JAGUAR XJ REFRESHED FOR 2014

The time has come for Jaguar to refresh its flagship XJ with some adjustments here and there, including inside and on the engine front. The features are quite extensive and would need their own internet to list. Therefore we’ll just highlight a few that we believe are worth mentioning. Jaguar South Africa will launch the fresh car in 2014.

We’ll start with the engines, of which there are seven at European launch. The existing ones that we know, 3.0-litre V6 diesel and petrol, are carried over. New to the list is the 2.0-litre petrol turbo also found in the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Freelander and Jaguar XF. It delivers a healthy 177kW of power, and 340Nm of torque, making it the entry-level XJ. Like all the others, it features an 8-speed automatic gearbox and stop/start technology to help save fuel.

The other engine worth chatting about is the 5.0-litre V8 supercharged, which features three power settings; 346kW, 375kW and for the new XJR, 405kW (680Nm). Said XJR is said to move from 0 – 100km/h in just 4.6 seconds.

This being a Jaguar XJ means there is a long list of interior comforts to be had. We’ll only list a few for the sake of space and boredom. First up is the wide choice of veneers that include Carbon Fibre, Satin Rosewood and Piano black. There is a long-wheel-base (LWB) version that’s just slightly longer than the rest of the cars, for the VVIPs out there which comes with reclining seats, ala Business Class style. Each seat can recline up to 11 degrees and rear occupants can even have their meals on the leather-surfaced business tables in the rear. Infotainment comes courtesy of 26cm high-res screens playing back DVDs, TV or some other media like a USB. Best of all, it includes zonal wireless headphones.