Sleek, sporting and sophisticated, the all-new Jaguar XJ brings a daring new spirit to automotive luxury. It offers a seductive mix of striking design, breathtaking performance and engineering without compromise.
The new XJ is the epitome of fluid, contemporary automotive style. The elongated teardrop shape of the side windows establishes the car’s silhouette and lies at the heart of its flowing design. And the new XJ doesn’t just look streamlined: it shares a drag coefficient of 0.29 with the XF saloon, making them the most aerodynamic Jaguars ever.
A coupé profile cloaks a cabin that offers comparable levels of space to saloons with a more conventional style. There is generous accommodation for five occupants, while long-wheelbase models provide rear-seat passengers with even greater levels of comfort thanks to an additional 125mm of rear legroom.
The exquisitely designed interior has a strong sporting character throughout. A panoramic glass roof, standard on all models, dramatically enhances the sense of light and space inside the new XJ. And in keeping with its status as the ultimate four-door Jaguar, the XJ introduces a new generation of interior technologies, pioneering the use of display and infotainment systems such as the innovative Virtual Instrument dials and optional 1200W Bowers & Wilkins premium surround sound system.
Challenging the rules and standing out from the crowd, the new XFR fuses sports car styling and high-performance with the refinement and sophistication of a luxury sedan.
It is a defining example of Jaguar’s dedication to creating beautiful fast cars-and with a magnificent new engine, that are quite simply the best ever setting new standards across the board.
When it was introduced last year, the all-new XFR was soon recognized as a dramatic expression of a bold new Jaguar design language. It also soon became apparent that here as a car where the driving experience exceeded the expectations created by the striking exterior styling.
Now, the new XFR takes this driving experience to new levels, shifting the balance even further towards dynamic super high performance while still retaining the XF’s core values as a refined and luxurious sports sedan.
JaguarDrive was first previewed on the C-XF concept sedan that we sniffed and licked and pawed last January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Don't remember JaguarDrive? Well, that's understandable—given the significance (and beauty) of the car's design, it was easy to overlook its interior particulars, especially as the car left the show before the public days. Even if JaguarDrive elements were noticed, many believed that, of all things, the sleek, integrated shift mechanism in particular was more auto-show than auto-go. And even fewer expected it to appear on other Jag models, like the still-fresh XK, so quickly.
While the entire U.S. car market is going South, Jaguar's stuffy image is sending the venerable marque Hades-wise in a supersonic hand basket. The new XF midrange sedan is supposed to reverse these declining fortunes by burying memories of the bulbous, fusty, pudenda-fronted S-Type (not to mention the execrable X-Type). I grabbed an XF fresh off the transporter to see if Jag’s lobbing snowballs in Hell.
Let’s get this out of the way: the new XF’s design is a pale shadow of the C-XF concept’s drop dead gorgeous sheetmetal. We’re talking supermodel versus neighborhood bartender. The XF’s front end is a particularly boring transmogrification; it's a little weird and the snout’s portal smacks of Volvo’s blandest. The central bonnet creases are a particularly classless affectation. In fact, you could say the XF is nothing more than a Volvo in a slutty dress.
Jaguar sales aren't what some might think they should be for reasons best left to sports/luxury sedan buyers, but the automaker's midrange S-TYPE remains one of the most distinctive such models.
The S-TYPE has Jaguar's traditional sleek styling. But it seems as if the British automaker's sparkling heritage means little, if anything, to folks bypassing the S-TYPE and opting for Japanese Acura, Infiniti and Lexus sports/luxury sedans, which have virtually no heritage.
Those Japanese cars were decades away from even being introduced when Jaguar was a consistent winner of the world-famous 24-hour Le Mans race in France way back in the 1950s, beating Ferraris and other exotic sports/racing cars.
Jaguar sold only 30,424 cars in America in 2005, off from 45,875 in 2004 and 50 percent below the 2002 total. Meanwhile, sales climbed for Acura, Infiniti and Lexus in 2005. And things were not much better for Jaguar in Europe, which is its other major market.
The car comes equipped with 5.0L V8 engine and this can deliver power of 385 bhp at 6500 rpm along with torque of 515 Nm at 3500 rpm. The car has 6-speed automatic transmission. The chassis of the car is designed to offer excellent grip and comfort to the driver. The length of the car is 4791mm and its width is 2070mm while its height is 1322mm.
The car can seat 4 individuals and the turning circle of the car is 10.97 metres. The car has tilt steering along with front ventilated and rear disk brakes. The ground clearance of the car is 120 mm and its kerb weight is 1595 kgs. The fuel tank capacity of the car is 84 litres. The body structure of the car is such that it prevents damage in the event of accident.
If the 1996 through 2006 Jaguar XK wasn't absolutely the most important car in the company's long history, it was certainly in the top few. It heralded a renaissance at the near-legendary English luxury and sports car manufacturer, and was the perfect bridge between the past and future.
That XK was the first Jaguar built under Ford ownership. But all Ford did, really, was provide development money and expertise, and the odd small part. The monocoque chassis and AJ-V8 engine were all Jaguar's, as was the styling - which evoked the classic E-Type without being overtly nostalgic. The first-generation XK was the fastest-selling Jaguar sports car ever, and sold strongly right up to the end of production. Gorgeous looks will do that.
Besides the driver's seat, the best vantage point from which to enjoy Jaguar's supercharged XKR may be from behind it. All the better to admire the sinuousness of its arching fenders and tapered rump, this vantage point puts you front and center for a guttural blast from the XKR's four exhaust pipes. Jaguar designers, engineers, and product types have given the marque's "Grace, Pace, Space" mantra a shot of protein powder and sent the XK model to a spin class. She's fitter, trimmer, lighter, and hotter for sure--yet elegant as ever.
We've lauded the aluminum-structured and dressed XK in previous reviews, and it was with great anticipation we flogged the amped-up R version through the south of France (forget, by the way, any talk of champagne, chateaus, or political disagreements--this country is brimming with miles upon miles of great driving roads). The R is available as a coupe and convertible, and we drove both among fields of waving wheat, brilliant sunflowers, and rolling vineyards.
The C-XF concept car is a stunning, four-door sports saloon which blends design purity with unmistakable dynamism and is a clear indication of the design direction that the next generations of Jaguar saloons will take.
Designed by the same teams that produced the award-winning Jaguar XK sports GT range in 2005 - headed by Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum and Head of Advanced Design Julian Thomson - the C-XF concept is a precursor to cars that will become recognized for their ground-breaking exterior looks and innovative interiors.
As a striking interpretation of the design values that are the bedrock of every great Jaguar, the C-XF is wholly contemporary yet succeeds in paying homage to its renowned predecessors.
The Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe is not just a show car. It is a company personified. Like the iconic Jaguar XK120s and E-types that preceded it, the Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe heralds a new generation of stunning sports coupes and saloons; cars that will remain true to Jaguar's illustrious past but more importantly will see the company leaping confidently forward into the future.
Created by Jaguar's advanced design team under the watchful eye of renowned Design Director Ian Callum, this high-performance show car is indicative of more than just the company's evolving design direction - the Advanced Lightweight Coupe represents the future of Jaguar, as an ambassador for a marque whose reputation was founded on beautiful and dynamic sports cars.
The Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe is a physical expression of Ian Callum's direction for the next generation of Jaguar cars which, like this 2+2 show car, will have purposeful and seductive exteriors that bring Jaguar design firmly into the 21st century. And with the lightweight aluminium body architecture technology that was introduced with the new XJ saloon, in production form the Advanced Lightweight Coupe would be as dynamic and agile as it is desirable.
