What is it?
2008 Jaguar XJ
What's special about it?
The Jaguar XJ, launched in the U.S. in 2003, was always a good car let down by its looks. Conceived in an era when Jaguar's management still believed that retro design was the new modernity, the XJ hid its advanced technology beneath a shape that had changed little since the 1970s.
The strategy has been nothing less than disastrous, so in an attempt to inject a little life into the nameplate, the 2008 Jaguar XJ has been given a face-lift on the outside and new features on the inside. The objective is to freshen its appearance and to bring it into line with Jaguar's new design direction, revealed by the XK coupe and the C-XF concept car.
Financial constraints prevented a total reskin, but the aesthetic changes to the XJ's aluminum bodywork are still significant. The most obvious revisions are at the front. A revised mesh grille is joined by a new mesh-covered air intake that looks like a gaping mouth. "Every Jaguar must have a distinctive face," says Jaguar's design director, Ian Callum. "It is something that you cannot mistake if you catch a glimpse of it in your rearview mirror."
Two new power vents behind the front wheels mimic those of the XK and are likely to be a feature of every new Jaguar. At the rear, a full-width chrome "signature blade," a redesigned bumper and a subtle trunk lip spoiler are the key changes.
The revisions inside are much more subtle. The front seats have been redesigned to liberate more rear leg- and foot room, and to accommodate an optional air-cooling system. An uprated Bluetooth system allows up to five cell phones to be recognized, and U.S. buyers will be offered a new digital radio. As well as receiving a traditional analog signal, the radio is compatible with the Satellite Digital Audio Receiver System (SDARS) and In Band On Channel (IBOC High Line or HD Radio) technology.
The drivetrain is unchanged, as the XJ will continue to be offered with either a 300-horsepower normally aspirated 4.2-liter V8, or a 400-hp supercharged version of the same engine. The car goes on sale in the U.S. this fall.
An all-new Jaguar XJ will not be seen until the end of the decade.
What's Edmunds' take?
The XJ was always a much better car than it looked. Jaguar must now convince executives that the car has the trousers to match its gaping new mouth. — Alistair Weaver
2008 Jaguar XJ
What's special about it?
The Jaguar XJ, launched in the U.S. in 2003, was always a good car let down by its looks. Conceived in an era when Jaguar's management still believed that retro design was the new modernity, the XJ hid its advanced technology beneath a shape that had changed little since the 1970s.
The strategy has been nothing less than disastrous, so in an attempt to inject a little life into the nameplate, the 2008 Jaguar XJ has been given a face-lift on the outside and new features on the inside. The objective is to freshen its appearance and to bring it into line with Jaguar's new design direction, revealed by the XK coupe and the C-XF concept car.
Financial constraints prevented a total reskin, but the aesthetic changes to the XJ's aluminum bodywork are still significant. The most obvious revisions are at the front. A revised mesh grille is joined by a new mesh-covered air intake that looks like a gaping mouth. "Every Jaguar must have a distinctive face," says Jaguar's design director, Ian Callum. "It is something that you cannot mistake if you catch a glimpse of it in your rearview mirror."
Two new power vents behind the front wheels mimic those of the XK and are likely to be a feature of every new Jaguar. At the rear, a full-width chrome "signature blade," a redesigned bumper and a subtle trunk lip spoiler are the key changes.
The revisions inside are much more subtle. The front seats have been redesigned to liberate more rear leg- and foot room, and to accommodate an optional air-cooling system. An uprated Bluetooth system allows up to five cell phones to be recognized, and U.S. buyers will be offered a new digital radio. As well as receiving a traditional analog signal, the radio is compatible with the Satellite Digital Audio Receiver System (SDARS) and In Band On Channel (IBOC High Line or HD Radio) technology.
The drivetrain is unchanged, as the XJ will continue to be offered with either a 300-horsepower normally aspirated 4.2-liter V8, or a 400-hp supercharged version of the same engine. The car goes on sale in the U.S. this fall.
An all-new Jaguar XJ will not be seen until the end of the decade.
What's Edmunds' take?
The XJ was always a much better car than it looked. Jaguar must now convince executives that the car has the trousers to match its gaping new mouth. — Alistair Weaver
Add A Comment »