2015 Jaguar XJ-Series Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Just look at it. After five model years (a mild refresh is coming for 2016), the XJ is gorgeous. It has not aged, tired the eye, or done anything for wear. Jaguar spends so much effort on basic proportions—short overhangs, slim glass, a windswept, half-moon curve defining an elongated body—that the XJ is always graceful, with just enough muscular definition around the fenders and hood to suggest it can throw a punch. Inside, the color and texture arrangements are pretty much what you’ll find in a Bentley. It’s tailored. An XJ feels special because you’re never next to one, and while it offers everything you can find elsewhere, it’s all delivered with a tangible warmth that the stern German cars can’t manage.

Major choices are simple: regular or long wheelbase, rear- or all-wheel drive, and 6 or 8 cylinders. Either wheelbase carries four trim levels (Base, AWD, Supercharged, R) and up to a dozen three-color interior combinations. Our test car was an XJ AWD finished in Dark Sapphire (a deep sparking blue) with Truffle and Cashew Truffle leather (two delicious contrasting browns). Also on hand were the Portfolio Package ($4,000: heated and cooled 14-way front seats with passenger memory, power lumbar, massage, leather dash, contrast stitching and piping, microsuede headliner, four-zone climate control) and a heated windshield ($375), a rare feature on any car. Total with destination rang to an even $83,000.

Other world markets start with 4-cylinder turbo and diesel engines, but in the U.S., we get Jaguar’s best. A 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque comes standard on all Base and AWD models. Supercharged models turn up with a 5.0-liter V8, supercharged of course, delivering 470 hp and 424 lb-ft of torque. For those with friends in law enforcement, the XJR dials out monstrous numbers: 550 hp, 502 lb-ft of torque, and a 174-mph top speed. We’ve tried all these engines and found the six most pleasing and potent enough in everyday use, even with four adults onboard. The XJ’s all-aluminum body is several hundred pounds lighter than most large sedans, at 4,123 pounds in our AWD model (and a lithe 3,854 in RWD models). Together with the 8-speed automatic’s well-spaced gear ratios, our car had no trouble gunning away from stoplights and cruising calmly on the highway. We also averaged close to 24 mpg, another laudable number in this segment. Of course, if the V8’s shove steals your heart and bellowing exhaust clouds your better judgement, you’ll be envied by all. No one, aside from true sports cars, will be able to keep up.

Aside from Jaguar’s poor start/stop system, which vibrates the cabin and always seems ill-timed in its feeble attempts to save fuel, the XJ drives several sizes smaller. The hydraulic power steering is quick, light, and full of feel, and the adaptive suspension, which alters the dampers automatically and can be tuned to a firmer setting, is on the harsher side. Personally, we like how it sharpens the XJ’s response (on the standard 19-inch tires), although drivers seeking a coddling ride should look elsewhere. This is a car for drivers, and everything—from the “dynamic mode” programming to the firm brakes and low mass—is more involving than a BMW, which has abandoned this classic sport-sedan formula.