Jaguar XJ 2007 Review

I remember Jaguar umming and ahhing about whether to stick a diesel in its big limmo. That's to say whether its well-heeled clientele would take to the idea or whether it was a strictly V8-or-nothing market.

Fortunately, it decided to take the plunge because with lots of lazy, low down torque, the diesel lends itself perfectly to the role of cruiser.

If the words 2.7 litre twin-turbo diesel sounds familiar, that's because they are. The engine developed jointly with PSA Peugeot Citroen debuted in Jag's S-Type and is also found in Peugeot's 407 and Citroen's techno tour de force, the C6.

The twin-turbo common rail V6 diesel produces 152kW power at 4000rpm and 435Nm of torque at 1900rpm. Impressively it accelerates from 0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds, with a top speed of 225km/h. Fuel economy is rated at 8.1 litres/100km (we got 8.5) - it means you can have a big car without the penalty.

For such a big car it feels surprisingly nimble. That's because the one piece body/chassis is constructed of lightweight aluminium, giving the car a distinct weight advantage. Electronically controlled, self-levelling air suspension is standard that lowers the car as speed increases. Electronically controlled engine mounts designed to reduce vibration at idle.

It is still a bit wood-and-leathery for our liking, but then that's the market the big Jag is playing to.

Long wheelbase means you have to keep an eye on those rear wheels and make sure you don't cut corners.

Physical size makes negotiating winding car park ramps tricky. You can set the computer to fold the external exterior mirrors when the car is parked, but try as we may we couldn't get it to work. Misses out on one touch indicators (one touch/three flashes).

Jaguar has done a terrific job. Big, comfortable car that turns heads, particularly those of Mercedes owners. Build quality is excellent, nice and quiet inside and we like the touch screen computer display. Much easier than fiddling with silly little knobs. We love it, except that is for the $154,900 price tag.