My first experience with the Jaguar XJ was as a little kid way back in the early 80s. My father told me about this car called the Jaguar, which was owned by his close English friend whom we were going to stay with when we visited London. His was a beautiful white XJ6 and from that day, the car was etched in my mind. Let’s just say that the XJ defined the Jaguar brand for me and occupies a very special place in my heart. The current XJ was showcased at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi after which it was launched in India. Being a CBU, it was more expensive when compared to competition. That’s a thing of the past now and the XJ is now assembled at JLR’s facility in Pune. The current edition not only comes with a lower price tag, but also gets more equipment. It is offered in two trim levels: Premium Luxury and Portfolio with the option of a petrol or diesel engine. We drive the XJ L 3.0 litre diesel Portfolio model to find out what this Leaping Cat is all about.
The Jaguar XJ has been around for four years now but by no means does it look old. It still stands right up there with newer competition. The design silhouette of the XJ resembles a leaping cat thanks to the coupe like styling. The large chrome grille is very prominent and is complimented by slim headlamps that come with integrated DRLs and cornering lamps. The front bumpers get chrome trims as well. The sloping roof line with the blackened C pillar gives the car a very sporty character. At the rear, there are LED tail lamps which appear like a cat’s claws when illuminated. An XJ L badge sits on the left hand side of the boot with a Leaping Cat logo in the centre. A soft touch button to open the boot is placed below the right tail lamp. There is a chrome strip on the rear bumper and the car has twin exhausts, one on each side. The Portfolio version comes with double five spoke 19 inch alloy wheels. The XJ is one heck of a looker and turns heads wherever it goes. Not to forget, this is one long car with a wheelbase of 3,157 mm and overall length of 5,252 mm.
Step inside the XJ and you cant mistake this car to be anything but British. The cabin is a perfect combination of retro and modern styling. The dashboard extends to the doors, giving the occupants a wrap around feel. The test car featured gloss figured ebony on the doors and dashboard, which is standard on the Portfolio. The large chrome AC vents look very classy. An analogue clock sits between the two AC vents on the dashboard. The three spoke steering wheel has a wooden finish along with leather with double stitching. It has all the controls to operate the on board computer including audio controls and telephone. It also gets heating function. The steering can be adjusted for height and reach but the steering adjust knob feels cheap and could have been better. The instrument cluster is a TFT screen which also shows info from the on board computer. The centre console is finished in piano black and houses an 8 inch touch screen which displays various function from the infotainment system. It also comes with Dual View Display where the front passenger can watch a movie without being a distraction for the driver. The graphics and interface however, appear very dated now as compared to the competition. The infotainment system does have a lot of functions including climate control, audio control, seat control and navigation. The Jaguar Drive Selector sits in the centre along with the electronic parking brake and two cup holders.
The front seats come with electric adjust and three memory settings. They are also heated and cooled. Five massage programmes are standard for the front seats (Lumbar, Shoulder, Upward, Downward and Rolling). They can be adjusted via the touch screen infotainment system. The rear gets two individual airline style reclining seats with memory function and three massage programmes. The rear seats can also be programmed to come from recline to upright position when the door is opened. There is a Remote Seat feature where the driver can control functions of all the seats in the car via the touch screen. The rear centre arm rest comes with rear seat controls and cup holders as well. Passengers in the rear get AC vents and electrically operated sun blinds for the windows. The sun blind for the rear windshield is also operated electrically. There is enough leg room and head room and the seats have fantastic support and cushioning all around. Two 10.2 inch LCD screens are mounted at the back of the front head rests for rear seat entertainment and there are two foldable business tables at the rear too for those who like to work on the go and are sturdy enough to take the weight of a laptop easily.
Jaguar has equipped the XJL Portfolio with a Meridian 7.1 surround sound system that comprises of 20 speakers and two subwoofers to give an output of 825 watts. It features a single DVD player, TV Tuner, IPod and Bluetooth connectivity and USB. Sound quality from the system is fantastic. Other features on the XJ include four zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors with rear view camera, LED rear reading lights, panoramic sunroof , keyless entry and go and soft door close function.
Jaguar loves giving a bit of a theatre experience when it comes to their cars. Press the engine START/STOP button and the Drive Selector dial rises up. Power comes from a 3.0 litre V6 twin turbo diesel engine that develops 271 bhp at 4,000 rpm and maximum torque of 600 Nm coming up at 3,500 rpm. 0 to 100 kph comes up in a claimed 6.4 seconds and the car has an electronically limited top speed of 250 kph. The engine is very responsive to even the slightest input and there is no feel of lag whatsoever. There is enough punch at any given time and the eight speed automatic gearbox is very quick in its shifts. The XJ is so much fun to drive that it makes you forget that you are driving a luxury limousine and not a normal sedan or sports car. Just tap the throttle and the big Jag leaps forward as if it is charging towards its prey.
The XJ also comes with Dynamic mode which transforms the character of the car. The instrument cluster turns red and a chequered flag appears on the TFT screen. You get a nice growl from the engine which is really addictive. The gears hold till the red line and you can also use the paddle shifters to change gears manually. The steering is light but the car handles brilliantly. There is no noticeable body roll and driving the XJ through the ghat twisties just made the grin on my face wider turn after turn. There were a couple of slight tail out moments too and that’s not something you can say about a behemoth limo everyday. The XJ comes with a staggered tyre setup with 245 profile rubber at the front and a wider 275 profile at the rear. Ride quality is very good and the car makes short work of the bumps on our roads. It is only the large undulations that sometimes get filtered into the cabin. Braking is good with the car not taking much effort to slow down or come to a stand still.
The car is right at home in city driving too. The engine is very quiet at city speeds and the XJ is very easy to manoeuvre in city traffic managing to hide its size well. The long wheelbase means that the car does manage to scrape the odd speed breaker or two. Safety features comprise of front and rear airbags, curtain airbags, anti whiplash and lane change indicator. The XJ also comes with the Pedestrian Contact Sensing System where sensors raise the bonnet slightly to make space between the bonnet and the engine in the event of an impact.
The Jaguar XJ offers the perfect combination of luxury and performance. It has a great engine, comes loaded with features and equipment, but at the same time, is priced competitively when compared to its rivals. Jaguar gives you a 3 year or 1 lakh km standard warranty with an option to buy warranty for the 4th and 5th year along with the option of buying service packages. The facelift model is expected to reach Indian shores at the end of the year which we think should be even better. The Jaguar XJ appeals to the one who likes to be chauffeured in luxury and also someone who likes to take to the wheel. So if you are in the market for a luxury limo that is fun to drive and be driven in, the Jaguar XJ with its attractive CKD pricing is a fantastic overall package and worth taking a hard look at.
Jaguar XJ L 3.0 diesel photo gallery:
