Jaguar XJ Review
Published: 3rd August 2008
Jaguar XJ
It is very easy to find the ideal driving position, the driver’s seat is electrically adjustable; including the head restraints and cushion length, the steering wheel is adjustable electronically for rake and reach, and even the foot pedals are electronically adjustable for reach. There are three seat memories for different drivers or preference, which can be linked to individual key fobs, so that the driver’s preference will be selected on unlocking the car.
The front seats in our test car were fitted with 3-stage heating controls, they also benefited from optional 3-stage cooling which was very welcome in the summer heat. Incidentally the rear seats also have heating controls.
In the front the Jaguar XJ can feel a little snug, but it is as welcoming as your favourite jumper. The transmission tunnel intrudes a little into your cabin space but it is not uncomfortable. All the switch gear is to hand but in our opinion some of the dashboard controls need revising, they just don’t feel that special looking like they have been pinched from Ford’s parts bin.
Even in the rear the Jaguar XJ Sovereign feels a very special place to be; there is plenty of legroom in the LWB XJ, the rear seats are heated and on our car we had business/picnic tables in the rear of the front seats.
We had sun blinds on the rear windows of our test car and a powered rear screen blind which could be raised and lowered via a switch above the driver’s seat.
There is a reasonable amount of storage space within the car, two cup holders in the central transmission tunnel along with a useful storage box. The door pockets in both the front and rear are quite generous, as is the glove compartment.
There are puddle lights in all the doors and within the door mirrors, which help illuminate the XJ. You can switch the headlights on from the key fob, so you can navigate your way to and from the car at night.
The boot is relatively big, but it is too shallow and at 470 litres it loses out to the Mercedes Benz S-Class which has a more accommodating 560 litre boot, although it does self close which is rather polite of it.
The touch screen DVD Satellite Navigation system is easy to use; you can enter full post codes and it even has voice control. It is beginning to feel a little left behind by some of the state of the art systems, and it is not as quick as the best but it is supplied as standard.
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