2011 Jaguar XJL – Supercharged Powerful Luxury Sports Sedan
Luxury Cars - Auto, Sedan Comments (0)
The Jaguar brand has gone through ups and downs in past few decades, but the design of their sports car still exude luxury and style despite the company’s woes. Believe it or not the Jaguar brand is now Indian…that is correct it is now owned by Tata motors of India.
With the money and backing from Tata for 2011 Jaguar has designed a new XJ model. The XJ model has been one of the primary model of the Jaguar car line up since 1968. Back then the XJ sports sedan model had four doors of course, was rear-wheel drive and came with a six-cylinder engine, as the years went by eventually Jaguar placed a 12-cylinder engine under the hood. However, today in 2011 with high gas prices, it was a wise choice for Jaguar to put a smaller 5.0 liter V8 supercharged engine in the Jaguar XJL instead of a large 12-cylinder.
For 2011 the Jaguar XJL has a smooth new exterior shape that will entice luxury sports sedan buyers, over its competitors like the Lexus LS460, BMW 7 series and Mercedes S-class. The sculpted shape has only a drag coefficient of 0.29 which makes it a very aerodynamic vehicle. The roof line converges towards the rear and makes the 2011 Jaguar XJL look more like a coupe than a sedan.
The 2011 Jaguar XJL is fast, not just because it looks extremely sporty and aggressive, but the actual body of the car is much lighter thanks to liberal use of aluminium, magnesium and other composite type materials. The use of lighter materials has shed 136 kg or 340 lbs off the XJL, but has also made it more rigid for better handling.
The supercharged XJL comes with a 5.0 liter V8 that produces 470 hp, and you can even get a limited production version XJ Supersport that ups the horepower to 510 hp. With the 2011 Jaquar you can also choose regular wheelbase length or long wheelbase which has a “L” added to the model name, hence XJL is a long wheelbase model. The long wheelbase model add 1.3 cm more leg room for the passengers in the back.
Base model 2011 Jaguar XJ starts at $88,000 and the “L” , the XJL model starts at $95,500. Once you add a few options the price can easily go up to $110,000 or more. If you decide to go with the SuperSport model expect to pay around $130,000.
For that price, you better be getting a great service and warranty. Jaguar offers their Platinum Coverage with their vehicles that includes a 5 year , 80,000km. Items like windshield wiper and other wear and tire parts get free replacement within the warranty time frame.
The styling of a luxury sports sedan is certainly important for attracting attention, but it has got to have an interior that will pamper you and the 2011 Jaguar XJ definitely has it in this department. The leather seating inside is soft and comfortable while wood accents on the trims gives the interior an elegant feel. A tan leather and oak wood trim is available as well.
The seats offer good support and are heated. In addition there is also a cooling and massaging feature to keep the driver comfortable at all times. The panoramic sunroof lets quite a bit of light into the cabin which is great and gives the illusion of larger space inside. The dash instruments have been replaced by a screen that shows virtual speedometer and tachometers…it is quite cool and high-tech. All the controls, displays, audio and navigation of the 2011 Jaguar XJ or XJL can be controlled via an 8 inch touch screen. In terms of starting the car, no keys are required simply press the “START” button.
One really cool feature with the 2011 Jaguar XJL is the round dial on the center console. You can dial in your preferred driving style, simply by turning the dial. There are 3 settings, Normal, Dynamic and Winter. This type of system of changing driving styles is also available with lots of Jaguar’s competitors like Lexus, Mercedes and BMW.
The Dynamic setting changes increases the time for upshift (higher reving) and also increases the hardness of the suspension for sportier driving and fast corners. In Winter mode to prevent slipping on snow and ice, when you accelerate the transmission will start in 2nd gear to provide maximum grip in winter.
In terms of performance, the Jaguar XJL is quite fast doing the 0-100km / 0 -60mph acceleration test. The XJL achieves that in 5.2 seconds and if you go with the Supersport model it will be 4.9 seconds.
From all the information above you can see that the 2011 Jaguar XJL is a much different beast than its predecessors and is here to make a statement in the luxury sports sedan segment.
Price: $91,000
Related posts:
- 2014 Jaguar F-Type – Gorgeously Styled Luxury Sports Car
- 2009 Lexus IS F – High Performance, Handling, Safety and Practicality
Editor @ July 1, 2011
