Jaguar XJ flagship arrives

The Jaguar saloon, priced from $198,000, aims to hit hard at the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class Australian market after crunching its rivals on the UK and China showroom floors.

Jaguar Australia boss Kevin Goult says he wants 120 sales in 2011 and expects the six months left in 2010 to attract at least 60 buyers. The first Australian delivery is later this month.

In Jaguar’s 75th year, the XJ appears as a fluid extension of designer Ian Callum’s 2009 Jaguar XF model – despite the XJ being penned before the XF – and so presents as an extremely attractive car that shines over the more masculine shape of the 7-Series.

"We are getting a lot of interest from existing Jaguar owners but more importantly, a very big audience from BMW, Audi and Mercedes drivers," Goult says. "I expect it to reproduce the success, but on a slightly smaller scale, of that in Britain and China."

While its bread-and-butter rivals include the BMW and Mercedes, Jaguar believes the high-performance 375kW Supersports will also appeal to buyers also looking at the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte.

Goult says one of the XJ's biggest attractions is its ability to be customised.

"Even the badge at the centre of the cabin's dash, can be individualised to be inscribed with your name, your wife's name... anybody’s name,"’ he says. "The version shown at the car’s launch this week on the Gold Coast had designer Ian Callum's signature. You can have what you want. It's your car."

DRIVETRAINS

The XJ initially arrives with three engines and will be boosted later in the year with the awesome Supersports 375kW/625Nm supercharged 5-litre V8. There is also talk of the XF’s 3-litre V6 petrol coming later as Jaguar prepares this engine for the diesel-hating US market.

The three engines for Australia now are the 202kW/600Nm 3-litre V6 turbo-diesel; 283kW/515Nm 5-litre V8; and low-boost supercharged 5-litre V8 with 346kW and 575Nm.

The engines all mate to ZF six-speed automatics with three driver modes and steering column-mounted paddle shifters.

Jaguar then bolts these drivetrain choices into standard 3032mm wheelbase and long wheelbase (3157mm) aluminium bodies that weigh as little as 1755kg – a far cry from many of its steel-bodies rivals and remarkably around the same weight as its sister XF models.

JAGUAR XJ AT A GLANCE

Pricing

• V6 turbo-diesel Premium Luxury SWB $198,800
• V6 turbo-diesel Premium Luxury LWB $206,800
• V8 petrol Premium Luxury SWB $251,000
• V8 petrol Premium Luxury LWB $259,000
• V8 petrol Portfolio SWB $274,000
• V8 supercharged Portfolio SWB $311,000
• V8 supercharged Supersport SWB $354,800
• V8 supercharged Supersport LWB $367,000.

Standard features

• Cruise control
• Dual-zone climatic airconditioning
• 600Watt 1-CD/iPod 12-speaker audio
• Bi-xenon headlights with washers
• Heated front and rear glass
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Metallic paint
• Rear park sensors/camera
• Electric boot open/close
• Panoramic glass roof
• Keyless entry/start
• Virtual instrumentation
• Interactive voice command, Bluetooth
• Leather upholstery.

Optional

• 1200-Watt Bowers & Wilkins 20-speaker audio
• Active ventilated front/rear seats
• Adaptive cruise control.

Specifications

Body: four-door aluminium/magnesium saloon
Engines: 3-litre V6 202kW/600Nm bi-turbodiesel; 5-litre 283kW/515Nm petrol V8; 5-litre 346kW/575Nm supercharged petrol V8; 375kW/625Nm supercharged petrol V8 Supersport
Transmission: 6-speed ZF automatic; steering column paddles; three-modes
Fuel economy: 7.0 l/100km (diesel); 11.3 l/100km (V8); 12.1 /100km (supercharged V8)
0-100km/h: 6.4sec (diesel); 5.7sec (V8); 5.2sec (s/c V8); 4.9sec (Supersport)
Dimensions: length: 5122mm (SWB), 5247mm (LWB), width: 2110mm (inc mirrors), height: 1448mm, wheelbase: 3032mm (SWB); 3157mm (LWB)
Weight: 1796kg (diesel SWB); 1755kg (V8 SWB); 1892kg (s/c V8); 1915kg (V8 Supersport LWB)