It was ditzy socialite Paris Hilton who once said: “Every woman should have four pets in her life: a mink in her closet, a jaguar in her garage, a tiger in her bed, and a jackass who pays for everything.”
By Peta lee
If you’ve sampled Jaguar’s exquisite new XJ (3.0 litre diesel), you’ll understand her sentiments.
The car-maker’s famous claim to “grace, space with pace” has always been a feature of these cars, and qualities long valued by Jaguar owners, nowhere more evident than in the newest XJ range.
It’s a car with which I could happily spend the rest of my life: name anything more indulgent than the (optional) back massage feature in the front seats. Or the fabulously soft and supple softgrain leather seats themselves. Or the out-of-this-world video screens in the centre console at the back of the front seat headrests. Another optional feature, it can show DVDs, either from the internal hard drive or an external player attached to the media hub. You can also have the centre console fitted with Dual-View, so the driver and passenger see completely different content.
There’s more. There’s the whole driving experience of the XJ, which is in a class of its own. The 3.0 diesel engine (202kW and a thumping 600Nm of torque) achieves remarkable levels of performance, yet still meets the EU5 emissions regulations. Top speed is restricted to 250km/h, and the beast will sprint from
0 to 100km/h in just 6.4 seconds. Fuel consumption in a combined cycle is a claimed 7 litres per 100km.
Fire her up and experience a frisson of delight as the beautifully designed JaguarDrive selector rises into your hand once the start button is pressed. A smidgen of pressure on the accelerator, and away you go, super-smooth and super-silent.
Sublime yet practical interior design ensures plain sailing for the driver. You’ll feel compelled to exert even more pressure on the loud pedal, and the result is sheer exhilaration. A lightweight aluminium body, along with aerospace construction techniques, provides high strength, improved acceleration and fuel economy, as well as lower emissions, compared with steel bodied alternatives. The XJ is, almost unbelievably, more than 150kg lighter than its next closest rival, and has near perfect weight distribution for superb handling.
Technology replaces tradition inside, and clean interior lines mean less clutter. Everything is tactile…and stylishly conceived. Phosphor blue halo illuminations highlight the gearknob, the door storage panniers, the door handles and the door-mounted switches. Even the analogue clock, nicely visible, has an illuminated background. The overall impression and sensation is of beautifully designed elegance.
And, oh joy, for cold mornings: apart from seat heating, there’s also the option of a steering wheel heater.
The new XJ range is a fitting tribute to Jaguar’s 75th anniversary. British-based Mike O’Driscoll, MD of Jaguar cars, said, “We celebrate our past and 75 years of designing and building cars that celebrate the art of automobile making. The development of our new range is all part of making Jaguar the modern, sporting company that it was under our founder Sir William Lyons – a company that made its name creating cars that were innovative, exciting, and always original.”
Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum added, “Jaguar design over the next 75 years must respect and reflect on the past 75, while continuing to push boundaries of technology, luxury and sporting style. Designing cars with a presence that demands a turn of the head and an allure that pulls at the heart has been central to the brand throughout the years. A successful piece of design should stand the test of time. Jaguar has a range of cars as iconic today as when they were launched.”
The new XJ range will continue the legacy and the legend. Despite lacking that traditional cat on the bonnet, a feature I strongly feel should always be part and parcel of the Jaguar image, and having a non-typical Jaguar rear view, the overall appearance of this slick, sleek, quite extraordinary motor car, will unfailingly turn heads. There’s nothing quite like it. And definitely, little to touch it as far as the ultimate driving experience is concerned.
As the old Jaguar ad used to admonish us: “Unleash a Jaguar; don’t dream it. Drive it!” Amen.