Jaguar XJ
Ratings
4 stars
Summary
Recommended. Get behind the excessively conservative styling and you'll find a brilliant luxury saloon.
Review
Don't let the XJ's retro design fool you - this is one of the most advanced passenger cars on the market. The XJ uses advanced weight-saving alloy construction and comes with a range of powerful engines - including a brilliant twin-turbo diesel.
Which is why the excessively old-fashioned design is such a shame, as relatively few potential buyers will be able to see beyond it to the fine car that lurks beneath. The XJ is part of the same design direction which gave us the equally old-fashioned looking S-Type and X-Type, and which Jaguar has since moved away from with the far more forward-looking XK coupe.
Inside the cabin the conservative theme continues. The XJ is very well finished, and comes with the sort of leather and wood trim you would expect from a car in this class. It's a supremely comfortable place to spend time, too, thanks to a brilliant driving position and excellent refinement levels. Rear seat space is only segment average in the standard car, but the long wheelbase version has plenty of room in which to stretch out. The boot is impressively large, as well - something that couldn't be said about (the admittedly far sleeker) previous generation XJs.
On the road the big Jaguar drives with a natural balance and fluidity completely in keeping with the wafty values of the Jaguar brand - yet handling is good on bendy roads and corners are dispatched cleanly too. All versions have respectable performance, from the basic 3.0 litre petrol upwards, although it is the 4.2 litre petrol V8 and 2.7 litre twin-turbo diesel V6 which are the stars of the line-up.
Ratings Breakdown
Styling
2 star
Conservative design is unlikely to broaden the XJ's appeal to younger buyers - it still looks very much like an old man's car. Styling is clearly inferior to previous generations - which is hardly our idea of progress.
Handling
4 star
Smooth, refined and utterly composed. The XJ can't match the BMW 7 Series for outright cornering composure, but it gets surprisingly close.
Comfort
5 star
One of the most relaxing ways to travel there is, with all versions making supremely wafty progress.
Quality & Reliability
4 star
Jaguar's old-fashioned mechanical gremlins seem to be behind it - the brand now tops quality surveys.
Performance
4 star
Entry level 3.0 litre V6 petrol needs to be worked hard to make the sort of progress you would expect from a car in this segment, but the V8s are all rapid - the supercharged
Running Costs
3 star
Not too bad by the standards of the segment it competes in - but you'll still need deep pockets to keep an XJ on the road. Diesel version the best at cutting fuel costs.
Value for money
4 star
Basic versions dramatically undercut rivals like the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S Class - it's a lot of car for the money.
