is not achieved at the expense of ride quality. Certainly the car feels stiffer than its predecessor, but no less compliant or comfortable. In fact, just like the driver, I suspect passengers will appreciate the car's superior body control. They will certainly savour the extra room, especially in the back, and the sheer quality of the Jaguar's interior, which is beautifully screwed together.

Noise suppression is outstanding. Mechanical din is minimal, as is tyre thrum on smooth Spanish tarmac. Whether or not that remains the case on pockmarked British surfaces remains to be seen. Tailoring an ideal driving position is simple, thanks to an electronically adjustable steering column and (by rotating the adjuster through a quarter turn) accelerator and brake pedals. That facility will be much appreciated by the vertically challenged.

Complaints? Well, the brake pedal on all the cars I tried was a tad mushy. Nothing wrong with the Jaguar's anchors, however, as I discovered when, for some inexplicable reason, a Seat Toledo driver decided to emergency-stop in front of the V6 on a long fast straight. Past his siesta time, I suspect.

As for the new Jaguar XJ? I would suggest "quite magnificent" sums it up rather nicely.

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