Jaguar's XJ Is The Stunning New Flagship
Jaguar dominated the heartland of its German prestige brand rivals by unveiling the stunning new XJ sedan lineup at the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
Sleek, bold, beautiful and exhilarating, the all-new XJ lineup is like no other previous XJ and represents a real landmark for the revitalized Jaguar brand. Available with a choice of petrol or diesel engines and in short and long-wheelbase variants, the aluminium-bodied new Jaguar XJ will be launched in Australia in the middle of next year.
Car Showroom sampled a variety of XJ models in Frankfurt and we were given a personal insight into the remarkable new Jaguar by Managing Director Mike O'Driscoll, Design Director Ian Callum and Giles Taylor who was the Chief Designer for both the XJ and XK Jaguars.
Revealing the gloriously styled XJ for the first time, Mr Callum said: 'This car will be benchmarked as the vehicle which brought the word 'style' back to the Jaguar vocabulary'.
However you look at it, the new XJ is a bold and sophisticated - a quantum shift away from the traditional XJ styling - starting at the front where the accepted small grille and twin headlights have been replaced by a large, elegant chrome grille, a deeply sculptured, sloping bonnet and aggressive, slim xenon headlights.
From the side, the fluid shape with elongated teardrop windows delivers a coupe-like stance and is the result of 400 detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies to refine the shape. It's a large luxury sedan but the co-efficient of drag is only 0.29 - the same as the XF sedan and these are the most aerodynamic Jaguars ever.
At the rear, the new XJ is at its boldest with striking LED light clusters and a pure, sculptured shape with very little ornamentation - just a single Jaguar motif. The boot space is massive - 520 litres - and its shape allows two large suitcases to stand upright for real practicality.
A panoramic glass roof not only injects light and a feeling of space to the interior, it also permits a lower, more streamlined roofline.
Inside the XJ is absolutely seductive with beautiful craftsmanship, chrome and piano black detailing with sumptuous leather and veneer finishes - plus a raft of high-tech driving aids. We were captivated by the 12.3-inch Virtual Instruments (which look like conventional dials but are computer-generated) and the dual-view 8-inch touch screen which provides the driver with vehicle function displays or navigation while the passenger enjoys DVD movies.
The state-of-the-art audio system comes from the acclaimed British company Bowers & Wilkins.
Under the bonnet you can choose from a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel, a naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8 petrol or two supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrols (346kW or 375kW).
As you would expect the chassis is no less impressive with features such as air suspension, continuously variable damping and Active Differential Control.
The new XJ will be sold in three model grades - Premium Luxury (short or long-wheelbase); Portfolio (short-wheelbase only) or range-topping Supersport (short or long-wheelbase).
Pricing starts at $193,800 and peaks at $362,800.
