“Grace. Space. Pace.” These three simple words have serve
d as Jaguar’s motto for over four decades. Critics of the British marque will quickly snub the last model XJ (1995-2003) as lacking in the space category (I agree). These same critics would also dismiss the preceding series XJ (1986-1994) as not only short on space, but lacking grace due to overt rectangularity (I do not agree). From the Jaguars that never ran well to the Coventry Cats of today, the very essence of a Jaguar is gracious transport.
The new XJ sedan which premiered in 2003 is, as I have argued previously in “The Gremlins That Plague Jaguar” (12-12-05), less gracious than previous cats. When the new design premiered; though it was conservative and part of me thought that Jaguar designers would create a new version of the 1960s Mark VI & VII (Lincoln beat them to it with the current Town Car), I applauded the logical progression in the design that carried many of the lines from the sublimely elegant previous generation XJ to the current. The new XJ8 is actually a composite of looks from the previous XJ sedan and the Series I, II, III XJs of 1968—1985.
The XJ8 is larger in every respect than its predecessor. The doors are big and open wide to allow for easy ingress/egress. Driver and passengers are seated higher on larger-still Jaguar chair-like seats. Though the car is visibly taller, it still retains the crouched, low profile stance of its mammali
an namesake. This is crucial to Jaguar’s raison d’être. Designing a more upright sedan in the model of a Bentley would have worked against the svelte character that every XJ sedan has espoused.
My first approach toward the new XJ8 was with enthusiastic fervor. After all, it was a new Jag. The car’s increased size was inescapable and the Cat-like character was there. And then I reached my hand to touch the chrome door handle and the enthusiasm left in an instant. The chrome was plastic. I tugged (no longer a lift action) and the door swung lightly open. This was due to the aluminum construction that has allowed the XJ8 to be by far the lightest in the premier sedan class. The XJ8 touches the scales at only 3,726 lbs as opposed to rival BMW 750i’s corpulent 4,482 lbs –over 750 lbs heavier! Still, I could not help but feel that the rest of the door was plastic too.
Once inside the new XJ8, I breathed expectantly for the familiar and wonderful fumes that only Connolly leather is able to emit. The blessed sent was gone. The new sent, though new car hide, was quite different and less tantalizing. The burled walnut paneling, though real wood, looked like plastic. Alas, the times, they are a changin’.
A twist of the key brought a more remote powerplant to life. The new engine did not sound or feel like Jaguar. It seemed like that of a late 90s BMW 740iL. It was the sound and feel of a well insulated and decidedly understated V-8. Like the 7 series I so enjoyed, I thought that this car must be swift, but quiet about building speed.
I was wrong.
Foot to floor generates the rage of a hardcore V-8 that roars up through the RPMs and peaks into a maniacal wail. The 740iL would have dropped back into the rearview
mirror in the short time that 60mph arrived. But, not incidentally, fast enough to outpace the current 750i to that mark. The nod must go to the current 7. Both the 750i and the XJ8 have roughly equivalent 12.4 lbs per horsepower ratios, yet the Bimmer manages to be quicker to 60 at 5.8 seconds vs. 6.3 seconds, respectively. The sound and speed roundly beats any previous normally aspirated XJ sedan, though. The new V-8 is magic.
The rest of the XJ8, aside from exterior good looks, fell short. The new interior is spacious, though not noticeably quieter or more comfortable than the previous sedan. What was painfully clear was the cheaper feel of the materials. It was also more techy, with a large GPS monitor in the center console. The GPS was touch screen – thank you Jaguar – and pretty easy to use. Though, the system could not find my home town for some reason.
The velvety ride that blessed owners of older XJ models is gone. What was once one of the finest gliding suspensions on the road has now been scrapped. The new sport tuned air-suspension coupled with the low profile performance tyres permits a hard ride. Though, to be sure, anyone swapping a 7-series for the new XJ8 would find the ride to be of similarly comfortable damping. It’s just hard by previous XJ standards.
The new XJ8 does corner flatly. Gone is the wallow and lean that made new-to-XJ drivers insecure. The old cars could grip the road. The new one does it better and provides a more secure feeling. The same enthusiastic steering feel is still there.
To the sedan’s credit the brakes are uncommon-for-Jaguar strong. The previous generation had luxury car brakes and to appreciate the meaning of this term, one would only have to feel the immediate and fade free reaction of the new brakes as opposed to the lazy, long pedal travel of the old. Also, the new suspension nixes the body dive that hard breaking used to induce of the old sedan.
Overall, were I to decide between purchasing the new XJ8 and the previous generation XJ8, I would opt for the previous generation. Were space and power the highest priorities, then the choice would be obvious. It is not that the new XJ is lack luster in comparison to the current competition (think BMW’s ungainly 7 or Mercedes-Benz’s blandly suburban S-Class). This car simply cannot outshine its predecessor. The 2002 XJ8 is also half the price of the current. And both are warrantied. I’ll take grace over space or pace.
d as Jaguar’s motto for over four decades. Critics of the British marque will quickly snub the last model XJ (1995-2003) as lacking in the space category (I agree). These same critics would also dismiss the preceding series XJ (1986-1994) as not only short on space, but lacking grace due to overt rectangularity (I do not agree). From the Jaguars that never ran well to the Coventry Cats of today, the very essence of a Jaguar is gracious transport.The new XJ sedan which premiered in 2003 is, as I have argued previously in “The Gremlins That Plague Jaguar” (12-12-05), less gracious than previous cats. When the new design premiered; though it was conservative and part of me thought that Jaguar designers would create a new version of the 1960s Mark VI & VII (Lincoln beat them to it with the current Town Car), I applauded the logical progression in the design that carried many of the lines from the sublimely elegant previous generation XJ to the current. The new XJ8 is actually a composite of looks from the previous XJ sedan and the Series I, II, III XJs of 1968—1985.
The XJ8 is larger in every respect than its predecessor. The doors are big and open wide to allow for easy ingress/egress. Driver and passengers are seated higher on larger-still Jaguar chair-like seats. Though the car is visibly taller, it still retains the crouched, low profile stance of its mammali
an namesake. This is crucial to Jaguar’s raison d’être. Designing a more upright sedan in the model of a Bentley would have worked against the svelte character that every XJ sedan has espoused. My first approach toward the new XJ8 was with enthusiastic fervor. After all, it was a new Jag. The car’s increased size was inescapable and the Cat-like character was there. And then I reached my hand to touch the chrome door handle and the enthusiasm left in an instant. The chrome was plastic. I tugged (no longer a lift action) and the door swung lightly open. This was due to the aluminum construction that has allowed the XJ8 to be by far the lightest in the premier sedan class. The XJ8 touches the scales at only 3,726 lbs as opposed to rival BMW 750i’s corpulent 4,482 lbs –over 750 lbs heavier! Still, I could not help but feel that the rest of the door was plastic too.
Once inside the new XJ8, I breathed expectantly for the familiar and wonderful fumes that only Connolly leather is able to emit. The blessed sent was gone. The new sent, though new car hide, was quite different and less tantalizing. The burled walnut paneling, though real wood, looked like plastic. Alas, the times, they are a changin’.
A twist of the key brought a more remote powerplant to life. The new engine did not sound or feel like Jaguar. It seemed like that of a late 90s BMW 740iL. It was the sound and feel of a well insulated and decidedly understated V-8. Like the 7 series I so enjoyed, I thought that this car must be swift, but quiet about building speed.
I was wrong.
Foot to floor generates the rage of a hardcore V-8 that roars up through the RPMs and peaks into a maniacal wail. The 740iL would have dropped back into the rearview
mirror in the short time that 60mph arrived. But, not incidentally, fast enough to outpace the current 750i to that mark. The nod must go to the current 7. Both the 750i and the XJ8 have roughly equivalent 12.4 lbs per horsepower ratios, yet the Bimmer manages to be quicker to 60 at 5.8 seconds vs. 6.3 seconds, respectively. The sound and speed roundly beats any previous normally aspirated XJ sedan, though. The new V-8 is magic.The rest of the XJ8, aside from exterior good looks, fell short. The new interior is spacious, though not noticeably quieter or more comfortable than the previous sedan. What was painfully clear was the cheaper feel of the materials. It was also more techy, with a large GPS monitor in the center console. The GPS was touch screen – thank you Jaguar – and pretty easy to use. Though, the system could not find my home town for some reason.
The velvety ride that blessed owners of older XJ models is gone. What was once one of the finest gliding suspensions on the road has now been scrapped. The new sport tuned air-suspension coupled with the low profile performance tyres permits a hard ride. Though, to be sure, anyone swapping a 7-series for the new XJ8 would find the ride to be of similarly comfortable damping. It’s just hard by previous XJ standards.
The new XJ8 does corner flatly. Gone is the wallow and lean that made new-to-XJ drivers insecure. The old cars could grip the road. The new one does it better and provides a more secure feeling. The same enthusiastic steering feel is still there.
To the sedan’s credit the brakes are uncommon-for-Jaguar strong. The previous generation had luxury car brakes and to appreciate the meaning of this term, one would only have to feel the immediate and fade free reaction of the new brakes as opposed to the lazy, long pedal travel of the old. Also, the new suspension nixes the body dive that hard breaking used to induce of the old sedan.
Overall, were I to decide between purchasing the new XJ8 and the previous generation XJ8, I would opt for the previous generation. Were space and power the highest priorities, then the choice would be obvious. It is not that the new XJ is lack luster in comparison to the current competition (think BMW’s ungainly 7 or Mercedes-Benz’s blandly suburban S-Class). This car simply cannot outshine its predecessor. The 2002 XJ8 is also half the price of the current. And both are warrantied. I’ll take grace over space or pace.
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