Jaguar’s XJ AWD into new territory
This cat prowls confidently on mud or ice
To hear Jaguar tell it, success in the ultra-luxury sedan market is simply a function of the availability of all-wheel drive. Its reasoning is that sultry looks (the current XJ positively smoulders), hedonistic interiors (long a Jaguar forte) and creamy smooth ride (also long a part of the XJ’s repertoire) are all now mere table stakes. Even such oft-quoted features like quality and reliability are no longer differentiators; Jaguar is already second on J.D. Powers Initial Quality Survey (Lexus being, of course, the perennial leader) and it has done little to boost XJ sales.
The problem, according to the numbers presented by the automaker’s PR flacks, is that 82 per cent of the F-segment (the designation for those ultra-luxury barges like the XJ, BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes S-Class that you and I, or at least certainly I, can’t afford) in the northern U.S. are sold with all-wheel drive. Here in the Great White North, the dominance of AWD is even more complete; the only 7 Series that can be had in rear-wheel drive is the ultra-exclusive V12powered 760, while, at Mercedes, the only rear driver is the almost as unpopular S400 Hybrid. In much of North America, then, if your top-of-the-line flagship sedan isn’t driving all four wheels, you’re severely limiting its appeal. To hear Jaguar tell it, it’s a bit like auditioning for a porn movie without the silicone enhancements; you’re immediately alienating a majority of your audience.
What’s perhaps more impressive is that, in its first in-house attempt at quatre roues motrices, Jaguar has the audacity to claim the most sophisticated all-wheeldrive system in the segment, a hearty boast considering Mercedes’ 4Matic and Audi’s Quattro system have had decades of development.
Of course, Jaguar has the advantage of being corporately twinned with Land Rover and it’s likely that no one, anywhere, knows more about finding traction in places where there is none. So although the actual mechanical bits are a bit prosaic — the new XJ’s rear differential is the same as the V8’s, the centre diff is made by Magna and is similar to the BMW 7 Series’, while the front differential is made by Dana — how it transfers the V6’s torque to all four wheels is unique.
The biggest differentiator compared with its competition is the Jaguar is essentially a rearwheel-drive car with the ability to drive the front wheels when a lack of traction dictates rather than, as with the typical Teutonic land barge from BMW, Audi or Mercedes, defaulting to a 60/40 or 50/50 torque split.
That means, in normal conditions (i.e. dry tarmac with loads of traction) all of the 3.0L’s 332 pound-feet of torque is sent rearward, lending even this all-wheeldrive XJ the handling advantages of rear drive. Yes, should the conditions dictate (front wheels on dry tarmac, rears on sheer black ice), the system can direct 100 per cent of that torque to the front tires. But, in general, it defaults to rear drive unless traction is found wanting. Thrown into the mix is an electronic traction control system that works with the all-wheeldrive bits to minimize wheelspin no matter how poor the traction.
The driver has some control over the proceedings, however. Normal and Dynamic settings, for instance, start off with just 5 per cent of the power going to the front wheels (95 per cent rearward) while the Winter mode, anticipating poorer conditions, sends 30 per cent forward.
Throw in the ability to have the traction chaperone fully engaged, half engaged or completely off and there’s a traction/performance combination for almost any situation.
For instance, while circumnavigating, Quebec’s famed Mecaglisse ice racing circuit, the XJ’s full-on Winter mode offered maximum traction, its dictatorial control of torque ensuring wheel slippage was as rare as income diversity at a Republican caucus meeting.
Later, however, we were let loose on a muddy off-road track (yes, Land Rovering in a Jaguar) and then, with the Dynamic mode activated and the traction nanny deactivated, we could really hang the rear end of the big Jaguar out — even the long-wheelbase version — in full broadslide. Few XJ owners will ever act this silly, but it’s still nice to know that the big cat hasn’t forgotten how to have fun just because it’s more practical now.
The other big change for 2013 is XJ’s new 3.0-litre V6. It’s not as big a change as you might think since Jag’s spanking new V6 is really just the company’s V8 with the rear two cylinders lopped off. Oh, for sure, the bore and stroke are changed and the V6 does gain a supercharger, but the two engines are essentially the same engines save for the number of pistons.
The benefits of this expediency are huge for Jaguar. For one, it means the 90-degree V6 can be manufactured on the same production line as the V8 (a more traditional 60-degree V6 would require a different facility). Perhaps even more important, at least in terms of development time line, is that the V6 can drop into the XJ’s engine bay without relocating any of the ancillaries — belts, hoses, accessories, etc. — also saving previous engineering dollars.
Indeed, other than a new subframe to house the front differential and some minor suspension changes, the XJ requires minimal modifications in becoming a trac- tion savant.
The traditional downside of a such expedience, however, is that a 90-degree V6 is typically not as smooth as the better-balanced 60-degree version. Previous versions of Mercedes’ mid-displacement V6, for instance, were also seconded from that company’s V8 and were notoriously rough running, sounding positively coarse anytime they ventured over 4,000 rpm.
Thanks to twin vibration-quelling balancer shafts and some other trickery, though, Jaguar’s rendition is more than acceptably smooth. Indeed, with 340 horsepower (only 45 hp less than the naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 it replaces) and 332 pound-feet of torque, one seldom misses the bigger engine. Response is tart enough and the low-end torque sufficiently robust that the V6 seldom has to rev higher than the engine it replaces. And, even then, it’s hardly uncouth. No one will miss the V8. Especially since the V6 boasts decent fuel economy ratings — 13 L/100 km in the city and 8.1 L/100 km on the highway — that were backed up by a surprisingly frugal 9.8 L/100 km average on our test route.
Indeed, the addition of allwheel drive and the supercharged V6 are so beneficial to the XJ’s portfolio that one really has to wonder what took them so long to get around to it. Whatever the delay, if Jaguar’s prognostications regarding the popularity of torque distribution are correct, the XJ should finally find its footing in North America.
Three-litre AWD XJs should now be available in Canadian dealerships for $89,000, $1,000 more than the V8 (without allwheel drive) that it replaces.