Jaguar XJR Review

Jaguar XJR

Safety and Security

As one would expect the Jaguar XJR is blessed with a wide range of passive and active safety systems. We have already discussed that the XJR is protected by Dynamic Stability Control, which goes hand in hand with Traction Control. There are front and passenger front airbags and front side airbags plus a full-length side curtain airbag protection utilised in the event of a side impact.

There is an energy-absorbing advanced body structure and Jaguar’s A.R.T.S. safety restraint system has been designed to meet the world's most stringent safety standards. To optimise protection, the renowned Advanced Restraint Technology System senses the severity of a crash, the position of the driver and the usage of the seatbelts to provide tailored protection. The occupancy sensing system uses ultrasonic technology combined with a seat weight sensor to detect the presence, position and size of a front seat passenger. A.R.T.S. uses this information to determine the airbag energy levels most appropriate to the individual occupants during a frontal crash.

The doors automatically lock as soon as you turn the ignition key, to prevent car jacking - and to protect your XJR when it is alone it is equipped with an immobiliser, an ultrasonic alarm and deadlocks.

Comfort and Refinement

The Jaguar XJR is a very refined beast; you can even hear the clock tick, even at quite high speeds. You only notice how quiet the interior is when you drive another car, I am currently testing another car, in a different segment and I now cannot stand the ambient noise.

The side windows are now laminated which certainly helps to keep unwanted noise out of the cabin; there is always a slight satisfying burble from the V8 engine and the supercharger does have an addictive whine when in full swing.

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.
 
Strangely the XJR doesn’t have front fog lights although you do benefit from Bi-Xenon headlights. Unlike the XK coupe the headlights are fixed rather than active directive lights. There are now indicators in the door mirrors, which can be power folded in manually or automatically on locking.

There are front and rear parking sensors which gives you an audible warning from the corner of the car you are about to scrape.

As we first saw on the S-Type the XJ is fitted with an electronic handbrake, which automatically releases when pulling off and will lock on when you switch the engine off should you forget to put it on. I did wonder if it would bring the car to halt, which it did if you keep your hand on it.

The audio controls, telephone, climate control and Satellite Navigation can all be controlled by voice activation. It does require some training at first, but it did work most of the time, possibly more of a novelty than a necessity.