It's four years since Jaguar revealed the current XJ to the media. A mid-life facelift is yet to appear, but what's termed the '2014 model year' car has just been announced. Glenn Brooks takes a look at what's new.
Despite having borrowed the XJ in the middle of an atypically hot summer, I should say right away that at no time did anything on its exterior buckle or disfigure. That story reminded me of what used to happen to not just Jaguars but multiple other European cars in the Aussie sunshine of my youth. But that was decades ago and the quality of parts is light years (sorry) ahead of where it was. So how to explain what happened to the XJ in London? Who knows, maybe Doctor Evil trained his "laser" onto what he mistakenly thought was a Shaguar.
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JLR will no doubt move quickly to make sure that the zapped car remains a one off and it does seem as though there were extraordinary circumstances in play. Surely after more than three years of production, owners in places such as Arizona, Queensland or Madrid would have alerted the company and consumer watchdogs if there was a quality issue with some exterior parts.
The X351 series model was, at the time of its launch, a radical piece of work for Jaguar. To my eyes it has aged well. I've never been too keen on some details, such as the orange reflectors sticking out of the sides of the rear bumper cover (would it really cost that much to specify a hole-less cover for markets outside North America?), those pieces of plastic on the D pillars or any car that isn't black, or the standard-fit dark glass roof on an XJ that is silver or white. In glossy black, this car still looks great and especially good in long-wheelbase form, as my test model was.
By now, you might have expected a mid-life facelift but Jaguar has decided to leave well enough alone and instead give its largest saloon some minor tweaks. The '2014 model year' XJ will have its motor show debut at next week's Frankfurt IAA and mechanically, only the four-cylinder version is altered. That one is powered by Ford's 240bhp 2.0-litre EcoBoost. It gains stop-start and continues to be sold only in China and India: the XJ Ti 240 was needed in those countries to get the car below tax thresholds.
Both standard (3,032mm) and L (3,157mm) wheelbase cars continue to be available, while in certain LHD markets, you can also have all-wheel drive. The base petrol engine in most countries is a 340PS supercharged V6, with a 510PS supercharged 5.0-litre V8 for the XJ Supersport or 550PS for the recently launched XJR.
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By GlobalDataMost cars sold in the UK are powered by a 3.0-litre diesel V6, and no matter which engine you choose, it comes with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. There used to be a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 but Ford's Bridgend plant in Wales, which makes all of JLR's V6 and V8 petrol engines, stopped building it last year – the 340PS V6 replaced it.
Underlining how much the US matters to Jaguar, the latest additional derivative to join the model range premiered in March at the New York motor show. This, the XJR which I mentioned earlier, is the only XJ to have the 550PS supercharged V8. The US' 2014 XJR also serves as the effective replacement for the 2013 XJ Supersport and XJL Supersport.
The R has had bespoke chassis and aerodynamic changes to prepare it for that 500PS, plus 680Nm of torque. Zero to 60mph is achieved in a claimed 4.4 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds) with the top speed limited to 174mph (280km/h).
What buyers have always loved about big Jaguars is the ride comfort and while I am yet to try the R, I would underline how perfectly tuned the suspension is in the 3.0-litre diesel L which Jaguar lent me to try. Driven by a chauffeur I would have enjoyed the business class style reclining rear seats which have a massage function. There are also fold-out tables, plus another improvement for the new model year, 13mm more headroom. Another change: long wheelbase versions have had their suspension retuned for the 2014 model year.
One further revision for the rear compartment is a new centre armrest, which can be stowed in the upright position to allow the use of the middle seat. It houses all the seat controls as well as the Front Seat Activation button which lets you control the front passenger seat from the rear. Those in the front can also be pampered with five levels of seat massage settings.
Rear passengers now have improved electronic entertainment options including two hi-resolution touchscreens, and a 26-speaker Meridian Reference Audio System with Conversation Assist. The screens can display inputs from a number of sources; the DVD player, digital TV tuner or an external media player that can be synced through the Rear Media Interface, which provides USB and RCA connections.
As for Conversation Assist, this features a microphone above each seating position and digital audio processing technology, the idea being to reinforce the occupant's voice via the car's audio system. In short, it makes it far easier for anyone to be heard clearly above any cabin noise. You can activate Conversation Assist whenever the infotainment system is on, but the feature will not be active during a phone call or when giving voice commands.
The driver can control any of the four electric seats via the touch screen on the dashboard. You can, for example, return the rear seats to their home position, or programme them to reset to this default every time a rear door is opened for ease of entry and exit. All doors feature soft closing, another update for 2014MY cars.
There's lots to play with in the XJ but it's also a lot of fun to push hard. I was surprised by just what a contrast it was to the Lexus LS that I tried a few months back – the ride is as good, if not better, and even though the LS wasn't too shabby on a twisty road, the Jag would have left it behind. You just know this car's suspension was tested and tested again on Welsh and Scottish A and B roads. The paddle shifters are beautifully slick in their action, adding to the fun, should you want to treat this huge saloon as a sports car.
As for the inevitable traffic jams that are more of what life is like away from the Highlands and Wales' rural roads, Jaguar seems to have thought about that too. The 2014MY cars have an updated Intelligent Stop-Start system, which uses a Twin Solenoid Starter. One of the best things about it is you get 'change of mind' functionality, meaning the engine quickly restarts even during its rundown phase so you can charge into a gap in traffic at a junction.
The 2014 XJ has a secondary battery fitted specifically for engine re-starting. That means all the normal car systems – audio, ventilation and lights – continue getting power from the standard battery and are unaffected by the re-start. In addition, a control system ensures that Stop/Start only activates when the car does not require the engine for other functions.
Even though this is a long vehicle – at 5,252mm, it sticks quite a way out of a standard supemarket parking bay – the feeling from behind the steering wheel is cosiness. The SatNav controls are perfectly intuitive, while at night, calming light blue instrument lighting is matched by the same coloured filters in the kickplates. I haven't seen quite this tone of ice blue in any other car. All in all, this was a really relaxing place to be.
After taking the XJ to North Wales and back for another manufacturer's new vehicle launch, I loved the Jag even more – you usually drive many hundreds of miles on these gatherings and a noisy, firm riding hatchback isn't usually what I want to be driving coming back from such an event. The XJ was the perfect contrast, and the ideal conveyance on that occasion.
What does the future hold for the big Jag? I'm hearing that after a facelift next year, production of this one will continue at Castle Bromwich until the arrival of X360, the replacement, in late 2017. It seems a no-brainer that it will share a stretched variation of the same aluminium platform as the XF successor and two additional models: the so-called Q-TYPE (X760) and related QX crossover (X761).
We'll know more about a new adaptation of the Premium Lightweight Architecture after Jaguar reveals its C-X17 concept on 10 September, the first media day of the 2013 Frankfurt IAA.
Some have claimed that a big SUV will serve as the effective successor for the XJ but I can't see that happening. The Range Rover is already the global leader in its segment, a LWB version will soon be launched, plus the market for full sized luxury saloons is finally growing again. Also, the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class should draw a lot of attention back to the segment, as might the newly updated A8 and S8. So launching an updated XJ now should turn out to be a well timed move by Jaguar.
