Forget the hype. Forget official press releases about soaring luxury car sales by the Germans. The XJ is here to challenge them after a long time. For one, it has a bit of style and it offers a lot more options too. It's one thing to drive the Jaguar XJ Supercharged 5.0 V8 that mere mortals could only dream about. It's a completely different ballgame to drive the more practical version. We decided to test the XJ i4 Turbo which is a 4 cylinder, 236 HP engine with a much more affordable price tag compared to it's V6 and V8 brethren and comparable luxury options. Read on.

Style

The XJ has been designed exceptionally well, so much so that it makes German marques look pale. This one can easily challenge BMW 7 Series on sheer style stakes. Which is sad because when it comes to luxury sedan sales in UAE, the Germans are outselling the British by a long margin. To turn things around, Jaguar has introduced the XF and XJ which admittedly have lots of potential, if marketed properly. The 18 inch alloy wheels, the rear spoiler, the color schemes and not to forget the bold side lines sculpt a rather powerful persona.

Interior Finishing

The interior is a bit like the living room of your rich and retired uncle. Yes, it's a bit too executive for my taste, but then I'm still young. Don't get me wrong, it's classy, it's luxurious but the look is decidedly senior. The seats are plush bond grain leather and include seat cooling option which is a blessing in Gulf weather. The wood trim decoration is Satin American Walnut veneer, very classic. In addition, the thin steering wheel, the analog clock are all good throwbacks to a bygone era. Not my favorite style. The finishing and stitch is high quality, though the soft touch material could be softer, I have seen softer material in some Infinitis for example.

Interior Space

We got the long wheelbase version which is quite spacious by any saloon standard. The rear leg room is more than adequate. However due to the shape of this model, the front head room might be an issue for taller drivers, say above 6 ft. The boot also has enough room to take care of most everyday requirements.

Interior Features and Technology

The interior convenience features and options in this model outweigh those found in German rivals at this price tag. All seats, front and back come with cooling controls, even for the rear A/C vents. Memory Seats? Yes, with 3 settings. There is a Meridien Surround Sound system. There are entertainment screens at the back of both driver and passenger seats. The center armrest at the back opens up to reveal two cupholders and an entertainment console. You can even find two vanity mirrors with lights for rear passengers. The rear windows come with their own shades. There is blue ambient lighting, electric dual pane sunroof, navigation, push button start, they have practically thought of everything.

Driving Performance

This is an executive highway cruiser. This is not for the sport minded. This is for soft-bottomed managers who like to be driven from Dubai - Abu Dhabi with no hassles. So expectedly the handling is quite basic. Don't even try doing sharp turns on this one. The pick up too, takes a good one second before moving from it's still position. All of these things are forgiven since you don't expect these things in a luxury cruiser. What you do expect is adaptive cruise control instead of the standard cruise control. Come on Jaguar, time to upgrade if you want to beat German cars, even Hyundai has adaptive cruise control in it's luxury models! Acceleration is fairly ok at 8 seconds. The best thing about the drive is fuel efficiency, at 13 L / 100 km, not bad for a luxury cruiser. This is thanks to it's light weight; this is the lightest XJ model among the long wheelbase versions. In addition, the 8 speed automatic transmission adds to the low fuel consumption metrics. From an overall drive perspective, the German models have a clear edge over this particular XJ. Having said that, it does the job very well for it's intended audience as a luxury touring vehicle.

Verdict

With a price tag of over 260,000 AED, you could easily get a German marque with a better drive experience. However in terms of interior, the XJ has a lot of options and convenience features which give it an edge over it's rivals. It turns heads with it's stylish design too. Definitely worth a test drive when shopping for a luxury saloon.

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