2011 Jaguar XJL Reviews
This huge puppy complex isn’t only exclusive to the animal kingdom as it makes the perfect metaphor for the 2011 Jaguar XJL.
Our time spent with the largest Jaguar was done so with the non-supercharged XJL. That is much lighter than its biggest competitor, the BMW 740Li which we test drove a few weeks prior to driving the Jaguar XJL. The 2011 XJL is built exclusively at the Castle Bromwich, United Kingdom plant. It came as a big surprise that this Jaguar is actually a Jaguar and not a heavily modified Ford. Matched to six speed automatic with manual shift mode, the XJL felt faster than the BMW in more ways than one. Where the BMW makes an engineered mechanical noise, the Jaguar emits nothing but pure, organic muscle that would make any NASCAR fan proud. For being built in-house by Jaguar themselves, this engine is absolutely fantastic.
At 206 inches, the Jaguar XJL is six inches longer than a Nissan Quest Minivan and nearly 30 inches longer than a Ford Focus. The touch screen control panel, which operates the navigation, stereo controls and auxiliary integration needs to be revamped if the Jaguar XJL ever plans to beat its competition.
At the end of the day, the 2011 Jaguar XJL isn’t as developed or refined as the BMW 740Li. It may lack the controls and long distance comfort of the BMW, but the Jaguar isn’t a bad car. The Jaguar also offers more standard features than the BMW and carries them in a much more elegant fashion.
.To find out, we took a long-wheelbase Jaguar XJL to Key Largo’s Ocean Reef Yacht Club for their 16th Annual Vintage Weekend. A four-door saloon, er, sedan long under development before Ford decided to bail on its Premier Automotive Group holdings that included Land Rover, Aston Martin, Volvo, and Jaguar, it is the latest from longtime auto designer Ian Callum.
As tested, ours was the Jaguar XJL, which is a long wheelbase take on an already smashing executive car. New materials head off the field of breakthroughs for the Jaguar XJL. The inside is part and parcel of the new Jaguar. With a sport-oriented front dashboard area that looks as though it belongs inside a sporty Jaguar XK rather than Jaguar XJ, it is clear that the intention is to present an interior of a sports/driver’s car rather than a family sedan. Now equipped with direct injection with a variable intake manifold, it is also available with Eaton twin vortex superchargers in XJ Supercharged and XJ Supersport models.
The Jaguar XJ engines have 15,000-mile service intervals with no-cost maintenance for five years or 50,000 miles, to boot.
This cat gets its power to the pavement through the Jaguar Sequential Shift six-speed electronic automatic transmission. A Sport Mode remaps the shift points and holds gears longer under heavy acceleration.
The crowd that this Jaguar XJL runs with, all possess lofty price tags that match their capabilities. 2011 Jaguar XJL base price, $78,650. Driver Assistance Pack, $1,000; Bowers and Wilkins audio, $2,200; Destination, $850.
The new XJ L offers a modern interpretation of a number of key XJ design cues while maintaining the highest standard of personal luxury. The all-new Jaguar XJ L’s beauty is much more than skin deep. In naturally aspirated form, the XJ L’s engine develops 380lb.ft. With the XJ L, Jaguar has built upon its leading quality performance using the latest virtual product technologies. These proven Jaguar dynamic technologies are taken to new higher levels in the all-new XJ L. The rear independent multi-link setup features self-leveling air springs, dynamic adaptive real-time shock absorbers and a stabilizer bar. Front and rear suspension isolated cradles increase handling performance and lessen noise, vibration and harshness. Up front are 14.2in. discs clamped with four-piston calipers, while the rear setup features 13.2in. Braking control and power are enhanced with standard ABS, EBD, BA, Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control.
The all-new 2011 Jaguar XJ L is one of the finest luxury performance long wheelbase sedans on the market today.
