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| Road Test: Jaguar XJ (2003-) |
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| Large Executive |
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| PERFORMANCE RATING: |
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This is where the XJ's low weight pays off. Even the 3.0 V6 is a lively performer, not just on paper (0-60mph: 7.8 seconds; 145mph) but on the road too. You're never left thinking that the car is underpowered; everything reminds you of how complete this engine and its excellent six-speed automatic transmission are. The V6 is responsive and revs sweetly, issuing a mellifluous, fast-paced warble even as it zones in on its 6900rpm rev limit. The (mostly) fabulous six-speed automatic transmission swaps gear as deftly as a catwalk model, and manufacturers ZF have now fixed the early problems with its jolting. The 3.5 and 4.2 V8s feel and sound surprisingly similar to the V6, despite their extra cylinders. They're faster of course (3.5: 0-60mph 7.3 seconds, 150mph; 4.2: 0-60mph 6.3 seconds, 155mph), the 4.4 especially so, and they both feel smoother in their progress to counter the fact that they don't rev as high as the V6. The supercharged XJR is on a different plane, issuing great gouts of whirring power with the merest foot flex. Its 0-60mph time of 5.0 seconds dead is supercar quick, and like the 4.2, the XJR is reined in to 155mph. Real-world best option, however, is the strong, torquey 207bhp 2.7-litre TDVi diesel: 0-60mph in 8.2 seconds, 141mph may not sound particularly quick on paper, but it's absolutely effortless and as superbly refined as the petrol V8s.
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Introduction The Jaguar XJ, originally launched in 1968, is a genuine luxury saloon... |
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