2011 Jaguar XJ

What’s in the driveway? A chic new sedan that sweeps Jaguar into the 21st century. After dithering for most of a decade with a flagship that drove modern but looked hidebound, Jaguar bounds ahead with a radically re-imagined XJ.

The all-new 2011 XJ uses an evolved version of the 2004-2010 XJ’s aluminum-intensive chassis and body structure, continuing a several-hundred-pound weight savings compared to such rivals as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series. The 2011 XJ, however, rejects big-Jag design cues that dated all the way back to the 1969 XJ6.

This is a fully contemporary shape, crouched yet flowing, spare in concept but complicated in detail. Highlights include a jeweled mesh grille flanked by narrowed-to-menace xenon headlamps. The cabin is a celebration of leather, wood, brightwork, and hi-def graphics. Debatable decisions involve shiny black strips on the rear roof pillars (intended to evoke a wrap-around back-window) and a shapeless rump with taillamps too reminiscent of those on the Lincoln MKS and a self-consciously large leaping-Jaguar logo.

All-wheel drive is available or standard on every competitor, but the 2011 XJ is purely a rear-drive sedan. It comes in regular- and extended-length bodies. Both are majestically sized, but the latter, tabbed the XJL, has a 4.9-inch longer wheelbase and 5 full inches of additional rear leg room. Every XJ packs a 5.0-liter all-aluminum V-8, but horsepower choices are 385 with the base engine, 470 in the XJ/XJL Supercharged, and 510 on the special-order XJ/XJL Supersport models. A six-speed automatic with steering-wheel manual-shift paddles is the sole transmission.

The Jag in the driveway this week is a 385-horsepower XJL, the model expected to account for 50 percent of XJ sales in the U.S. Its exterior is Indigo Blue, a stately hue that gives the 19-inch double-spoke alloy wheels real visual pop. Better still, it camouflages those gimmicky black rear-pillar strips in a way lighter colors can’t. The leather upholstery is ivory with navy piping. The doors and center console are veneered in warm Satin Elm, one of eight mirror-matched woods available. The inside of the roof is coated in something called Jaguar Suedecloth that entices your touch and rewards with a velvety nap. This is how the other half travels.             

How much does it cost? Base price for the 2011 Jaguar XJL is $79,500, including Jaguar’s mandatory $850 destination fee. It slots at the lower end of a base-price range that starts at $72,500 for the regular-length XJ and soars to $115,000 for the XJL Supersport.

Standard equipment on the 2011 XJL includes the leather, wood, and Suedecloth cabin trim, heated and cooled front bucket seats, and heated leather steering-wheel rim. Rear passengers get electrically warmed seats, too, plus their own set of controls for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Keyless entry with pushbutton start is standard, as is an 8-inch central dashboard touch screen display for various audio, climate, and communications functions. Jaguar includes a voice-activated navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity, two USB ports to interface iPods and other digital devices, and 30 gigabytes of onboard hard-disc music storage.

Every XJ comes with glass panels over the front and rear seats; the front is an opening sunroof, but both have power sliding shades – and rear passengers get their own slider control. Present as well is the JaguarDrive Selector, the British marque’s unique take on the transmission shifter. Instead of a stalk or lever, it’s a polished alloy hockey puck that rises from the center console when the car is started and is turned by the driver to dial in the desired gear position.

No other Jag, however, displays its main instrumentation on a 12.3-inch high-definition screen set directly before the driver. The speedometer, tachometer, and a fuel/temperature/menu ensemble are projected as three round “virtual gauges.” They look analog, with nicely defined numbers and needles, but can be transformed to display other data as necessary. For example, the tachometer fades to temporarily show a low-fuel message or a menu for Bluetooth-ready devices. And when the driver selects the transmission’s Dynamic mode (a sport setting that raise shift points and stiffens the suspension) the dials’ ice-blue lighting turns to a raging red.   

Our test car has two options. The $1,000 Driver Assistance Pack, which induces the headlamps to swivel a few degrees in agreement with the steering wheel and automatically activates and deactivates the high beams according to darkness and oncoming traffic. The other option is the $2,200 audio upgrade, a 7.1 surround-sound system by high-end British brand Bowers & Wilkins. It packs 1,200 watt and uses 20 speakers powered through 15 channels.

Total manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the 2011 Jaguar XJL in the driveway is $82,700.

Is it worth it? Yes. Each vehicle must be judged by how successfully it completes the mission for which it was designed. Every car in this class is roomy, quite, comfortable, and fast. But the 2011 XJ adds a particular presence to the mix. It’s rivetingly original in many important respects. It’s everything a 21st century Jaguar ought to be.

What’s to like? The powertrain is unassailable: strong, smooth, and spirited. Handling is admiringly sporty for the class. This big luxury sedan feels as if it’s on powerful athlete’s legs. The aluminum suspension features rear air springs and is taut yet resilient and the car responds to its natural, linear steering with poise and balance.

Among XJ alternatives, the Audi A8 comes standard with all-wheel drive and in snow-belt states, the option accounts for significant percentages of Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series, and Lexus LS460 sales. The bad-weather traction deficit of rear-wheel drive is a legitimate issue, though we can report that our test XJL wasn’t fazed by a light but slippery coating of white stuff that fell during our test period. The transmission has a “snow” mode that softens shift points, but more important, Jaguar shod this car with four Pirelli Sottozero winter tires, 275/40R19 run-flats that fit on the original factory wheels. They get most of the credit for getting the big cat moving with nary a wriggle or feint, but even AWD won’t save you if you don’t slow down in a snow-covered turn, and we knew better than to test lateral grip, especially after the icy conditions were made obvious by the furious pumping of the antilock braking system at a slick intersection.

Some critics have attacked the XJ virtual-gauge instrument cluster, but we find them easy to read and in keeping with the car’s techno thrust. Plus they have the ability to project new data in ways an analog system couldn’t. We especially enjoy the sense of dynamism as manual shifts are represented by the gear number appearing in a sort of bubble that dances to the fore and cycles back in place as you upshift or downshift.      

The cabin as a whole is a visual and tactile feast. Beyond the leather, wood, “Suedecloth,” and chrome you get functionally satisfying rubberized control knobs and buttons, unique dashboard surfacing that feels space-age yet organic; Jaguar even bothers to illuminated the plus-sign-for-upshift, minus-for-downshift symbols on steering wheel paddles. All in all it’s an impressive display of business and style.

Coarse road surfaces trigger some tire noise, and the engine snarls appropriately as you give it the gas, but this is a very quiet car otherwise. The rear seatback doesn’t recline, but there’s true limousine-grade comfort and space back here. Special mention is due the full separate climate-control systems and the supportive contouring of the seat itself. Jaguar honors its past by providing rear passengers with little writing tables that fold from the backs of the front seats. Their surfaces and hinges are plastic, not the solid wood and stainless steel of yore, but they do have molded indentations so your Conway Stewart won’t roll off. Rare is the family that vacations in an XJ, so the trunk certainly doesn’t look as large as Jaguar’s 18.4-cubic-foot claim. But it’s nicely lined and has a power lid.  

What does it need? Just a few adjustments, really, but some touch on Jaguar’s unfortunate reputation for wonky electronics. Our test car’s remote keyless entry seemed prone to confusion at times, inexplicably triggering the theft alarm when a door was opened.

We could live with the voice-recognition system’s affectation in which a woman with an embroidered British accent requests that you “Please say a com-ahnd,” if only it actually responded consistently to our com-ahnds. Most frustrating were repeated attempts to provide the navigation system with a destination. “This function is unavailable in this language,” said our disembodied friend. We were speaking English, as best an American can. The solution was to program the address via the rather cumbersome touch-screen interface. On the upside, the system’s impressively comprehensive database system includes addresses for the entire U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico, and Central America!

Jaguar is now owned by Tata Motors of India (how’s that for colonial karma?). Its new masters undoubtedly are aware of lingering bad memories about the brand’s reliability, so we’re pleased to note all 2011 Jaguars come with something they certainly need: a comprehensive warranty. Jaguar Platinum Coverage is a 5-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper plan that includes complimentary scheduled maintenance, plus no-charge replacement of basic ware items such as brake pads and discs and wiper blades. Brake-fluid and oil changes are free for the duration, too.    

Jaguar press materials crow that the analog clock in the center of the XJ’s dashboard is “inspired by luxury wristwatches,” but a simple Timex would be easier to read. By day, this one looks elegant, all glossy-faced and shimmery, but sloppy illumination turns it into a blurry, indecipherable mess at night.

The XJ’s designers deserve credit for the dashboard’s tennis ball-sized vent orbs: they look like jet-engine outlets -- perfect for this car’s artsy disposition. But the rest of the cabin is built of such stout stuff that you’re disappointed to discover the vents are made of characterless plastic and not some sort of classy alloy.

What’s Jaguar say? “The all-new S60 2011 XJ is very much a driver’s car, agile and spirited, but without compromise to comfort.”

What do you say? We know the palace staff has a gilded carriage at the ready, but if William and Kate really want to signify a new era in royal travel, here’s their wedding car.

What’s next? Unless Jaguar decides to engineer an all-wheel-drive system for its top cat the XJ and XJL models won’t change for several years. They’re well positioned to take on all comers, with two wheelbases, a formidable array of engines, and a certain charisma no rival quite matches. 

Vital statistics
2011 Jaguar XJL

• Base price, including manufacturer’s $850 destination fee: $79,500
• Price of test car including options: $82,700.
• Size: 206.6 inches long, 124.3-inch wheelbase, 4,131-pound base curb weight
• Engine: 385-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8; 6-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive
• Fuel economy: 15/22 mpg (EPA ratings)
• Warranty: 5 years/50,000 miles bumper-to-bumper, including scheduled maintenance

Automotive journalist Chuck Giametta has covered the auto industry for more than 20 years as a newspaper reporter, Executive Auto Editor of Consumer Guide books and magazines, and as Managing Editor of Iguida.com. This test vehicle was provided by the manufacturer.