Jaguar XJ: Test Drive (continued)

Date: 04 May 2007   |   Author:

Jaguar XJ

Category: Luxury Prices: £43,540-£60,150 Key Rival: Mercedes-Benz S-class

Under the skin there's very little that's new, which is fine because the Jaguar can certainly live with its rivals in terms of driving pleasure, refinement and ride quality. However, while the diesel engine is a decent unit, it is maybe not as strong as the 3.0-litre offerings from the German brands despite the XJ's aluminium construction meaning there's less bulk to carry around.

Jaguar's worked hard on residual values in the past year or so, and the pre-facelift XJ was better than its BMW or Mercedes Benz rival, so we'd expect that to continue. That lightweight construction also helps achieve a class-leading 214g/km of CO2.

The refresh has worked well for Jaguar, making an improvement where it was most needed by adding a little more sporty nature to its flagship saloon without going too far and upsetting traditional customers. Next in the pipeline is the S-type-replacing XF, due next spring, the car that will dictate Jaguar's future.

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