2007 Jaguar XJ-Series Review

Entering its fourth year of production, the current (seventh-generation) Jaguar XJ range of full-size luxury cars gets Bluetooth wireless technology as standard equipment, while the base XJ8, longer-wheelbase XJ8 L and supercharged XJR receive higher-quality leather upholstery.

Stately, elegant and maybe a little stuffy, the 2007 Jaguar XJ-Series of sedans are everything a modern and proper English motorcar should be. Progressive in their all-aluminum structure but traditional in appointments and finish, the XJ and XJR drive with appropriate dignity and real sporting spirit.

Jaguar's large flagship four-door sedan, the elegant 2007 XJ, is also its most technologically advanced. A lightweight monocoque structure made up of bonded and riveted aluminum elements underpins an exterior design that appears almost unchanged from the previous six generations of XJs.

Still, buyers don't choose a Jag because of the technology involved. The XJ has all the sensuous wood, leather and chrome expected of this storied British marque, combined with sophisticated road manners, surprisingly nimble handling and excellent performance from the 4.2-liter DOHC 32-valve Jaguar V8 -- in either naturally aspirated or supercharged form. Beyond that, this seventh-generation XJ (introduced as a 2004 model) is the roomiest XJ yet in both short- and long-wheelbase models.

However it's still a rather idiosyncratic machine. The ventilation controls would baffle a cryptologist, the "J-Gate" shifter topping the six-speed automatic transmission operates with scattershot imprecision and other controls seem to be designed with frustration in mind. Happily, the XJ isn't hobbled by sharing components with lesser machinery from parent Ford's catalog, but if what you want is a thoroughly rational car, buy German or Japanese. This car is, quite defiantly, not an Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus or Mercedes.

Interestingly, the most controversial element of the 2007 Jaguar XJ is how conservatively it's styled. The XJ styling idiom -- four more-or-less circular headlamps bracketing a rectangular grille up front, an arched roof line and drop-away tail -- was set way back with the first XJ6 in 1969 and since then it was assumed that that styling was "timeless." Apparently, though, that assumption was wrong and many are clamoring for a more contemporary styling to reflect the XJ's leading-edge construction. That fresh styling is likely to come with the next XJ.

So if this how you think a Jag sedan should look, get your XJ soon.

All 2007 Jaguar XJ-Series sedans are rear-wheel drive and powered by Jaguar's 4.2-liter V8. The XJ8, XJ8 L and Vanden Plas use a naturally aspirated version rated at 300 horsepower while the XJR and Super V8 add a Roots-style supercharger to swell total output to 400 hp. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard on all XJ models. Edmunds.com's test of the mechanically identical 2005 Super V8 had it accelerating from zero to 60 mph in just 5.6 seconds.

Jaguar's "Adaptive Restraint Technology System" monitors the positions of both the driver and front passenger instead of merely their weight when deciding how and when to deploy the front, side and side curtain airbags. Antilock brakes and stability control are also standard.

Operating in virtual silence, with a suspension system tuned more for grace and dignity than corner-carving, the 2007 Jaguar XJ-Series sedans have a personality unique among high-end luxury cars. But with their lightweight construction and the surprisingly eager V8 aboard, they're also surprisingly rambunctious when given some spur. If you want a Jaguar, there really aren't any substitutes.

Every 2007 XJ-series sedan interior is finished in wood veneers, luscious leather and absolutely tasteful chrome accents. Where other luxury cars try to impress with overwhelming technology, the XJ has the feeling of a British manor's study — it lacks only bookshelves and brandy snifters. Still the XJ's interiors could be better; many drivers find the seats unaccommodating, some of the switchgear has a tactile cheapness to its operation and there's nothing intuitive about their operation.