Jaguar Reviews

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the Jaguar XF with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

Jaguar is a company that probably shouldn't still be around. For almost four decades, the leaping cat traded on the long-faded glories of the E-Type and Mk II, the marque's styling becoming progressively more timid under Ford's stewardship when Jaguar was part of the ill-fated Premier Automotive Group. When Indian

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the second-generation Jaguar XF with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Jaguar XE Porfolio 25t with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Jaguar XE Prestige 20d with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the 2015 Jaguar XE at its Australian launch with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

The XJ Jaguar is a British sports saloon that can be divided into three quite different stages in its recent history. Those built until July 2003 had traditional styling that looked great and made a real statement both inside and out. These are getting on in years, but those who love Jags swear by them - though their age, combined with quality control that wasn't the best, could cause hassles. The 2003 restyle kept many of the established lines, but now moulded onto an aluminium body to significantly reduce weight and increase performance. As these are sports saloons this added performance was welcomed by those who liked to make good use of their right foot. However, in the eyes of many this combination of a high-tech body and a traditional shape wasn't appealing. The cars still sold reasonably well, but the murmurs about 'old-fashioned' styling became stronger over the years.The all-new 2010 model silenced the critics by taking an altogether different direction in styling with sleek futuristic lines. Externally, the ‘Jaguar grille' was the only major carry-over from the past, but the dash area has a few things carrying over. Naturally, its aluminium body retained the added performance and nimble(-ish) feel of the outgoing XJ.Die-hard Jaguar enthusiasts snapped up the last of the traditional leather-and-wood-cabin models, though even today there's a call for them so you may be asked to pay fairly big bucks to get into the best of them. Though the big emphasis on the 2010 series was its ultra-modern styling and the interior of most cars reflected this, there are traditional leather-and-wood options - the best of both worlds some say.A drawback in the older Jaguars is the lack of interior space in the standard-wheelbase car due to the fact it's a low-slung sports saloon, not as tall sedan. This is at its worst in the back seat, but even the front seats can prove cramped for foot-space due to the large transmission housing. The long-wheelbase variants (look for an ‘L' in the title) are much better for rear legroom, but can still be tight in headroom for taller occupants.Post-2010 XJs have more voluminous interiors, but check out the back seat if you are planning to carry tall adults on a routine basis.The number in a Jaguar XJ's title refers to the number of engine cylinders, thus XJ6 has six of them and XJ8 is a V8, the XJ12 … you've guessed it. Supercharged V8s of 4.2-litre and 5.0-litre capacity installed in the XJ R upmarket hotrods are intended for the keen driver who really wants to let off steam. Turbo-diesel would have been unthinkable in Jaguars prior to the revolutionary, new-design oil burners introduced towards the end of the 20th century. In April 2007 Jaguar introduced its first diesel passenger car to Australia. There's the seemingly inevitable diesel engine noise at idle, particularly when the engine's cold, but from inside it's virtually as smooth and quiet as a petrol unit. And has bags of torque.Reliability used to be a weak point in Jaguars, though after Ford in the USA bought the company in the early 1990s the Brits were given a major shake-up. By the launch of the 1994 XJ Jaguar there were major improvements. As of mid-2008 Jaguar has been controlled by Indian company Tata. The Indians have an excellent understanding of English tradition. Indeed, they can be more English than the English, so the traditional British marque looks in good hands, with the engineers and stylists being left alone to do what works best for their aluminium babies.Servicing, spare parts and insurance costs are all on the high side, so don't fall for the trap of putting all your money into buying the car and then finding yourself unable to keep it in the manner in which it is accustomed.Check that the brake fluid has been changed on schedule. Not doing so can lead to expensive troubles.On pre-2003 Jags be sure all electrical items are working properly. Intermittent as these can be they are frustratingly hard to track down, but if you suspect anything bear with it as repairs can be expensive.Watch out for an automatic transmission that's slow to go into gear and/or which hunts from gear to gear unnecessarily. Hill climbing for an extended distance usually brings out this fault.Jaguars used galvanised steel body panels until mid 2003 then switched to weight-saving aluminium. The galvanised steel variants should be rust free unless they have been incorrectly repaired after a crash. Damaged aluminium panels may have to be repaired by a specialist, so be sure to get a quote from an expert - even for the smallest of dents.Enthusiasts of a marque can be an excellent source of information on their cars' strong, weak and interesting points. Try to find a local owners' club and chat to members.

Chris Riley road tests and reviews the Jaguar XF with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its international launch in Spain.

John Carey road tests and reviews the all-new Jaguar XE, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its international launch in Spain.

Jaguar XK is a large, powerful sports machine. More GT (grand tourer) than sports car it returned to Australia in October 1996 after an absence of many years.Our preference is for the all-new model XK launched in May 2007 as it's considerably lighter than the older one thanks to its all-aluminium body. It's till not exactly nimble but holds the road well and provides plenty of driving pleasure.Generally these cars are fine on Australian roads, but aren't always happy on the really rough stuff. Try it for yourself if you live in an outlying region.Older Jaguar XKs are showing signs of becoming a cult car but are still very reasonably priced. This could change over the next few years so now might be a good time to buy. No promises, though...The shape of the Jaguar XK is unashamedly based on that of the famous Jaguar E-Type. From the nose, with its big oval opening, to the rounded tail this design works exceptionally well.The convertible has a soft-top in the traditional manner. We love thatThe dashboard uses a traditionally styled, timber-faced design with smallish, round instruments it looks just right in these big British sports machines.Jaguar XK is sold as a closed coupe or a convertible, the convertible has a soft-top in the traditional manner. We love that - folding hardtops don't have the same pure feeling as a rag-top.Power comes from a V8 engine, interestingly, the first engine of this configuration ever used in a Jaguar as the company had made its name building beautiful looking straight sixes. Initially the V8 had a 4.0-litre capacity. That was raised to 4.2 litres when the engine was heavily revised in 2002. Further changes with the new model of 2007 improved it again.Even better is the 5.0-litre V8 first imported to Australia in January 2010. It is offered in natural or supercharged aspiration.At the top of the performance tree sits the 'Jaguar XKR with R features'. With semi-race suspension, Brembo brakes and an emphasis on serious motoring it's a car to dream about from a Jaguar enthusiast's point of view.The older automatic transmissions use Jaguar's clever J-gate mechanism to allow a fair degree of 'manual' control over it. Good as that system was in its day it feels a bit old fashioned when compared to the latest generation of paddle-shifting automatics.Some bemoan the lack of a manual option in a sports car, but Jaguar's market research had shown fewer than five percent of buyers would have opted for it.Jaguar's dealer network in Australia is long established and operates efficiently. Spare parts aren't cheap, but we've seen worse.Better built and more reliable than older Jaguars, the latest Jaguar XK models are complex cars and servicing and repairs should be left to the professionals.A professional inspection should be regarded as essentialInsurance isn't overly expensive - provided you have a good driving record and live in an area where theft is seldom a problem. There are likely to be higher charges for the supercharged engines.A professional inspection should be regarded as essential. You may wish to do some initial checks to save racking up too many inspection bills, but don't fall into the trap of making your own decision to save a few dollars.Be sure the engine starts promptly, idles smoothly and does not blow smoke from the exhaust when the big Jag is accelerated hard.Be sure the automatic transmission goes into gear within about a second of the selector being moved into Drive or Reverse. Check the 'manual-gearbox' functions work correctly.Look for rust in the lower areas of the body. It is not normal but can be expensive to repair. At the same time look for signs of previous crash repairs, such as mismatched paint or ripples in the finish.Check the condition of the interior trim, carpets and dash-top for excessive wear and/or rough treatment.Also look at the condition of the boot. Hard driving can slide luggage around and cause tears and scratches.If are water stains on the convertible's seats ask the seller to remove the carpets so you can check underneath.A genuine Jaguar battery should be fitted as other units may not provide enough power and the electrical relays may not work.