If, like me, you’ve ever owned a Jaguar, you’ll know all about the company’s rich and vast heritage, its Le Mans wins, its sensuous design cues and its unfathomable legacy. It’s a name that reeks of past glories, sophistication, glamour and success. It’s also a name that, until recently, reeked of oil under the fingernails, shattered dreams and emptied bank accounts. The turbulent story of one of the greatest of all motoring brands could never be turned into a film, because nobody would believe it.
And here I am, in a brand new XJ. I’ve owned two XJs in the past, both of which were built during the British Leyland era (one was a 1979 model, the other 1983) that Jaguar would rather not talk about these days. Utterly beautiful to look at and to drive, they both caused me financial ruin and marital discord, yet they both made me feel extraordinarily special when I was ensconced in their sumptuous hide interiors. But is this one – the storming XJR – entirely different or a chip off the old block?
In truth, they share just the name and a couple of badges. Driving this, or any current Jaguar, and comparing it with models of yesteryear is like listening to digitally recorded music on a modern sound system when all you’ve been used to is a scratchy old gramophone and a stack of worn-out 78s. From mono to glorious stereo, the transition is extraordinary, and the XJR sits at the top of the tree as Jaguar’s current flagship; a fitting testament to how a company’s fortunes can be completely turned around if it starts to put quality and cutting-edge design at the top of the agenda, looking forwards, not back.
Personally speaking, the current XJ is not a thing of beauty. Unlike the F-Type, the (now-ageing) XF and the upcoming Mercedes C-Class rival, the XE, the big cat’s looks have never appealed. It’s overly fussy, particularly at the rear; the sheer, heart-stopping gorgeousness of the two Series 3 XJs that I used to love and loathe in equal measure is nowhere to be found here. This being the mentalist R variant, it does possess 20-inch alloys and subtle aero addenda, combining to add a sense of menace, and, whether or not you’re sold on its appearance, it’s at least unique and could never be accused of being bland.
Despite my reservations about its exterior, the interior is undoubtedly a modern-day triumph. A mix of tactile materials, just the right amount of piano-black veneer and chrome bits and the coolest-looking dashboard in the luxury-automotive world right now, it’s a very special environment for the driver and passengers alike. The only red marks against it are the atrocious and thoroughly outdated navigation system and the incomprehensible functions for anything involved with the infotainment system. Jaguar knows this all too well, and I’m told that a brand-new system will be fitted to all its cars very soon.
This is all mere frippery, though, because the role of the XJR (available in this region only in long-wheelbase form) is that of cruise missile cunningly disguised as a luxury limo. A pointless combination? You could argue that, yes, but it does make for exceedingly good entertainment – and although I’ve not yet hammered one of these around a racetrack, a knowledgeable friend has, and he rates it highly as a dynamic steer.
New Jags are lightweight and extremely agile, thanks to almost entirely aluminium structures, and the XJR, with its 550hp, 5.0L, supercharged V8, is a serious road weapon. It’s good for a 100kph sprint in 4.6 seconds and is electronically limited to 250kph, but it’s the sensational torque levels (680Nm) that leave the biggest impression. Squeeze the throttle and you’re picked up and swept away on a tidal wave of urgent acceleration, while the throbbing V8 thrum turns instantly into a roar that any big cat would be proud of.
The efforts that Jaguar’s designers and engineers go to to give us cars that are brilliant to drive cannot be overstated. And this isn’t in vain, either, because the XJR is a far more involving and rewarding drive than anything that could purport to be a rival from Germany. If we’re being brutally honest here, this Jaguar’s natural sparring partner would have to come from Bentley, and you’d need to spend considerably more than theXJR’s Dh600,000 price tag to gain entry into that particular club. Yes, it’s expensive for a Jaguar, but don’t let your judgement be clouded, because, for that money, you get every toy in the book as standard. It could, in the cold light of day, even be considered a bargain.
And that’s Jaguars to a tee, isn’t it? Almost too inexpensive for their own good, they’re cars for thinking, discerning drivers, and, these days at least, they won’t break the bank.
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