2004 Jaguar XJ8 Reviews

There are few more elegant cars than the big cats, they’re long and lithe and seem poised to pounce the moment you bury your right foot in the shag pile. Even when you delve back in history to the Mark V model of the late-1940s, the Mark VII of the 1950s, or the original XJ6 of the late-1960s you find a fabulous heritage of beautifully elegant saloons, and little has changed in the 60 years that have passed.The company once used the slogan “pace with grace” and that pretty much sums up the big Jaguar saloons. They were sporty, but still oozed charm and elegance. Today’s models are no less elegant than those early classics, even if some think they’re mired in the past.MODEL WATCH The seventh generation Jaguar XJ saloon emerged in 2003, and yet again it looked for all the world like a makeover of the first XJ shown back in the late-1960s. That first car was such a beauty that it seems Jaguar couldn’t let it go, but then why should they. That original XJ6 was perfectly proportioned, with a balance of lines that keep it looking fresh 40 years later.The XJ8 of 2003 boasted a similar balance despite being significantly larger than the model it replaced. It was longer, wider and taller than its earlier cousin, and also had a longer wheelbase and reduced front overhang.If it looked a throwback to the past the X350, as it was known, was no such thing once you dug under the skin and realized the depth of engineering that marked this cat out as a very new beast.If there’s been a constant criticism of the big cats over the years it’s that its exterior size wasn’t translated into interior room and that the interior was cramped, particularly in the rear seat. But the extra length, width and height was put to good use and went a long way to making this XJ competitive in terms of interior space.At the core of the XJ was a rivet-bonded aluminium monocoque construction that slashed the big cat’s weight by 200 kg or more. Remarkably, it weighed just a little over 1500 kg. The lightness clearly comes through in the driving when the XJ feels agile and responsive, with quick, sensitive and precise steering that belies its physical size.While Jaguars have always been a pleasure to drive the dynamics and sheer speed of this model shifted it into an elite class occupied by the likes of BMW M-Series and ’Benz AMG models. Under the XJ’s long, elegant bonnet at launch was a choice of two V8s, which in early 2004 were joined by a V6.The V8 choices were a 3.5-litre unit and a larger 4.2-litre engine, the latter available in normally aspirated and supercharged forms.Both were of a double overhead camshaft configuration with four valves per cylinder. The 3.5-litre version boasted 196 kW at 6300 revs and 345 Nm at 4200 revs, while the normally-aspirated 4.2-litre engine put out 224 kW at 6000 revs with 420 Nm at 4100 revs. The big cracker blown 4.2-litre engine, which powered the awesome XJR, had 298 kW at 6100 revs and 553 Nm at 3500 revs. All that drive was then transferred to the black top through a ZF six-speed automatic with the final drive going through the rear wheels.When it arrived in 2004 the double overhead camshaft 3.0-litre V6 had 179 kW at 6800 revs and 300 Nm at 4100 revs. There was no lack of zip with the XJ; even the V6 was quick. When asked the V6 would race to 100 km/h in just 8.1 seconds, faster than the small V8 in its predecessor, but the smooth short stroke 3.5-litre V8 required half a second less to make the same journey. The larger V8 took around 6.5 seconds to reach 100 km/h, the supercharged version was even less. With a solid, rigid foundation the XJ had a stable platform that could support the sort of handling the Jaguar engineers wanted to achieve, but it was just the start.Add to the aluminium masterpiece self-leveling air springs to adjust the ride height to suit the speed the big cat is being driven at, and Jaguar’s adaptive shock absorbers and you have an awesome package. A stiffer, more sporting setup was optionally available, and there was the XJR for the ultimate ride. Tradition played as big a role in determining the design of the interior as it did the exterior, with lashings of leather and touches of wood, as well as a raft of luxury features, like power seats, adjustable pedals and steering wheel, parking sensors, cruise, air, and a super sound system.IN THE SHOP Build quality plagued earlier XJ Jags. The problems were mostly silly little things that should never have occurred, but did, and were very frustrating for owners. But since Ford took over the quality has improved and there is little for owners to be concerned about. Make sure the service schedule has been adhered to and the oil in particular has been changed. With 18-inch wheels standard, and 19 and 20-inch wheels optional, be prepared to pay dearly when it comes time to replace the tyres.IN A CRASH There’s an awesome array of safety features in the XJ, as there should be on a car that cost around $200,000 when new. The rigid monocoque chassis, its agility, precise and responsive steering, and powerful brakes give it the road holding to escape many crash situations you might encounter. Once the metal begins to crumple there’s also an array of front and side airbags that come into play to protect you.AT THE PUMP A big lump of a car, but surprisingly light for its dimensions means quite reasonable fuel economy. If you can light pedal it you could expect to see average numbers between 10.5 and 12.5 L/100 km.LOOK FOR • Timeless classic styling• Wonderfully balanced chassis• Precise steering• High performanceTHE BOTTOM LINE Classic looks belie a thoroughly modern sporting saloon capable of matching the German bahn-stormers.RATING 80/100

The Mark V model of the late 1940s, the Mark VII of the 1950s and the original XJ6 of the late-1960s established a fabulous heritage of elegant saloons, and little has changed in the 60 years since.The company's former slogan, Pace With Grace, pretty much sums up the big Jaguar saloons. They were sporty, but still oozed charm and elegance.Today's models are no less elegant than the classics, even if some think they're stuck in the past. Model watchThe seventh-generation Jaguar XJ saloon emerged in 2003, and again it looked for all the world like a makeover of the first XJ shown in the late 1960s.That first car was such a beauty it seems Jaguar couldn't let it go, but why should it? That original XJ6 was perfectly proportioned, its balanced lines looking fresh even after 40 years.The XJ8 of 2003 had a similar balance despite being significantly larger than the model it replaced. It was longer, wider and taller than its cousin, and had a longer wheelbase and reduced front overhang.If it looked like a throwback to the past, the X350, as it was known, was no such thing once you looked under the skin and saw the depth of engineering that marked this cat out as a very new beast.One constant criticism of the big cats over the years is its exterior size was never translated to interior room.At the core of the XJ was a rivet-bonded aluminium monocoque that slashed the big cat's weight by 200kg or more. Remarkably, it weighed little more than 1500kg.The lightness clearly comes through in the driving. The XJ feels agile and responsive, with quick, sensitive, precise steering that helps belie its physical size.Though Jaguars have always been a pleasure to drive, the dynamics and speed of this model shifted it up into an elite class occupied by the BMW M-Series and Benz AMG models.Under the XJ's long, elegant bonnet at launch was a choice of two V8s, which in early 2004 were joined by a V6.The V8 choices were a 3.5-litre unit and a larger 4.2-litre engine, the latter available in normally aspirated and supercharged forms.Both were of a double overhead camshaft configuration with four valves a cylinder. The 3.5-litre version had 196kW at 6300 revs and 345Nm at 4200 revs. The normally aspirated 4.2-litre engine put out 224kW at 6000 revs and 420Nm at 4100 revs.The big cracker-blown 4.2-litre engine, which powered the awesome XJR, had 298kW at 6100 revs and 553Nm at 3500 revs.All that drive was then transferred to the blacktop through a ZF six-speed automatic, the final drive going through the rear wheels.When it arrived in 2004 the double overhead camshaft 3.0-litre V6 had 179kW at 6800 revs and 300Nm at 4100 revs.With a solid, rigid foundation, the XJ had a stable platform that could support the sort of handling the Jaguar engineers wanted to achieve, but that was just the start.Add to the aluminium masterpiece self-levelling air springs to adjust the ride height to suit the speed the big cat is being driven at, and Jaguar's adaptive shock absorbers, and you have an awesome package.A stiffer, more sporting setup was optional, and there was the XJR for the ultimate ride.Tradition also played a big part in determining the design of the interior, which had lashings of leather, touches of wood and many features such as power seats, adjustable pedals and steering wheel, parking sensors, cruise, air and a super sound system. On the lot Jaguar lost ground to its German rivals when it, along with the entire British car industry, went through a meltdown in the 1970s and '80s, caused by poor build quality and engineering integrity.The old marque doesn't have the respect it once had. Most of its buyers have moved on to BMW or Benz, and newer ones never knew it at its best.For the V6 pay $95,000-$105,000; for the small V8 (2003-2005), $98,000-$120,000; for the bigger V8, $110,000-$130,000.If you want to go all the way to the XJR you'll need to pay $115,000-$140,000. In the shopAverage build quality plagued earlier XJ Jags. The problems were mostly silly things that should never have occurred, but did, and they were very frustrating for owners. But since Ford took over the quality has improved and there is little for owners to be concerned about.Make sure the service schedule has been adhered to and the oil in particular has been changed.Eighteen-inch wheels are standard and 19 and 20-inch wheels optional, so be prepared to pay dearly when tyres need replacing. In a crunchThe XJ has an awesome array of safety features — as there should be on a car that costs about $200,000 when new.The monocoque chassis, its agility, precise steering and powerful brakes give it the roadholding to escape possible crash situations.Should the metal begin to crumple, front and side airbags are activated. At the pumpBeing surprisingly light for its size, the XJ is reasonably economic. If you pedal lightly you can expect to achieve 10.5-12.5 litres for 100km. The bottom lineClassic looks belie a modern sporting saloon that matches the bahn-stormers.70/100  All anglesLook forTimeless classic stylingWonderfully balanced chassisPrecise steeringHigh performance RivalsLexus LS430 (2003-2005): $82,000-$110,000BMW 7-Series (2002-2005): $89,000-$220,000Audi A8 (2003-2005): $85,000-$125,000