This car frightens me. Last
time Auto Trader Towers
took the Jaguar XJ for a
spin I commented about the
huge length of the body,
this time we have the L version. That's
an extra 13cms over the regular XJ,
to you and me that means it sticks out
in a regular parking space.
Jaguars in general frighten me and
its not just their size. It's all in the way
they drive, they are incredibly so fast.
I've driven supercars that don't seem
to hoover up the road as quick as a
Jaguar does. The Ferrari Scuderia hits
100 kph in about 3.4 seconds, the
Jaguar XJ L Supersport in 4.9 seconds,
but the Jag gives the impression
of being much faster when you're holding
the wheel. Under the hood, powering
us through Dubai's streets, is a
5.0 litre V8 that offers 510 horse. 20
inch alloys keep enough rubber on the
road to make flying around bends a lot
of fun while the computer earns its
money with the traction control. Yet
all this is coupled with hushed refinement.
The look of the XJ is reminiscent
of a whale shark thanks to the
large mouth at the front, but instead
of plankton being sucked up by the ton
it's the Sheikh Zayed Road.
Jaguars are amazing cars to drive,
right across the model range from the
XJ, XF and XK. Each one of those cars
hits the different market groups, our
XJ L Supersport being the largest of
the lot, more for the limousine market
than the top management company
car segment.
It is taken for granted that the XJ
is beautiful to be behind the wheel,
this is a car for the back seat passenger.
You should be reclining in the
back receiving faxes, with two phones
on the go, while on the way to a high
powered meeting in the city. The type
of car where the driver pulls up and
the passenger hops out into a building.
Well that's the movies, I'm more
likely get cosy and catch up on
an hours sleep away from
the kids and the whining
staff, in the car park.
Jaguars today
come with exceptional
interior qualities.
The XJ L SS cabin is
wonderful, much
more colourful and
playful than the
Mercedes S Class.
The dials are digital,
illuminated in electric
blue, the gear stick is a
round knob that rises
from the central dash when
the 'Start' button is pressed.
Mottled leather, Truffle Tipped they call it,
surrounds the dash with carbon fibre
veneers, Bowers and Wilkins brings
music to life with 20 Kevlar
speakers churning out
1,200 watts and the
seats allow the car and
driver to melt into one.
If you are in the back
there is are DVD
screens with
Bluetooth streaming,
business trays
and more legroom
than most premium
economy seats on an
aircraft.
Overall the XJ is contemporary
luxury with a
sensual fusion of soft
leather, warm wood and cool
chrome and an amazing car to drive.
