Autoblog

Jaguar planning two bodystyles for next XJ

Chris Paukert — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:14:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, China, Jaguar, Design/Style, Luxury

As we alluded to in today's F-Type first drive, Jaguar hasn't been selling its wares in China for very long, and as a result, buyers there usually don't have the same appreciation for the brand's history. So you might reasonably think that the company's recent radical styling shift (kicked off by the 2008 XF) wouldn't be as jarring to the nation's buying populace since they really didn't have the automaker's more traditionally styled models from years past to compare them against.

Yet while Jaguar and its sister marque, Land Rover, continue to pick up steam in China's developing market, that apparently isn't necessarily the case. Local buyers there tend to have more conservative tastes when it comes to styling, preferring more upright dimensions, big back seats and larger quantities of traditional luxury materials (think: chrome and wood) than other markets currently find desirable. Thus, the very bold current-generation XJ sedan may be leaving some sales on the table.

According to Edmunds, Jag doesn't want to risk that, and as such, it is preparing two bodystyles for the next-generation XJ - one with the rakish coupe-like styling of the current model, and a more "old-school" three-box sedan designed to appeal to a wider swath of Chinese buyers.

Given that Jaguar's small size means that nearly every model it generates must play worldwide today (with exceptions made for variants like the XF Sportbrake, which hasn't been engineered to global crash standards), it's reasonable to question whether Jag might offer both XJ bodystyles here in North America - perhaps in a tiered scheme like the Audi A8 and A7. That strategy might catch more profits for the marque, but it might also represent a setback to design head Ian Callum's vision for a thoroughly modern Jaguar portfolio.

Jaguar planning two bodystyles for next XJ originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Jaguar XJ AWD

Jeffrey N. Ross — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Jaguar, Luxury, Quick Spins

Even though this year's winter has gotten off to an abnormally slow start for most of North America, Jaguar has shown the world it means business by launching its all-new Instinctive All Wheel Drive system in Montreal, Canada. Designed primarily for consumers in the Northern US and Canada, Jaguar put us on the same snowy, slushy and icy roads that many of its buyers will have to deal with. Rather than making declawed versions of the XJ and XF, Jag says this system enhances the performance abilities of its sedans when desired while still making them as fun to drive as their rear-wheel-drive counterparts. We had a chance to test out both the XF AWD and XJ AWD, but we spent most of our time behind the wheel of the flagship XJ, driving it on the open roads as well as a few closed courses.

Considering the lengthy and convoluted history of the Jaguar brand - including a stint as a member of Ford's defunct Premier Automotive Group alongside Volvo and Aston Martin - it is rather surprising that the automaker is just now getting around to introducing an all-wheel-drive system intended for widespread use, but the new Instinctive AWD will finally allow the XF, XJ and other future products to better compete against the likes of Mercedes-Benz 4Matic, BMW xDrive and Audi Quattro. In the XJ, Jaguar expects the AWD models to account for around 40 percent of the product mix nationwide and a little bit more (50 percent) for the XF, but in the northern states, it expects around 80 percent of XF sales to be AWD variants.

Instinctive AWD is rear-biased and operates as full rear-wheel drive in good weather, but when the road conditions turn slick, the system can split engine power 50:50 between front and rear axles using a center transfer case.
In addition to driving the XJ AWD on the street, we had a chance to test out its abilities at the Mecaglisse motorsports complex - about an hour and a half north of Montreal. On separate tracks normally used for motorcycle and rally car racing, Jaguar let us test out the XJ AWD and XF AWD for accelerating, braking and cornering on snow- and ice-covered asphalt and dirt tracks. Both of these circuits demonstrated the two different attitudes these cars can exhibit. With Winter mode on, the system does a great job of nannying the driver making sure the car keeps its footing and remains on the road, but staying true to Jag's motorsports heritage, the system can also be set to Dynamic to improve the performance of the car in bad weather giving the driver fewer safety nets to rely on. The complex also had courses set up for snowy slaloms and an icy, drift-friendly skidpad.
Rather than being a part of an expensive option package, each AWD version of the XJ and XF will be an individual model. This means that getting the added benefit of all-wheel traction doesn't require buyers to opt for other unrelated packages (such as a cold-weather or technology package, for example) that some automakers force on buyers. On the XJ, AWD is offered on both regular and long-wheelbase XJL models.
Neither the XJ nor the XF architectures were originally designed to accept all-wheel-drive, so Jaguar made extensive changes to parts of the car most people will never see, including the suspension, front floorboard and even some of the engine components. For example, to keep the engine low in the engine bay for optimal balance, the front driveshaft is actually built into the oil pan. All of the changes and added AWD parts increase the XJ's curb by less than 300 pounds.
As the new base engine in the XJ, Instinctive AWD can only be had on cars equipped with the new 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine. While this engine lacks the throaty exhaust note of the 5.0-liter V8, at virtually no point can its performance be faulted especially when factoring in the car's curb weight of just over two tons.
The XJ AWD comes standard with Continental all-season tires, but Jaguar equipped our test cars with Pirelli M+S winter tires. While this certainly helped the cars handle better in the snow, Jaguar representatives noted this was done so to abide by Quebec law - and besides, these tires are available as an option.
I was able to learn firsthand just how far the system allows the car to be pushed, too. In my first lap around the snow-covered off-road course in Winter mode, the Instinctive AWD and its associated systems interjected frequently to slow the car and help keep it on its intended path. On the ensuing laps, in Dynamic mode, things got a little hairier. With an instructor riding shotgun shouting driving instructions like a rally car co-pilot (to fully exhibit the car's potential in a short period of time), I spent most of the next two laps doing my best trying to go as quickly as possible while keeping the car on the track. I almost made it. On one portion, the surface was too icy and the dirt embankment just a bit too close. Egos and lower fascia were bruised, proving that not even winter tires and great AWD system can always save you from Mother Nature.

2013 Jaguar XJ AWD originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Jaguar XJ V6

Chris Paukert — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Jaguar, First Drives, Luxury

Mighty Six Returns To Jag's Flagship

On one hand, it wasn't all that long ago that Jaguar was building its flagship luxury sedan, the XJ, with 12 cylinders underhood. If we're being honest, there's always been something sort of magical about cars that play the dozen, even if weight distribution and, indeed, performance, haven't always made them terribly sensible. If we're being equally frank, we've also reacted largely with enthusiasm to the trend of downsized forced-induction engines needling their way into ever larger and more premium sheetmetal. So here we are, at the intersection of past and future, and Jaguar has finally responded to the small-is-the-new-big trend by nestling a new 3.0-liter supercharged six-cylinder engine between the fenders of its largest sedan. In fact, it's gone even further, adding a 2.0-liter four-cylinder to the aluminum-bodied luxocrat, but most markets (including ours) won't see that particular model.

The X351-generation XJ has been a known quantity since 2010, and here in the States, the mold-breaking saloon has only been available with a 5.0-liter V8 in either naturally aspirated or supercharged form. But six-cylinder XJs are hardly new - in fact, Jag has offered the current generation with a 3.0-liter six overseas for some time now, but it's a diesel. And lest we forget, the company offered a six-cylinder XJ in every generation up until this one, stretching back all the way to the original 1968 Series One. Of course, Jaguar won't be resurrecting the XJ6 moniker for this new 3.0 liter, and instead of an inline cylinder configuration as before, this new engine is a V6.

Jag officials at the launch of the 2013 XJ were refreshingly frank in admitting that not having a smaller engine than a V8 anywhere in its U.S. lineup the past few years has hurt both the brand's consideration and its fleet fuel economy numbers. This 3.0-liter is the first step towards renovating and broadening the brand's powertrain menu as it looks to keep pace with the usual suspects (Audi has just plopped a six in the A8 and BMW did the same last year with its 7 Series. If you want the joy of six in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, you'll have to go hybrid or diesel). One other Jaguar programming note: A previously confirmed all-wheel-drive system is coming shortly as well, but that's a bit further down the pipe - this V6 is the main event for the moment in both its XJ and XF sedans.

Continue reading 2013 Jaguar XJ V6

2013 Jaguar XJ V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Jaguar XF and XJ get new powertrains, all-wheel drive

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Paris Motor Show, Jaguar, Luxury

A little more than a year ago Jaguar promised it would soon be closing a massive hole in its product line-up - the lack of all-wheel-drive vehicles. With the 2013 XF and XJ, that job is done... sort of.

AWD can be had on the XJ and XF only when paired with the new 3.0L V6.

The 385-horsepower 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8 is only available on one car - the XJL Portfolio - otherwise it has been effaced from the XF and XJ lineups. A new 340-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 332 pound-feet of torque, engineered off the bones of the V8, joins the range and is the standard engine for the large XJ sedan. It is that motor that can be paired with Jaguar's new Instinctive All-Wheel Drive; you can't get all-wheel drive with the XF's new 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo or the 5.0-liter supercharged V8.

The new standard engine in the XF is a 240-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 251 pound-feet of torque that Jaguar estimates will return 29 mpg on the highway. It will get the XF from a stop to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, whereas the rear-wheel-drive supercharged V6 can drop that sprint down to 5.7 seconds, which is the same time it takes in the XJ with the same engine.

Continue reading 2013 Jaguar XF and XJ get new powertrains, all-wheel drive

2013 Jaguar XF and XJ get new powertrains, all-wheel drive originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Jaguar XJ replaces 5.0L V8 with supercharged V6

Zach Bowman — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Jaguar, UK, Luxury

Jaguar has announced a few updates for the 2013 XJ, the most significant of which is the availability of an all-new supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine. The six-cylinder is good for 335 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque and is bolted to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox with a start-stop function. All told, the changes should help the big four-door yield a 14 percent improvement in fuel economy over the old naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 and its six-speed transmission.

While no Environmental Protection Agency numbers have been released as of yet, our quick math indicates the 2013 XJ could crank out 18 miles per gallon city, 26 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined. That fuel economy does come with a price, however. The delicious 5.0-liter V8 currently serves up 50 more horsepower and 49 more lb-ft of torque compared to the new force-fed six.

In addition to the drivetrain changes, Jaguar reworked the spring and damper rates for better on-road comfort, and a new 825 Meridian sound system is also part of the mix. Check out the full press blast below.

Continue reading 2013 Jaguar XJ replaces 5.0L V8 with supercharged V6

2013 Jaguar XJ replaces 5.0L V8 with supercharged V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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