2015 Jaguar XJ is the future of luxury cars
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Tags: 2015 Jaguar XJ, Automobile, Cars, Jaguar, Jaguar XJ, XJ
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The 2015 Jaguar XJ is the luxury brand’s largest offering, and its flagship model. Yet an aluminum body and structure keep it from being a heavyweight.
It’s built on a pretty daring design and represents a big departure from the nameplate’s history; meanwhile, this model’s relative lightness imparts nimble handling and a smaller, sportier feel.
Whereas the former XJ was stuck in an era of doilies and high tea, the current car drops the need for caffeine entirely. It starts with a fresh, contemporary design, including a drop-dead gorgeous roofline, a sail-away rear pillar, and runway-model sensibilities, from its embossed grille to its bugle-beaded LED taillamps. The rear-end styling can be polarizing; its tucked-in look can look either understyled or delightfully different, depending on your eye. And the endless rings of brightwork inside could have used some censoring–or an option to tone that down a bit.
At the base level, the Jaguar XJ comes equipped with a 340-horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V-6. With 0-60 mph times of 5.7 seconds, it’s within eight tenths of the supercharged V-8, yet returns much better gas mileage (27 mpg on the highway). XJs with the V-6 are available with rear- or all-wheel drive, and with either the standard or long wheelbase. The all-wheel-drive system has a rearward torque bias, although Jaguar notes that it’s intended for foul weather and not performance. The addition of all-wheel drive last year finally put Jaguar in the discussion for luxury buyers in places like the northeast.
From there, you can step up to rear-drive versions with either of two strengths of supercharged 5.0-liter V-8—the 470-hp Supercharged models or the 550-hp XJRs. Again, these are both available with a short or extended wheelbase. The quickest of the bunch, the XJR, hits 60 in a thrilling 4.7 seconds. The XJR also benefits from a stiffer suspension, a front aero splitter, a subtle rear spoiler, and various interior upgrades.
Throughout the model line, the engines are mated to eight-speed ZF automatics, and shift quality is quick and smooth (save for too much downshift delay in Drive), with a more performance-oriented shift program in ‘S’ mode as well as a Dynamic mode that provides sharper shifts and some rev-matching (along with other important changes to the adaptive damping system and stability control).
The XJ feels almost shockingly lean and light from behind the wheel, which makes sense since compared to German luxury flagships it weighs several hundred pounds less. With an all-aluminum structure, it builds in a deft handling edge, and with this generation, the long-storied ride isolation of Jaguar is history, replaced by an athletic, taut feel. Factor in the adaptive damping system, however, and the electronics manage to filter out minor road imperfections without spoiling any of the fun. Big ventilated disc brakes with brake drying and good pedal feel match the XJ’s crisp feel, and Z-rated tires of up to 20 inches stick tenaciously.
Inside, the physical closeness of the XJ’s interior makes it feel more sporting. The seats are firmer and flatter, with more adjustments and heating and ventilation, but there’s less head and leg room in front and, especially, in back. It’s tight at the knees on either side of the front console, but leg room is lavish, especially on long-wheelbase cars. There’s one significant letdown, though; that’s the limited headroom in back, due to a roofline that’s just a bit lower than perhaps it should be.
Standard safety equipment is respectable, with six airbags, anti-lock brakes, and traction and stability control; there’s also a blind-spot alert system built into each XJ, while adaptive cruise control is an available option. But items like lane-keep systems, head-up displays, and night-vision systems–optional on the German flagship models–aren’t anywhere to be seen here.
If technology is one of the primary means by which you judge a luxury car, you should probably walk away from the XJ. It’s missing the sorts of world-first tech options you’ll find on rivals–and its infotainment and navigation systems are upstaged by vehicles costing a small fraction as much. Menus are hard to find and decipher, there’s a delay between tapping the display and getting a result, and the overall experience is clunky.
That said, the XJ lineup will wow you in traditional ways, with unparalleled comfort, plush interior appointments, and stunning trims. The supple semi-aniline leather and real wood veneers go a long way; meanwhile heated front and rear seats, ventilated and massaging front seats, and ventilated rear seats are available on most versions. And with Jaguar’s service plan paying for everything except gas and tires for the first five years or 50,000 miles, erasing that worry is an added luxury.
The 2015 Jaguar XJ, like the competition from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, spans a wide pricing range, from about $75k up to more than $120k for the top models.
By Bengt Halvorson
Awesome review on Jaguar! Loving it!
I honestly think jaguar has beaten the Germans…. same with all British cars. I’m Italian and i love the Italian cars, no they aren’t the fastest and no they aren’t the most technologically advanced, but they pay the most attention to detail and are mostly hand made (or as hand made as possible with the materials they use)… but what makes them feel special is the attention to the details the time and effort someone took to put that together, and you realize that the reason this person did this stitching of the interior or put together the engine is because cars are their personal passion, what the people of the nation live and breathe and that’s cars, that being said my love letter too Italian cars is over.
Jaguar and Aston, rolls, and eagle etc.. are better than the Germans for this same reason, the cars they make aren’t for business persons but people who truly love cars, like Italian cars the British cars have soul (albeit not quite in an Italian way) and the details in the British cars are spot on.. the Germans think that speed and specs solve everything but the fact is that it doesn’t. as they continue to introduce technologies that take away from the driving experience and use technologies that allow them to put details in cheaply, you loose the most important piece of the car, and that’s how it makes you feel.. is it stirring your soul and making you fall in love? or do you know that its just another car that was pressed in a factory that goes like the clappers but ultimately leaves you feeling cold… whats the point in having all the power in the world if it doesn’t make you feel special? good on you jag for putting cars out there that are relatively attainable to the common man that deliver what we’ve lost in cars and have been in search of ever since.
Mate, I would hardly say Italian car makers put the have the most attention to detail, Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s have been built terribly for years now, and the interiors were not designed well, the stitching is nothing compared to a Bentley, Roll’s or even Aston, there is no wood work, same with most Italian car’s. I like the exterior of Maserati’s, but the interior is the same case as all the other Italian cars, ugly, and not made of quality materials, and not hand built. In a Ferrari nobody spends hours sewing the seats together or anything, to think so is a mistake, some things are done by hand, but not many, and not to a degree of competence I find to be acceptable. But just my opinion, I am just a guy on the internet haha.
ahh yes waiting for that one guy who tries to say that British cars are better. but they aren’t, in the the past and even now Ferrari have been decked out in leather completely. even the headliner is leather, you won’t find wood because of the geography of the country. in England there is all sorts of wood for the cars and the empire also allowed the wood to be imported. in Italy its not like that. so they look toward actual design where as in Britain all the cars have the exact same interior… wood leather and no creative design that makes the interior of the car beautiful. in a Ferrari or Lamborghini, there is literal art work in the cars, there is sculpturing there that isn’t on any other car, the interiors of Italian cars are absolutely gorgeous, and yes the interiors are completely hand stitched to think they aren’t is not true do some research because I’ve seen videos of people stitching the cars together, and the cars are as hand assembled as they can be. unlike the rolls and Astons, this is because the engineering of the cars is way more advanced to a point where human hands just don’t have the accuracy to produce the work by hand. furthermore the engines are better, the gearboxes are better. they drive better and are literally the only cars that truly have soul that isn’t found in any other car. furthermore, you never see automotive reviewers look at the interiors of the Italian cars because the rest of the car is so much more than that. that is not the case with many cars you’ve listed… the interior of those cars are basically the reason why one would own those cars, the Aston martin interiors are just like those out of Italy if not worse. furthermore you cannot tell me about British craftsmanship because it is known for horrible quality. the Aston martin db7 had door handles from an mx5 and you are trying to tell me about Italian cars? have you ever heard of pagani? the interiors on those cars is of a way higher quality than anything out of England. furthermore you’re trying to tell me that they aren’t as good? plz go do some research on Italian cars especially up coming Italian cars because they put other cars to shame
Whoah Whoah Whoah, hold your breath! You just stated that Ferrari’s ‘won’t have wood because of the geography of the country’! Number 1: As far as I’m aware Italy has forests and woodland as well as the UK and Number: Not all British cars have the same interior! A Mini Cooper does not have the same interior as a Land Rover Defender! Sure, if Italian interiors are your favourite, fair enough it just your opinion but don’t try and justify that by telling blatant lies about Brit and Italian cars. I rest my case.
Okay… the trees in Italy are not suitable for making interiors in the same way that the trees in England are. furthermore that’s true not all the interiors are the same. but once you get to a certain a level they pretty much are, a jaguar is decked out in wood and leather. so is a rolls and so is a Bentley as is Morgan, not a bad interior but in my opinion there’s no sculpture, no artistic design to the interior of a British car. where as on Italian cars there is… furthermore you tell me I’m lying about British cars…. when in actual fact i find your subjective views regarding British cars to allow you to perceive such nonsense. i said they were badly made, that’s completely true, in the past British craftsmanship has not been known to be the best or anywhere near the highest quality. Jeremy Clarkson often says (only enough when he’s reviewing a hand built British car) that the door feel like its going to fall off. but where as when he drove the alfa romeo disco volante, he said it feel like its mass produced. That right there is the difference. but don’t get me wrong the British have produced some fantastic cars over the years. though not reliable or particularly well made, they were beautiful and fast. the best British cars after all did have american engines, cars like the cobra, interceptor, the allard, etc..