By the year 2000, it was clear that the Teutonic way of doing a large luxury car was the benchmark. Lexus had made a successful foray into the luxury world, in part, by building a better Mercedes-Benz. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz itself, along with BMW and, increasingly, Audi were cleaning up the market with cars that were conservatively styled, fresh, spacious, and high-tech (or at least the last three, in the case of the contemporary 2002 “E65” 7 Series).
The XJ…was none of those. For starters, the basic platform dated back to 1988, in the form of the XJ40. The car had been given an extensive redesign on the same platform twice: first in 1995 and again in 1998, culminating in the then-current X300 XJ. A lot had happened in the interim, including the loss of the traditional Jaguar I6 and V12 engines, in favor of a family of V8s, but there was still clear design lineage back to the 1988 model. But a lot had also happened in the luxury car realm in that time, and the X308 was just plain cramped by contemporary standards. Interior space was merely adequate for long-wheelbase models, while short-wheelbase ones were rated as compact by the EPA for interior dimensions.
So, Jaguar needed to think very carefully about its upcoming flagship.
The outgoing “X308” XJ, from 1998-2003 in the US. Beautiful, sporty, but compromised
The Styling: Why Mess Up a Good Thing?
In keeping with corporate Ford model nomenclature of a letter identifier and three numbers, the new XJ was codenamed “X350” early into the project. For the X350, Jaguar could do one of two things. It could break with tradition and make a clean break from the heritage Jaguar styling. Or it could stick with something tried and true, but with an updated flavor. One thing Jaguar was not willing to do was to make its latest flagship a polarizing car, as had been done with the 1999 S-Type, so one way or another, the XJ would have to be an objectively pretty car. During this time, Jaguar was wholly owned by FoMoCo, which ultimately signed the checks, and which had perhaps a larger vision for the Jaguar brand than Jaguar itself did. Ford was worried that a break from tradition would alienate existing buyers, who were fiercely loyal and who largely did buy Jaguars because of their styling…without truly being able to compete with the Germans or with Lexus. A lose-lose, for sure.
So, when development of the X350 began in late 1996, Ford management put pressure on Geoff Lawson, Jaguar’s Design Studio Director, and his team to make something that would look distinctly Jaguar-like. Lawson’s exterior team also included principal designers Tom Owen and Sandy Boyes, and the three of them quickly converged on borrowing cues from the original XJ Series I (1968-1973). As work progressed over the following few years, Jaguar performed several design studies and sought feedback on the existing XJ from dealers and customers that would then be piped to Lawson, Owen and Boyes. Sales and Marketing also, reasonably, had their hands in the process. In one comedic episode, Sales and Marketing decreed that the luggage compartment needed a specific capacity. So—since the length and width had already been fixed—Lawson constructed a clay model that showed the luggage compartment going halfway up the rear windscreen, just to show how ridiculously impossible this accommodation would be. Naturally, Sales and Marketing backed down. Interior design was entrusted to Giles Taylor, who had to work with engineers and exterior designers to arrive at a final set of dimensions. Taylor knew the interior needed to be much larger than that of the outgoing car, and it also needed to look more modern. Design for the interior and exterior was frozen in mid-1998, and Jaguar engineers set about bringing the design to life.
Allegedly, this is a sketch from Owen early into the X350 project. To me, it looks a little too close to the production model to be an early sketch. If it is, perhaps this is an example of Lawson’s design team knowing exactly what they wanted at the outset, but having to do the dog-and-pony show of iterative processes to lead everyone else there.
Not long after that, in 1999, Lawson suffered an unexpected stroke and died. Ian Callum, previously at Tom Wickersham Racing (TWR) and having recently designed the Jaguar-based Aston Martin DB7, came on board and succeeded him as Design Studio Director. For what it was worth, Callum was more in favor of a completely new design direction for the XJ (and he eventually got his wish with subsequent models), but the X350’s design was mostly set in stone by then. It’s also unclear whether he would have been able to overcome the considerable political pressure for a traditional car in the first place.
The Platform and Engineering: High-Tech and Lightweight
Jaguars were nothing if not sporty, and product managers worried about losing that character in the face of the car’s enlargement and the new demands of full-size luxury buyers. So, it was decided early on that the X350 would be rendered in aluminum, to save weight. Ford management was on board, figuring that the low-volume X350 would serve as a test bed for production aluminum that could then be used on higher-volume car.
Jaguar would not be the first to do an aluminum luxury car. That honor belonged to Audi and the 1994 A8, whose aluminum architecture comprised an aluminum space frame with separate unstressed aluminum panels, an arrangement known as the Audi Space Frame. But what Ford and Jaguar envisioned was something different. They wanted to take aircraft construction technology and apply it to the automotive sector, which would mean an aluminum monocoque made from epoxy-bonded and riveted aluminum panels and extrusions. Not only would this be lighter weight than traditional steel, but it would also increase stiffness, safety, durability and refinement. All good things.
The eventual X350’s aluminum body-in-white
Back in Dearborn, Ford Research Laboratories had already proven that this could work in the early 90s; however, translating it to production would take some work. Jaguar needed to work with its suppliers in order to up-fit Castle Bromwich, the facility where the XJ was assembled, with high-precision robots, stamping presses and even curing ovens. Jaguar also had to make considerable use of computer-aided design (CAD) and the latest in project management software. The former would allow the engineering team to do computerized stress tests on crucial components without wasting valuable time actually building them; the latter would make sure that everyone involved in the X350 project could communicate and see how their actions and decisions affected other teams and aspects.
A pre-production X350 proceeding through assembly
As far as the platform, Ford and Jaguar had spent a ton of time and money developing a new D/E-segment worldwide RWD platform in the 90s, known as DEW98 or just DEW. This was the architecture eventually used by the Lincoln LS, Jaguar S-Type and the final (retro) Ford Thunderbird. (Later on, the S-Type’s replacement, the 2009-2015 Jaguar XF, used it as well). Anyway, Ford told Jaguar that it would need to, more or less, make the X350 into an aluminum version of the DEW, and that’s exactly what the engineers did, stiffening it where necessary. Much of the suspension was also shared with the S-Type and LS, including front control arms, tie rods and suspension mounting points. Just as well, Jaguar put a considerable mount of work into making sure the X350 could pass the US’s new stringent front crash results, including a redesign of the DEW platform’s front subframe.
2004-2005 “X350”: The Debut
The production 2004 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas
In order to highlight the X350’s aluminum monocoque, Jaguar built two show cars with their bare metal polished to a mirror finish and with hand-formed metal aluminum bumpers, for the X350’s debut. That took place at the Paris Motor Show on September 26, 2002, the birthday of the 1968 original. The chrome cars also made the rounds at the Los Angeles and Detroit Motor Shows in 2003, exciting American buyers, and arrived in US showrooms in late 2003 as a 2004 model. Allegedly, the X350 was supposed to arrive a calendar year earlier (2002/MY2003), but was delayed a full year by the need for additional crash safety bracing.
Compared to its short-wheelbase predecessor, the 2004 XJ was 2.6 inches longer, 2.7 inches wider and 4.3 inches taller. The wheelbase of the new model, meanwhile, was a whopping 6.4 inches longer than that of the 2003 (X308). Some of that was down to Jaguar pushing the front wheels closer to the front of the car, for more-athletic proportions, but it yielded dividends in interior space. And the luggage compartment was even 25% improved.
Here is where I’ll place the disclaimer that this is going to be a US-centric overview of the X350 XJ. Know that Jaguar did offer substantially different and varied versions of the XJ in the UK and other markets, but today we’re focusing on the US versions and timeline.
The 2004 X350 XJ hit our shores in three distinct models: XJ, Vanden Plas, and XJR. The XJ was the base model and got a 4.2-liter Jaguar “AJ” V8 with 294 horsepower and 303 pound-feet of torque, sending power exclusively to the rear axle. The then-new 6-speed ZF automatic made this happen. Unlike prior XJs, four-corner air suspension with adaptive damping was standard, and provided a supple, yet controlled ride. Jaguar named this technology Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS), although that moniker was also applied to the adaptive damping system in the non-air-suspended XK. The Vanden Plas trim added some niceties to the XJ8’s standard content, including power-folding mirrors, Connolly leather upholstery, heated seats, and additional chrome. Optional equipment included a four-zone climate control system and a 7-inch touchscreen navigation system.
The 2004 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas Interior
But the star was the new XJR, which came with a supercharged version of the 4.2-liter that meted out 390 HP and 399 lb-ft, allowing the big Brit to propel itself to 60 mph in just 5 seconds. Like the others, the XJR had air suspension, but utilized different struts that were more controlled and stiffer. It also had Brembo brakes on all four corners and a unique steering rack. Design-wise, the XJR came with a body-color grille surround, a mesh grille, and its own wheels. Naturally, it had a special exhaust, too, to give the kitty a deeper growl.
The 2004 Jaguar XJR
Reviews of the 2004 XJ were favorable. Critics praised Jaguar’s ability to translate its heritage design into a modern shape that was much more functional, and loved how athletic and lightweight the car felt. They also liked how simple the navigation was to use, compared to the more-complex setups in the contemporary A8 and 7 Series. The one consistent negative bit of praise was that the XJ’s air suspension, especially in the base XJ8 and Vanden Plas, could become floaty in the corners at high speed.
In 2005, Jaguar introduced the long-wheelbase model, which gave you five extra inches between the wheels. At that point, the Vanden Plas became exclusively LWB. Though the XJR continued to be SWB-only, Jaguar also introduced a Super V8 model that year, which had the XJR’s supercharged engine and exhaust, the LWB body, and even fancier interior digs than the Vanden Plas. It also came with the XJR’s mesh grille and tall chrome fender accents that previewed what Jaguar would do later.
2006-2007 “X356”: The Transition Models
The 2006 Jaguar XJ Super V8
Jaguar did a minor alteration for 2006 and christened the improved model “X356.” Allegedly, the X356 fixed some of the electrical issues the X350 had, especially in regard to the complicated fiber optic bus that powered the electronics. But there were some exterior details changed. The 2006 cars got rid of the front and rear window chrome surrounds, deleted the rub strips across the doors, brought new wheel designs, and offered, for the first time, front parking sensors and headlight washers. Under the hood, the X356 had its windshield washer reservoir relocated to the firewall, and the only real mechanical change was that both engines gained variable valve timing (VVT). 2006 and 2007 cars are X356 models.
2008-2009 “X358”: The Big Facelift
The 2008 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas
By 2008, the XJ would have felt hopelessly outdated if you were comparison-shopping the competition. By then, the 2007 “W221” Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the 2007 “XF40” Lexus LS 460 had debuted, and the 2009 “F01/02” BMW 7 Series was fresh off the presses, each bursting at the seams with more tech, performance and luxury than ever before. The XJ even felt outdated in Jaguar’s own showroom, in comparison to the Callum-designed 2007 XK and 2009 XF, but those who liked an “old-school” car were still pleased with it.
So, Jaguar was very careful in what it updated on the XJ, using a light hand to give the car enough visual improvement to get it through the next couple of years. The front fascia got redesigned in its entirety, with new deeply sculpted and squared-off front bumpers, new lower intakes, a deeper grille surround that was body-color regardless of trim, and mesh grilles throughout. Only the headlights remained unchanged. Around the sides, the repeaters were moved to the side mirrors and all trims got a new fender accent. At the back, Jaguar changed the trunk lid to have a full-width accent trim, gave it a new rear bumper to match the front, and denoted the various models with a very un-Jaguar-like stylized serif typeface. Inside, the previously-green “growler” on the steering wheel was redone, some of the switchgear became chrome, and cooled seats became available for the first time, enabled by perforated, non-gathered, contrast-piped leather. And, of course, new wheel designs set the X358 off. All-in-all, the 2008 XJ had a sort of retro-modern look that the earlier versions lacked. What’s interesting is that one of its equally old-school afflicted British contemporaries, the Bentley Arnage (and its Brooklands and Azure siblings) attempted something similar around the same time, to similar effect. To my eyes, the X358 was an improvement, though sadly the “leaper” hood figurine did disappear.
The updated 2008 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas interior
The 2008 X358 cars came in the same trims as before: XJ8, Vanden Plas, XJR and Super V8, which had been renamed Super V8 Portfolio. Speaking of which, Jaguar only sold 140 Super V8 Portfolio cars in the US for MY2009, painted either in Black or Astral Gold, and the numbers for prior years weren’t much higher. All in all, it’s a rare trim of a fairly uncommon car.
Just in case it’s not clear, X350 broadly describes the entire 2004-2009 XJ generation, but it can be further divided into X350, X356, and X358 models.
2011+: The Current and Future State of the XJ
The newly redesigned Jaguar XJ. I believe this one is a Supersport, with the new 5.0-liter supercharged V8.
Skipping the 2010 model year entirely, Jaguar released the all-new “X351” XJ in early 2010. Despite using an evolved version of the X350’s aluminum/DEW-derived platform, it was again enlarged in every way and was so unrecognizable as a Jaguar in general and an XJ in particular, it must have drawn audible gasps when it debuted. By the time it hit the market, Jaguar was no longer under Ford (though it would continue to use Ford resources for many years, including Ford contract engine manufacturing). Still, the X351 had a successful run and probably broader appeal to the general public, and not just the people who wanted a classic-looking car. The X351 saw the model’s first V6 engine in the US, the addition of AWD, and a further unification of Jaguar and Land Rover technology under their new Tata-owned corporate structure.
After 2019, the X351 was discontinued, but Jaguar planned to transition the car into an all-electric model, competing with the likes of the Tesla Model S and upstarts like the Lucid Air (oh, how far we’ve come!). But, at the eleventh hour, the combined entity that is Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) decided to cancel the allegedly production-ready model, and that is where the XJ sits at this time. Dead. As of March 2023, that remains the case. Perhaps this was a wise move. Given how much development and money the Germans have poured into the EQS, e-tron GT, i7 and Taycan, perhaps Jaguar again would have found itself unable to really cinch a worthwhile bite of a competitive market.
Then again…Jaguar is going all-electric by 2025, and may field a full-size sedan that is better poised to compete with the existing EV flagships than what it had with the XJ EV. If so, even if this new car is not called the XJ, it’ll be effectively a successor to it. So…there’s hope?
The all-electric XJ prototype. This now-stillborn car would have debuted sometime in 2021 or 2022.
What didn’t die, though, was the X350’s basic engineering and construction techniques. The 2007 XK was essentially the unadulterated X350 structure, modified lightly for grand-tourer duty. As I said, the X351 XJ used a revamped version of the platform, and a (perhaps separately) revamped version supports the current F-Type. That car’s cancellation was recently announced, but it will persist through MY2024. Beyond that, I’m fairly certain everything at JLR at this time is fully aluminum, and all those products owe something of their DNA to the car that started it all, the X350 XJ. And, as far as high-volume applications, Ford itself was able to take what it learned using bonded and riveted aluminum and apply it to one of its most important products, the F-150, beginning in MY2015.
This is a well-researched and insightful piece. thank you.
My personal impressions of all Jaguar XJ models past 1985 comes down to “we were retro before retro was cool”. That Jaguar (and later Ford) couldn’t or wouldn’t spend the money to be as good of a luxury car as the competitors’ models, so their marketing angle had to be “classic good looks and luxury”. And it sold plenty of cars.
Right. For much of its history, Jaguar has gotten by on modified versions of heritage platforms. Let us not forget that the XJ-S debuted in 1975 and lasted through 1996.
In the late 80s, they had plans to heavily revamp the platform and make a new coupe/roadster–not unlike what the F-TYPE is now. Those got canceled when most of the development work was done, but then Aston Martin (newly under the FoMoCo) umbrella, decided to take that and make it the basis for their DB7.
Jaguar then took the revamped platform and made it into the XK8, which lasted from 1997-2006. So…that basic platform lasted for quite a while.
But no, no benefactor of Jaguar has ever spent the sort of money on it that it would really take to compete with the Germans or with Lexus, and I will be surprised if the brand survives past 2030.
Great article Kyree. As a true fan of the Jaguar marquee this is one of the rare well researched articles on the X350 model which I still think is the model that bridges the gap between old school & relatively modern. As an X308 Vanden Plas owner I truly believe the brand has lost it’s identity since the discontinuation of the X350 with the newer cars barely recognizable as Jaguar’s but there again I’m a purist who wants a Jag to look like a Jag without the unreliability of course. Nice read!
That would be a shame if Jaguar were to no longer exist.The brand in its hey day had a distinct look like no other.Its customer ,elegant,rich,well to do.I loved the car after seeing my father drive a Jag down Collins ave in Miami.After that I had the pleasure to drive a number of XJ’s
The future of the Jaguar marque is very unclear; none of its vehicles is a sector leader, models have been cut back, and the future all-electric strategy is foggy. Land-Rover is easily the dominant business within JLR, and finding a niche for a Jaguar SUV vs eg the Range Rover Sport is quite a challenge.
There is a little poetic justice in all of this, as Sir William Lyons was determined to quash Rover’s up-market aspirations during the early years of British Leyland, but fifty years on, what’s left of Rover of Solihull very much has the whip-hand.
The Jaguar brand has been losing money for years now; all of the profits come from LR. The only solution, if there is one, is to just keep sharing more and more with LR and hope for the best. But I’m not optimistic about the brand. It may well die; I doubt what little brand equity is left will carry forward into the EV era.
Right. My understanding is that Tata–which purchased both Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008–didn’t even want Jaguar, but was convinced by FoMoCo to take both for a fire-sale price. It made good sense, if for no other reason than how much future development between the two was highly coupled.
FoMoCo also agreed to remain a contract supplier for engine construction and other components. While the EcoBoost 4-cylinder engines and the diesel (I4, V6, V8) offerings were outright FoMoCo engines, the Jaguar “AJV8,” as used in the XJ, Range Rover/Sport, etc…was Jaguar’s own. That said, it was built at a corporate FoMoCo engine plant in Bridgend, UK.
FoMoCo continued to build the AJ-V8 there even after it was redesigned to the new 5.0-liter flavor, and also the 3.0 AJ-V6, which was heavily based on the V8 (and which even had the same exterior dimensions, just with some unused space). FoMoCo continued to build it until mid-2020, after which time the Bridgend plant shut down. J/LR ordered a surplus of the engines in anticipation of this, then bought the tooling and took production in-house, moving everything to a different location.
But…the new L460 Range Rover and L461 Range Rover Sport use BMW V8 engines (again), instead of the Jaguar V8. And with Jaguar going all-electric, the Jaguar V8’s time is coming to an end. The only cars that still use it are the F-PACE and F-TYPE, and both are soon to be discontinued or redesigned.
Meanwhile, Tata’s purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover was ironic in the first place because in 1999, Ratan Tata and his team humbly tried to sell Tata’s then-fledgling car business to FoMoCo. Just nine years later, Tata would do FoMoCo a favor by taking those two money-losing British brands off of its hands. It was also ironic because of India’s history with the British Monarchy, of course.
The diesels are PSA/Ford and used by other brands
My 3rd Jaguar was a 2006 in British Racing Green w/ Champagne hides, the mesh grille and optional 18″ multispoke alloys. Spectacular car, very spry with the larger V8 combined with the lighter Alum body. Shoulda kept that one!
Ooh, very nice. I’d have loved that color combo.
Stay tuned 🙂
I recall thinking when these were introduced, while certainly attractive, they came across as looking dated in a bad way rather than the charmingly retro they were shooting for. If I bought one, my neighbors would think I bought a 10 year old used car.
The vertical trim piece behind the front wheel added to later models never looked right to me. Was JLR looking to created some family resemblance to the Range Rover? Seemed like it. The X351 had little about it that said “Jaguar”, which seemed to be the point. But it looked a bit too generic, with an Audi-ish profile and a grille that looked much like what Kia and Lincoln were using at the time. Mechanically, it seemed competitive yet not a standout – I’ve never been in one, but I don’t recall any reviews citing it as the best handling, or smoothest riding, or quietest, or most comfortable. At least in the US, Jaguar seems to be on the B list, simply not one of the first brands most luxury car shoppers think of, much like Acura or Lincoln or Alfa Romeo. If they shop around and don’t like the BMW, Benz, Audi, Lexus, or in recent years Tesla, they might look at a Jaguar. They probably deserve better.
Dropping the planned XJ successor (or putting it off until EV tech advances further) was probably a good move. Sales of big sedans have crumbled.
Not arguing with any of this. I agree, that piece of vertical trim behind the front wheel was horrible, looked like an act of panic.
As a big fan of lightness, these really appealed to me when they came out. The benefits on performance, handling and economy were very real, although this was probably more of an impact in Europe than in the US. Auto, Motor und Sport gave them a very positive review because of these qualities.
Stylistically, they still worked for me in its early years; it was certainly better than its relatively boxy and clumsy predecessor. But yes, after a few years it got old quickly, and one did wonder where they would go next, stylistically.
The EV craze is destroying my love of modern cars. In the U.S., consumers overwhelmingly prefer gas combustion. But, alas, this impractical, expensive, environmentally degrading age of the EV is being forced upon us. I loved this aluminum Jag when it first arrived. I also loved the S-Type, but praise for it soon soured in all directions, including mine.
I agree with you. This EV thing is just the latest fad or craze that human beings feel compelled to jump into. ICE vehicles will still be around for many, many more years and what’s more, ICE will continue to be the predominant type of auto sold.
“Aeroplanes and tanks…are only accessories to the man and the horse, and I feel sure that as time goes on you will find just as much use for the horse—the well-bred horse—as you have ever done in the past.”
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1926.
I didn’t care for the “X200” S-Type, ever. The debut model, which came out for 1999, had a hideous interior that looked far too much Ford corporate in it, and–specifically–it looked like the one in the Lincoln LS, since they were DEW sisters. The only thing particularly Jaguar about it was the J-gate.
In 2003, Jaguar did give the X200 essentially the X350 interior (dashboard, infotainment, switchgear, fiber-optic electronics), and it became a much better car for it. That was the same year the S-Type got the 4.2-liter (instead of the 4.0) and the new 4.2 S/C in the newly introduced S-Type R.
Still, I never liked the styling, and the replacement “X250” XF was a welcome arrival, in my mind.
I agree about that original S-Type interior. Yikes. A giant inverted half circle of plastic bits. Even the lowly X-Type got the interior right.
While there are some government regulations (in the U.S., EU, China, and elsewhere) pushing us towards electric cars, I don’t think mandates will prove necessary. Simple, old-fashioned competition will make EVs take over. Look at sales figures for upscale sedans and crossovers for the last two years. Tesla is crushing it. Once costs come down, infrastructure improves, and promising battery chemistries come online, IC-powered cars will be as sellable as CRT televisions.
Not unless we advance forward half a century with our non-existent nuclear energy or bring our coal-fired power plants back online. EV’s don’t run on goodwill.
You don’t think there will be any technological improvements in battery-powered cars? Look how much there’s been in battery-powered laptops – they used to have heavy batteries yet run for only 3 hours or so. Now they are thin and lightweight and run all day on a single charge. Notably, the big improvements have come from increased efficiency more than breakthroughs in batteries themselves, and I’m expecting the same will prove true in EVs. We’re already long past the 85-mile range that was typical just a decade ago, The first Tesla Model S had a then-revolutionary 208 mile range; new ones have nearly doubled that at 405 miles, and it’s not because the battery is twice as big and heavy.
Batteries store power, they don’t generate it or transmit it to the point of usage. Both are enormous problems, the latter at least as much as the former.
I live in California, which means that every summer, I have to endure publicly funded ad campaigns urging me to turn off my home air conditioner and appliances to prevent rolling blackouts on 100+ degree afternoons. People in the central part of the state have to deal with the utility periodically shutting off power for up to a week at a time in high wind conditions because the lines are apparently held up with masking tape and string and may start catastrophic fires (again) if the wind blows one down.
That’s with EVs still a minor part of the state’s power consumption. The state is NOT ready for an all-EV vehicle fleet, and given the apparent disinterest in upgrading the grid and the still disheartening dependence on fossil fuel sources (including coal) to power it, it’s not going to be any time in the foreseeable future.
EVs are what they are, I’d much rather hear the exhaust and feel the gear changes within the speed limit than have a ludicrous acceleration capability in utter silence, but so is the way of progress, I guess. (You’ll have to pry my ICE car out of my cold dead hands, having said that) SUVs are what have killed my love of modern cars and like a growing number of automakers that’s apparently all Jaguars lineup will be in the near future.
My first thought is “what gear changes?” given the increasingly common use of CVTs in ICE-powered cars. Some CVT-equipped cars and SUVs are programmed with fake gear changes, which at least in cars I’ve driven are unconvincing.
The satisfaction of perfectly executed manual shifts and clutchwork is the only thing I’ll miss from the dino juice era, and (in the US) is almost gone even in ICE-powered vehicles.
I don’t like CVTs either, but there are plenty of cars modern cars still without them
I have a Subaru Forester with a CVT. The non-shifting is fine with me. Not a fast car to say the least but it’s able to go when called on in city traffic situations, unlike my sister’s Honda CVT which is more classic CVT with a lot of revs but very non-instant acceleration.
One weird thing with the Sube is that under full acceleration like when entering a freeway with a short onramp it unnecessarily fakes going through the gears.
I once owned a five speed manual Mazda and had no problem even with San Francisco hills but got really sick of the constant clutching and shifting even though I skipped a lot of gears a lot of the time. Driving in a suburban situation would not be quite as bad until you get into some stop and go traffic. Then there was the time I squeezed into a just big enough parallel parking space on a really steep hill and could smell the hot clutch. Oh great, 10K of clutch life for one parking space.
Don’t like EVs?
Then don’t buy one. Nobody is forcing you.
See? Fixed it for ya.
Great write up, Kyree! Well-researched and delivered! I learned a lot about this platform that I honestly had never noticed or cared about prior but this really engaged me.
Another automaker rushing to jump head first into the EV fad/craze. Idiotic how human beings always make fools of themselves where there’s something new coming, the latest thing. Well, Jag is a fringe automaker anyway. Hopefully they’ll realize the error of their ways before it’s too late.
Get a horse!
Have you ever thought of contacting all those car companies investing in EVs and setting them straight?
Always had an eye on Jaguar since the early days of the XK, XJ, XKE. Lovely cars. My dad bought a poor man’s Jag (as he called it), a Rover TC 2000. His Rover and his good friend’s XJ, 1968’ish, were in the shop almost as much as at home. They shared the same mechanic whom they knew so well they were invited to holiday gatherings. 🙂
These two guys kept their cars for better than 10 years. My dad for 18 years. Something must have been right.
A detailed but very readable history of an important car, historically if not commercially. Thanks Kyree. As a car guy, I don’t really understand why the Jaguar brand faded away here in the US while Rover (as in Range and Land) and Mini have endured, as neither of the latter had much presence or image domestically, in their pre-1968 imports.
Thank you for an excellent article on the last XJ series.
I knew the reasons behind the X350 restyle, wanting a larger trunk and interior space were requirements amongst others. This meant the trunk had to go higher, spoiling the low sleek lines of the X300 (6 cil) / X308 (8 cil). It may have been a better car than its predecessor but it lost its sleek looks which for me is #1 for an XJ.
Over the years I have become more fond of the XJ40. It may not be as pretty as the XJ series 3 (what car is?) but it holds its lines very good. The X300 is not as nice, although most (and the press at the time) disagree. The X300 is just a little longer at the front and rear, incorporating a too retro front fascia and rear (my opinion).
The X350/6/8 are rust-prone, which is quite an achievement for an aluminum car. (It’s aluminum corrosion, which is technically a different process than iron rust… Similar results, though.). A friend of mine had one and loved it dearly, though it gave him no end of mechanical trouble…. about 60-80k miles, I think.
It’s among the last modern sedans that you could complement by calling it “stately.” The Cadillac DTS was the end of the line for American cars, and the Mercedes S-class is still carries the torch, of course. Everything else is either trying to look sporty (7-series) or cartoonish (Rolls-Royce, Bentley). Too bad, but I guess the time has passed.
I have a Subaru Forester with a CVT. The non-shifting is fine with me. Not a fast car to say the least but it’s able to go when called on in city traffic situations, unlike my sister’s Honda CVT which is more classic CVT with a lot of revs but very non-instant acceleration.
One weird thing with the Sube is that under full acceleration like when entering a freeway with a short onramp it unnecessarily fakes going through the gears.
I once owned a five speed manual Mazda and had no problem even with San Francisco hills but got really sick of the constant clutching and shifting even though I skipped a lot of gears a lot of the time. Driving in a suburban situation would not be quite as bad until you get into some stop and go traffic. Then there was the time I squeezed into a just big enough parallel parking space on a really steep hill and could smell the hot clutch. Oh great, 10K of clutch life for one parking space.
The traditional styling of the first aluminum XJ needed some more modern shapes and detailing. It didn’t look new when it came out.
To me the next XJ is the only one among the competition that had the kind of style that makes that class of car worth the money (if you have it). I’ve checked out a couple parked around here lately and even though an old design it really holds up, and the interior is cool too.
The first one size smaller XF looked good but the second one (still made if not seen) did not move the ball forward, and the smaller 3 series competitor more so and was criticized for lack of room besides. It’s like Jaguar lost its nerve while Land Rover was pushing the style envelope and has been very influential on other car’s style.
That was my feeling as well. It didn’t look BAD, mind you, but it didn’t look that different from the ’90s XJ.
A very interesting, well-researched and informative article. I have owned a 2007 Super V8 since new. It has, and continues to be, a delight to drive. The only issues I have had are occasional overheating, and the battery running down when not driven (solved using a battery-minder). While the external styling is perhaps not lovely, the interior, the supercharged 400 hp engine and the ride are all top-notch. I am very pleased with my purchase some 16 years ago.
Like them or not, this was (IMO) the last real Jaguar. Nothing they’ve produced since is worth looking at. Absolutely hate their SUV’s.
I’ve owned one 1989 base white with blue leather and no sunroof. Loved it, but so did the mid-west salt. Next was a 1996 British Racing Green with tan. Fantastic car and was even more reliable than the 89.
Requiem for a cat that lost it’s way. I became enamored with Jaguar and bought three of them over a few years. Being a true CC guy they were all older models. Quite old actually. I loved the tradition, the styling, and especially the interiors. They were very unique in the current market. I had seriously considered updating to newer used models, there was no way that I could, or would, afford a new XJ.
The first aluminum XJ suffered from it’s traditional design, it was hard to convince buyers that it was something new, which it was, since it looked so much like the earlier cars. The last XJ was bold, and pretty impressive, did it look like a Jaguar? That point was endlessly debated on the forum.
I spent years on the forum, contributing, as well as learning about everyone’s woes with their cars. Which is the real problem. I’ve never had a British car before, but I quickly learned that Jaguars are a bit more complicated than they needed to be, and they just don’t hold together as long as you would hope.
Jaguar has lost their flagship, as well as their sports car, I can’t see what they can offer that reflects their heritage and stands out from their competitors. If they’re just going to build SUVs, then Land Rover holds all the cards, LR being an off road vehicle company since the beginning. It’s sad to me that Jaguar is going to fade away, but I don’t see anything that they can do to prevent it.
My last new car was a 2005 Mustang GT. Seeing it at the San Diego Auto Show I feel in love with it’s heritage style. It was identifiable as a Mustang immediately but different.
At the same show I saw the new Jaguar XJR. THAT was instant lust!
Three years ago I found one by accident. I was looking for a second car. I wanted a 4 door RWD V8. Nothing specific to make. I thought maybe a Marauder, CV, 300, Charger….and I found my baby! Love this car!
Really enjoyed reading this Kyree – thanks. Consensus when this came out in the U.K., at least among my colleagues who were the target demographic, was it was undeniably beautiful but looked too much like the Jag of your dad’s generation. And it was selling a luxury look when sporty was fashionable (even if it was probably a better-handling car than the competition it didn’t look like it). One typo: TWR is Tom Walkinshaw Racing not Wickersham.
Jaguar was all about heritage, tradition, comfort, elegance, wood, leather and performance. Styling meant it was a Jaguar.
I have had all models Upton 2008 and enjoyed the experience and yes status of owning and driving them. Yes some have given me headaches but all forgiven.
At the moment l drive an early S Type and unusually l like the dashboard.
It is very reliable and done only 88.000 miles.
I would certainly but any age XJ.
Cannot take in this love in for EV’s, SUV’s and MPV’s. Just love classic cars with all their frailties. I suppose it a feeling a bit different when driving on out crowded roads.
Love any Jaguar…..so there!
Overlooked is XFR Supercharged V8 with 2 speed electronic rear end. These cars ran with 510 hp and the XFR S with 550 hp. 4 Dr sedan with sporty handling on curvey mtn roads. What a thrill to drive.
Tom Renner Portland,Maine.
Listen!
I very much like BRITISH CARS.against all of your NEGATIVES, Here are a few, just to keep story short. I have had the pleasure of always wanting to own English cars. I would after buying my first 1960 xk150 DHCoup.
It ran beautifully. BUT !!
I got hit in rear by a new 87 linc.twncar. going 75 . I was stoped. Pushed my rear into jumpseats. ( No injuries to me). Drove it home. BUT the link.’s. frent end was sitting in his get seat, He inhosp.car to junkyard.
That was my. true love affair with Jags. Mostly the xj -v12. I have had 4. i.e. 76, 78 ,74 79. All have been SBSOLUTELY care free, asking as I DId NOT! LET MY LOCALE garage get their hands anywhere near them. I also drove them YEAR ROUND.
Just be a fynote… I am by NO MEANS riic or upper mid class. I have Never had trouble with any. I be drove by each well be over 100,000 mls. I would debate with anyone
on the was qulity or reliability of Jags.
Except. for the time between ford and tata.
It’s Tom Walkinshaw Racing.
2012 XJ-XJL supercharged what’s your opinion on this year
Great write up on a car that was much better than objectively than it, arguably, was subjectively or commercially successful.
There are 2 things that must be considered and Kyree catches both – the technology of its construction and the style. The aluminium construction resulted in a car that was commodious a BMW 7 series but drove like like a 5 series, through a combination of low weight and traditionally sorted Jaguar dynamics. It rode like an S class as well.
However, in most markets, it seems this was all lost under a style that was either “old”, as in it looked like 1968 or overly “traditionally British” and not contemporary. In the UK, it looked like another Jaguar for the golf club and the mayor; I suspect elsewhere it looked like a re-imagining of a 1960s Jaguar. This was 3-4 years after the Rover 75 and Jaguar S Type had showed that traditionally linked or retro styling was interesting enough but not what was wanted. Yes, the interior was more modern than had gone before, the sizing and packaging much better and the awkward long rear doors of the previous generation had been consigned to history, but it was also something that looked a competently executed version of the 1986 or 1993 cars. How much of the style was dictated by Dearborn, and how much from Coventry?
Still, the red car at the top of the piece looks stunning, maybe even better for this shape than racing green. I don’t go for the 2008 bumpers though.
Ian Callum went onto become perhaps Jaguar’s most significant stylist since William Lyons’ rule. He proceeded to create a range of cars (XK, XE, XF, F-type, XJ X351, F-Pace and E-Pace) that had a new contemporary look and still managed a Jaguar look as well. And visually and in format the I-Pace is outstanding, IMHO.
But recent times have been tough for Jaguar – the volumes the Germans and Lexus have have given them huge advantages to invest in technologies Jaguar can only dream off, whilst Jaguar cannot clash with Range Rover for obvious reasons. Hence, the recent direction changes – where will it lead? Retirement would be sad, and difficult to execute tactfully in the UK. Jaguar is just one of those brands.
Bolloré dumped the XJ so close to the finish line, but now he’s out after just two years for “personal reasons”. Quite a short but eventful tenure.
I was absolutely shocked he axed the XJ, among other planned models. And since then JLR has said so little publicly about the brand’s future.
As a former XJ owner, watching the demise of Jaguar has been a slow motion tragedy. Given the chance to lease a new XF a few years back, I declined as the style is that of a dull frumpy aunt far removed from the glamour than once clung to the name. Add in the dreadful reliability and you have a great marque fading away. The news that Jaguar is to be reinvented as a Bentley competitor seems so removed from William Lyons original vision that I can see it being as embarrassing as the Maybach, a desperate last throw of the dice.