What Is It?
2004 Jaguar XJ
What's Special About It?
The new flagship of Jaguar is the seventh generation of XJ. It comes at a particularly well-placed time; there is a bevy of fresh competition, including the new Audi A8, new BMW 7 Series, updated Mercedes S-Class and the all-new Volkswagen Phaeton.
The company says it's the most advanced production Jaguar ever. Most interesting is the car's aluminum construction. Though trickier to use, aluminum does have the advantage of being lighter than steel. Consequently, the new car is "up to" 440 pounds lighter than the previous generation XJ. This is despite the fact that it is bigger than the old car (length, width, height and wheelbase have all increased).
In testing the previous XJ, we found that the interior was somewhat cramped. The '04's larger dimensions should help to solve this problem, as the interior is roomier throughout. Feature highlights include power adjustments for the rear seat, adjustable pedals, four-zone climate control, JaguarVoice and an advanced entertainment system. The system has video monitors at the rear of the front-seat head restraints. The monitors are independent, meaning that one rear passenger can be watching a DVD movie while the other plays a console video game.
At least for Europe (no word about North America yet), the new XJ will be available with three different V8 engines. There is a 262-horsepower 3.5-liter V8, a 300-hp 4.2-liter V8 and a 400-hp supercharged V8 (for the XJR model). Jaguar is also making available the 240-hp 3.0-liter V6 from the S-Type, meaning that for 2004 there will be a XJ6. All four engines come with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Once moving, this new Jag utilizes a new air suspension. The suspension is self-leveling, meaning that the ride height remains constant regardless of load conditions. CATS, Jaguar's adjustable damping system, has also been fitted to all models.
Why Should You Care?
The previous XJ was last fully redesigned in 1995. In the past few years, the car has been outclassed by its competitors in just about every area. The 2004 XJ is a dramatic improvement, though it remains to be seen whether it will be better than the rest or merely level the playing field. — Brent Romans
2004 Jaguar XJ
What's Special About It?
The new flagship of Jaguar is the seventh generation of XJ. It comes at a particularly well-placed time; there is a bevy of fresh competition, including the new Audi A8, new BMW 7 Series, updated Mercedes S-Class and the all-new Volkswagen Phaeton.
The company says it's the most advanced production Jaguar ever. Most interesting is the car's aluminum construction. Though trickier to use, aluminum does have the advantage of being lighter than steel. Consequently, the new car is "up to" 440 pounds lighter than the previous generation XJ. This is despite the fact that it is bigger than the old car (length, width, height and wheelbase have all increased).
In testing the previous XJ, we found that the interior was somewhat cramped. The '04's larger dimensions should help to solve this problem, as the interior is roomier throughout. Feature highlights include power adjustments for the rear seat, adjustable pedals, four-zone climate control, JaguarVoice and an advanced entertainment system. The system has video monitors at the rear of the front-seat head restraints. The monitors are independent, meaning that one rear passenger can be watching a DVD movie while the other plays a console video game.
At least for Europe (no word about North America yet), the new XJ will be available with three different V8 engines. There is a 262-horsepower 3.5-liter V8, a 300-hp 4.2-liter V8 and a 400-hp supercharged V8 (for the XJR model). Jaguar is also making available the 240-hp 3.0-liter V6 from the S-Type, meaning that for 2004 there will be a XJ6. All four engines come with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Once moving, this new Jag utilizes a new air suspension. The suspension is self-leveling, meaning that the ride height remains constant regardless of load conditions. CATS, Jaguar's adjustable damping system, has also been fitted to all models.
Why Should You Care?
The previous XJ was last fully redesigned in 1995. In the past few years, the car has been outclassed by its competitors in just about every area. The 2004 XJ is a dramatic improvement, though it remains to be seen whether it will be better than the rest or merely level the playing field. — Brent Romans
Add A Comment »