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CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
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Sep
16
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
 We first saw the new XJ a few months ago and as much as I like the front end and side profile, the rear end has still not grown on me. The overall design is very brave and different to any other car produced by Jaguar. Whilst it will attract new customers to the brand, it might alienate the current, more traditional drivers who may not want such a modern, futuristic looking car.
 There will be plenty of competition for the new XJ when it goes on sale early next year. The competitors also have a three box design and appeal to new and used buyers alike to do a job, mainly being used for chauffeur driving, executive travel and as luxury taxis. The competitor models include the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Mercedes-Benz S Class and Lexus LS; these have all found a place in the market for business use, with very few retail buyers. With its modern shape and with it being so different to the others, will it find a home in the used market or will customers want the latest modern car that stands out in a crowd? The new XJ certainly does offer more than German practicality in terms of style but is that enough for a car that has a job to do?
 There will be two models at launch: the standard wheelbase (pictured in beige) and the long wheelbase (pictured in white). The long wheelbase version is around five inches longer and does look to be more in proportion in terms of styling. For £3,000 more, it does offer better value in comparison to its piers and seems to be so much bigger inside, especially for legroom. The rear seats are designed for two people, as the third seat in the centre is hard and uncomfortable and is really for occasional use only. Nevertheless, it is better to have five seats instead of four, just in case you need the space.
We could not drive these pre-production cars but we were driven in them instead, being a passenger in both the front and the rear. These early cars have not got the final chassis set up so it seemed to be a very hard ride; we felt every bump in the road and it wasn’t the luxurious executive saloon ride that we were expecting. However, Jaguar has promised that the comfort will have improved greatly by the time the cars have rolled off of the production line. We will have to wait and see.
The quality of these early cars was excellent and will no doubt be even better by the time production starts. The dash is typically Jaguar, with the stitched leather giving it a very luxurious look and feel. The door panels are about four inches deep and can be chosen in a variety of materials. One of the cars we saw had dark grey carbon fibre door panels and it looked to be a bit over the top in my opinion; it would have looked much nicer in stitched leather much like the dash. Although the new XJ has been designed to be a driver’s car, the best place to sit is in the rear of the LWB. The individually sculptured rear seats are really comfortable and the interior provides plenty of leg and head room. The boot space did not appear to be overly generous for the size of the car and it was difficult to imagine that four suitcases would fit in it. On this type of car and for its uses, a large luggage area is a must.
 Jaguar has taken a bold step with the new XJ. It is entering into a very tough sector with some excellent competitors, all of which are finding it hard to sell their large executive cars in a shrinking market. Despite the XJ’s striking and unusual design, it still has to be fit for a purpose, to do a job and for people to be happy to sit in it and be driven in it. Drivers have to be sure that this is the car for them and feel confident that it will do the job just as well, if not better than the tried and tested German and Japanese competitors. With prices starting at over £50,000, it does look to be expensive but comparing model for model, spec for spec, it looks to be good value in comparison to its rivals.
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