Can you believe that this car first appeared in 1968? And apart from Rolls Royce and Bentley, the Jaguar XJ is Britain's primary luxury car, the mode of transport politicians, pop stars and businessmen choose, even if their trip is just a couple of hundred yards.
Unfortunately for Jaguar, a couple of close encounters of the bankruptcy kind, a couple of changes of ownership and a disastrous reliability issues have prevented them from marketing the XJ as much as they could have done. It is a huge favourite in the States, for instance, but that market has never been consolidated.
Although the latest edition looks much like the original, that is where the similarities end. Ford has gone to town and are intent on attacking the opposition head on. The car is now full of the latest technology, but only where it has a point.
The XJ is available with a 3.0ltr V6, 3.5ltr and 4.2ltr V8s and a 4.2ltr-supercharged V8 producing 400bhp. Never a company to go for diesel engines, the XJ has one token choice, the PSA-Ford 2.7 V6 diesel (207bhp) although the engine has been fine-tuned and highly modified to meet Jaguar's exacting standards.
Interior is how you would expect a Jaguar to be, with leather and wood and all the details you expect from this marque. Equipment is excellent and there is a wide range of extras. Things like sat nav and the excellent sound system are easily mastered.
Insurance groups 18-20.
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Jaguar XJ.