As a result, the car has appeared old to some consumers and has struggled to shed the quality issues Jaguar had before Ford Motor Co. took ownership in 1989. Now owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, Jaguar has given the XJ an all-new look for the 2011 model year. But will it be enough for the XJ to take some sales away from better-selling German competitors?
Model Lineup
The 2011 Jaguar XJ is offered in three trims: base, Supercharged and Supersport. Each is available in short- or long-wheelbase body styles (the latter known as XJL). Among the standard features on the base version are leather upholstery, keyless access and starting, a 16-way power adjustable driver's seat, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, a navigation system with 30-gigabyte hard drive for music storage, an HD radio, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, iPod connectivity, xenon headlights and 19-inch alloy wheels. The long-wheelbase body style adds fold-down rear trays, an electric rear sunshade, manual rear side window sunshades and 4-zone automatic climate control.
The Supercharged trim gets 20-inch wheels, Active Differential Control, 1,200-watt Bowers & Wilkins audio system, adaptive intelligent headlights that point into turns and turn off the high beams when oncoming traffic is detected, 20-way power adjustable front seats, 4-zone automatic climate control, heated and cooled rear seats, Alcantara headliner and a power rear sunshade. The top-line Supersport gets radar cruise control with Forward Alert and Advanced Emergency Brake Assist, a rear DVD entertainment system, a leather headliner and semi-aniline leather seats.
Standard safety features consist of dual front airbags, front side airbags, side-curtain airbags, active front head restraints, a tire-pressure monitor, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, electronic brake-force distribution, cornering brake control, traction control and electronic stability control. A blind-spot monitor, rearview camera, and front and rear park assist are also standard.
The 2011 Jaguar XJ has three all-new 5.0-liter overhead cam V8 engines. These modern engines come with four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing and direct injection. The base trim uses a naturally aspirated version that produces 385 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. The Supercharged trim gets a supercharged (of course) version that makes 470 horsepower and 424 lb-ft of torque. The top-line Supersport has a hotter version of the supercharged engine that churns out 510 horsepower and 461 lb-ft of torque. All engines are mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capability through a pair of steering-wheel paddles.
