Jaguar XJ

Jaguar XJ Overview

The Jaguar XJ is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, full-size flagship luxury sedan hailed from the now Indian owned British marque from Coventry, England. Despite the foreign ownership, Jaguar is still quintessentially British, offering sporty vehicle dynamics with a touch of opulent British luxury.

The exclusive full-size luxury sedan segment is predominantly occupied by the German automakers and dominated by none other than the segment’s default class leader, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, followed closely by the BMW 7 Series and the Audi A8. The Jaguar XJ aims to challenge the status quo.

The now fourth-generation Jaguar XJ facelift (codenamed the X351) made its official debut in Malaysia back in 2016, sporting a revised front fascia that undoubtedly draws inspiration from the successful Jaguar XF. 2017 line-up saw the drop of the higher capacity supercharged V6 petrol and diesel engines, leaving the 2.0 L Ti Luxury variant the sole model on offer. Priced from RM 658,490, the fully imported model is aimed squarely at the similarly priced Mercedes-Benz S 560 e Exclusive.   

Jaguar XJ Eksterior

The Jaguar XJ’s ‘teardrop’ shape is not only pleasing to the eye but is also formed for an optimum aerodynamic efficiency while maximizing fuel economy. The sheer length of the car is further emphasized by the chrome outlined side windows, accentuating the elongated form of the car.The front fascia exhibit design cues inspired by the smaller Jaguar XF, featuring slim LED headlights with Jaguar’s unique double J blade LED daytime running light design. 

Also featured is Jaguar’s imposing front mesh grille accented in chrome and a sporty side air vents featuring J blade chrome element.The Jaguar XJ's exudes commanding road presence thanks to its low and wide stance, emphasized by the pronounced shoulder haunch and taut waistline. Despite the dramatically slopping roofline, the cabin feels airy and spacious thanks to the expansive panoramic roof.Finishing touches at the rear include the dual elliptical tailpipes and a pair of vertical LED taillight that incorporate Jaguar’s distinctive pinstripe graphic that showcases the so-called 'ribbon of light'. 

The Jaguar XJ despite in the standard long wheelbase (LWB) form is only marginally longer than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (6mm) and is in fact shorter than both the BMW 7 Series and the Audi A8. Thanks to its lightweight all-aluminium body construction, it has the lightest kerb weight amongst the competitions, weighing in at just 1,755 kg while most rivals are pulling in at around the 2 tonne mark.

Jaguar XJ Interior

As with most vehicle in this class, the Jaguar XJ is designed primarily to be chauffeur driven. Being a LWB model, the rear occupants get to practically lounge in the back with an impressive 1.1 m legroom. Headroom is adequate too despite the slopping roofline. The full width heat-reflective panoramic glass roof sweeps all the way back over the rear seats.

The standard soft grain perforated leather seats option fitted on the Jaguar, particularly on the fixed rear bench, is comparatively less luxurious compared to the back seats in the Mercedes-Benz S Class. That said, it does come with a wide choice of high-quality leather with different colours to choose from.

The quality of the interior craftsmanship is second to none. Dashboard design is contemporary yet classic at the same time. Classic features like the handcrafted wood veneer, Jaguar premium analog clock and the circular turbine style air vents complements the more modern virtual instrument cluster and the Jaguar signature rising rotary gear selector very well.

Jaguar XJ Features

Standard equipment includes adaptive LED headlights with auto high beam assist, heated power fold auto-dimming exterior mirror with puddle lamp and memory function, 19-inch Aleution, power open boot with adjustable opening and a self-leveling rear air suspension.

Driver gets a 12.3-inch fully digital virtual instrument display, a single-view 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display featuring InControl Touch Pro with enhanced connectivity and powerful Intel Quad Core Processor for seamless touch response, a 10-way power adjustable front seats with 4-way electric lumbar adjust and a 3 spoke soft grain leather steering wheel.

The phosphor blue halo illumination and the interior mood lighting adds to the interior ambiance. Creature comfort like the 4-zone automatic climate control with air filtration and humidity sensing, electric rear window sunblind and a premium Meridian digital surround sound system (825 Watt) with 20 speakers is also included as standard.

Safety wise, the Jaguar comes fitted with 8 airbags, Dynamic Stability Control, All Surface Progress Control (ASPC) that helps the car in low traction condition and EBA among other things. Advanced driver assistant features include Pedestrian Contact Sensing, 360 Park Distance Control, Surround Camera System, Park Assist (Parallel, bay, exit), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and cruise control with automatic speed limiter.

Jaguar XJ Driving Performance

Powering the rear wheels is Jaguar’s 2.0 litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, developing 240 PS at 5,500 RPM and 340 NM of torque from 2,000 RPM. Century sprint is dealt with within 7.9 seconds and up to a maximum speed of 241 km/h.

With the bigger engine variants dropped, the Jaguar XJ is at a significant power disadvantage being the only car in the full-size luxury sedan segment in Malaysia to offer an inline 4-cylinder engine while the German’s are offering a minimum of 6 cylinders. Nevertheless, its excellent power-to-weight ratio helps make up for the power deficit thanks to the ultra-lightweight body.

The engine is mated to a ZF 8-speed electronic automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift, driving the rear wheels. Featuring Jaguar’s unique rotary drive selector that rises from the centre console on start up. Jaguar Drive Control (Dynamic, Normal and Winter mode) interacts with the onboard Dynamic Stability Control system to alter the characteristics of the engine, throttle, brakes as well as the gear shifts mapping

Jaguar XJ Fuel Consumption

Fuel consumption is rated at 8.4L/100km with a CO2 emission of 199g/km, a fuel guzzler even when compared to the Audi A8 3.0 litre TFSI Quattro V6 engine.

Jaguar XJ Ride Comfort

Do not be fooled by its hefty size. The Jaguar XJ's all-aluminium body architecture is not only strong and rigid but also extremely light, making it highly responsive and light on its feet. Based on the JLR D2a aluminium alloy platform, the long wheelbase Jaguar XJ’s rear air suspension replaces conventional steel springs with pneumatic air springs that specially recalibrated to optimise comfort, providing ‘limousine’ like ride quality.

Adaptive Dynamics system continually monitors the car up to 500 times a second, working in conjunction with the air suspension to constantly varies the damping to suit the prevailing surface conditions while keeping the Jaguar XJ flat and stable without compromising ride comfort.

Jaguar XJ Conclusion

There is no full-size luxury sedan that handles quite like the Jaguar XJ thanks to the lightweight all-aluminium chassis with a sophisticated suspension setup. While most luxury sedan are designed primarily to be chauffeured in, the Jaguar XJ is a car that one would not mind getting behind the wheel of. 

If you want to drive as much as to be driven in, perhaps the sportier Porsche Panamera can deliver a similar driving dynamic but comes with an even heftier price premium. Being the only 4-cylinder engine in the segment, it is definitely on a backfoot compared to the rivals. And due to its high entry price and limited local presence, the Jaguar XJ remains to be the less popular choice compared to its competition.