No wrinkles on this Jaguar XJ flagship
Ageing sedan lacks some gizmos but it’s unbeaten for elegance and luxury
YOU HAVE to feel a little sorry for Jaguar’s XJ. Even when it was fresh and new way back in 2010, it entered the South African luxury flagship battlefield with one hand tied behind its back. Anything without a BMW or Mercedes badge is forced to fight with a disadvantage in this ultra-premium neck of the woods, and along with Lexus’ LS, Maserati’s Quattroporte and even Audi’s A8, Jag’s largest sedan has been stuck fighting for scraps left behind by market dominant 7 Series and S-Class.
Seven years on, and things aren’t getting any easier for the big cat. Yes it’s been given sporadic updates here and facelifts there - the most recent and significant coming late last year - but fact is the XJ is an ageing model up against the highest-tech cars on the planet. While both the 7 and S have moved the gizmo game on with remote control parking, road-scanning suspension systems and cutting-edge self driving gadgets, the Jag is quite primitive by comparison.
But forget all that. When it comes to pure poshness the XJ has no problem holding its own. It might not be able to drive itself down a highway, and you can’t adjust the radio’s volume by twirling a finger in the air (does anyone really need this?), but it still rides as regally and pampers as plushly as anything this side of a Bentley.
On test here is the Jaguar XJ Autobiography model - flagship of the range. When the facelifted range was launched locally last year the Autobiography replaced the Super- sport at the top of the lineup, with an extended wheelbase (denoted by an L badge on the boot), a back seat fit for royalty, and a supercharged V8 to move it all along.
Let’s start at the back. The Autobiography comes exclusively with individual rear bucket seats that recline, cool, heat and massage. In between is a giant centre console lined with deep purple velour which might sound ‘Vegas pimp’ but actually looks great. Here you’ll find seat controls, USB and HDMI ports and a removable remote control for two flip-up colour screens in the front seat backs. There are also removable footrests, a pair of Whitefire headphones, and each passenger gets a very solidly-made folding tray table.
Most XJ owners, outside of Buckhingham Palace anyway, will likely do the driving themselves, but the Autobiography is perfectly capable of genuine chauffeur drives. Rarely are these airline-style back seats in luxury cars actually usable as comfortable work or rest spaces, but the XJ’s second row is plenty spacious for a couple of workaholic execs or hungover celebs. The tray tables are big enough for average-sized laptops, and in full recline mode it’s Continued on Page 7