If you caught last month’s issue of the mag, then you will have read that there is something of a muscle war underway amongst the cream of the European brands at the top end of the market. Audi have just released their awesome 4.2-litre TDi with 322bhp, Mercedes-Benz have their new 420 CDi unit coming with 314bhp and a whopping 730Nm of torque and BMW have been wowing us for a couple of years now with their superb 3.0-litre diesel, with 272bhp in the 535d.So when you hear the news that Jaguar has planted their 2.7-litre V6, donated from the S-Type with 206bhp, you might be a little under whelmed at the news.
But for any of you that have been reading your motoring press over the last couple of years, you will know that this engine is rather special. Planted into the S-Type it is brilliant, and in the Discovery it is more than capable of hauling ass. Plus the XJ is no ordinary luxury saloon. The XJ is made almost entirely from aluminium, whereas rivals make sections of the car from aluminium. This means that at 1,659kg, it is considerably lighter and stiffer than its rivals. The BMW 730d comes in at a portly 1975kg,with the allegedly light Audi A8 coming in at 1,830kg,with the Mercedes S-Class 50kg heavier. So the Jag diesel has a lot less work to do than the units employed by its rivals.
Plus the unit itself is very lightweight. So what is someone looking for who buys into this segment? Well firstly this car is going to have to be quiet, refined and smooth. Well turning the key of the XJ diesel you will hear a faint rattle that tells you that it is diesel, but the clatter stops there. This car is incredibly quiet. And I don’t mean quiet in diesel terms only, it is quiet, full stop. Jaguar has worked very hard to make this happen. Noise intrusion into the cabin has been reduced to a remarkably low level with the Integrated Acoustic Damping System.
This uses high acoustic absorption on the underside of the bonnet, airtight seals between the bonnet and engine compartment and new double skin bulkhead structure to dramatically reduce engine noise inside the cabin. Acoustic laminated glass further minimises the intrusion of external noises into the cabin. There are also electronically controlled active engine mounts, which cancel 90% of engine vibration at idle. This makes it easily the quietest diesel car in its class. And they have figures to prove it.
Jaguar were also keen to tell us about their Catalysed Diesel Particulate Filter (CDPF), which reduces emissions by 90%-95%. Set off and the XJ’s smaller engine means that it doesn’t leap forward with the urgency of some rivals but very quickly it settles into a good rhythm. This car sits best over 100 km/h and motorway driving is a joy. But it is also incredibly agile. The traditional Jaguar J-gate gearbox is such a let-down though. It is just too slow and any attempt to use its manual functionality results in frustration.
But in standard auto or sport mode this car fells svelte and nimble, especially compared to the likes of the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-Class. It is a surprising and ultimately rewarding car to drive. It is also a bonus that after a long day or hard driving on some fast Portuguese roads that there was still half a tank of fuel remaining. The performance figures are impressive. The claimed top speed is 225km/h, although we are fairly sure it will do more (more like 260 km/h – it wasn’t us I swear) and 0-100km/h takes 8.2 seconds. This compares favourably to rivals too. The Audi A8 3.0 TDi maxes out at 243 km/h and gets to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds. The Mercedes S-Class 320 CDi has a max speed of 235 km/h and gets to 100km/h in 8.2 seconds. The 730d has a top speed of 238km/h and will accelerate to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds.
So you can tell from that the 2.7-litre diesel performs on a par with rivals. The car itself looks good. There are subtle changes to the car, but these would need a trained eye to spot. The inside of the XJ is, as you would expect from a flagship Jag. There is wood, leather and nice touches everywhere. Jaguar steers clear of any I-Drive, MMI or other such shortcuts, and stick with lots of buttons and rather cleverly, a touch screen for things like navigation. This works well and won’t confuse owners.
Other new features for the entire XJ line-up include Bluetooth enabling for the phone, an uprated braking system with a bigger disc and calliper assembly, a tyre pressure monitoring system and two new alloy wheel designs. The XJ, with this engine is superb. It gives the car a new lease of life and should make buyers pay attention to the brand once more. Whether it will succeed in wrestling buyers out of the likes of the ever popular S-Class and BMW 7Series is open to debate. Jaguar’s best XJ is their new entry-level. Diesel is King of the cats once more.
INFO
Jaguar XJD
Engine 2722cc V6, 204bhp, 435Nm torque
Boot Capacity 470-litres
Acceleration 0-100km/h 8.2secs
Top Speed 225 km/h
Price €89,000 EST
Transmission Six-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Economy 8.2 l/100km / 26.0mpg
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