Jag XJ is the ultimate in style

The new Jaguar XJ has just grabbed the title of ‘must-have’ – provided you’re prepared to wait a little, and have a million or so lying idle.

Even glossy brochures, advertising videos, auto magazine features and international rave reviews somehow don't do this Jaguar full justice.

From nearly all perspectives the XJ simply out-classes just about everything else in its market segment, including a few with considerably more expensive price tags.

For this car is so awesomely handsome and its overall design is so dramatic, so elegantly sculpted and so beautifully different that it makes its main competitors Audi, BMW and Mercedes look almost dull and dusty by comparison.

Little wonder then that Jaguar already has firm orders, deposits and even full payments for about 100 of these beauts from local buyers who will take delivery between now and the end of the year.

A little lust'll do you

And that adds up to a lot of market confidence (and a good dollop of dribbling lust) from prospective new owners on one side and a lot of cash in the bank for Jaguar because the new XJ range varies in price from about R920 000 to almost R1,6 million.

But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and although many hyper-critical German motoring scribes and TV motor-mouth Jeremy Clarkson himself raved over the XJ and placed it ahead of the Teutonic German threesome, this Jag is inclined to divide opinion.

You and I might find it stunningly beautiful while others may snort at its strange American car tail-end and those rather weird LED tail lights. But other than that there is very little not to like about the XJ.

If that shape doesn't get to you, you're not alive.

Talking about the back view, this is the first Jaguar not to have its name emblazoned over the boot... Just a leaping Jaguar badge and nothing else. And that is about as sad as the demise of the leaping Jaguar figure which used to ride with pride on the bonnet of all Jags until the Nanny World we live in decided this posed a danger to pedestrians.

Surely idiots who don't look before crossing a road deserve punishment, not the carmaker, but that's another story for another day...

The wonderful thing about this XJ is that it recaptures the boldly British image of being beautiful and fast which was what company founder Sir William Lyons set out to do when he created the first Jags in the 1940's.

Tata ma Jag, tata ma features

Yes, we all know Jaguar is now owned by Tata, but other than the hot spice under the bonnet, there is nothing remotely Indian about this car. It's made in England and it oozes the leather and wood image the carmaker has always been famous for.

Even more so than most luxury sedans, to tell the true story of the XJ and all its features will take a lot of writing and reading, so below are just a few things that really impressed.

The cabin is the stuff of French champagne, Russian caviar and Victoria’s Secret lingerie.

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On the long list of nice-to-haves you will find a panoramic glass roof, brag-big twin tail pipes, press-button boot lid with customized height adjustment, interior mood lighting and phosphor blue illumination, the "spotlighting (a wedge of brighter white lighting) focused on the revs and speed you are driving at, an audio sound like no other car (complete with all the modern add-ons, plug-ins and compatibles you can think of), heated and cooled seats, individual 4-zone climate control setting so that four occupants can choose their own ambient temperatures, a user-friendly touch screen for navigation, climate control, telephone, audio and more, a full colour TV-like screen which is designed so that the front passenger can watch a movie while the driver sees only information about the car itself...

A glorious gurgle

And then the ultimate - the cabin itself; mood lighting, baby-soft, hand-stitched Italian leather, wood veneer, glistening silver, huge comfortable adjustable seats, all insulated against noise intrusion... it's the stuff of French champagne, Russian caviar and Victoria's Secret lingerie.

The excitement of the XJ begins from the moment the start-up sequence commences with lights going on, air vents opening and the central control switch rising from the central console.

A gentle gurgle from under that long chiselled bonnet may initially sound like a purring kitty, but beware, stomp on its tail and this Jaguar will leap and take you on a run to remember.

I had the pleasure of a couple of hours in the 5.0-litre version and a play-pen of 400km of superb driving roads from George to Oudtshoorn, from there to De Rust then via Willowmore and Uniondale back to our elegant overnight stay at the Hyatt Regency at Oubaai, just outside George.

More XJ versions are on their way, maybe even a station-wagon. What’s more, it is an open secret that Jaguar is keen to get back into track racing.

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Our test car was the XJ 5.0-litre V8 Petrol with the Premium Luxury specifications and a price tag of R1 100 000.

And although it is a stretch of road I have often travelled, this time it was exceptional. The XJ is just so much fun to drive, whether purring docilely through built-up areas, thundering along long straight stretches or clinging through the corners in the twisty mountain sections the area is renowned for.

In standard mode the big cat car is quiet, comfortable and silky smooth and it has an almost floating feeling as it glides along at legal speeds.

The six-speed automatic transmission does its creamy business almost unnoticed as the rev counter hovers just over the 2000 rpm at 120km/h.

It can get very catty

From nearly all perspectives the XJ simply out-classes just about everything else in its market segment.

The only thing I found a little off-putting about the XJ when it's in this Chairman of the Board mode is that the front end does tend to lighten up when you pour on the coals.

Impressively, even in this gentleman mode the XJ will scoot off enthusiastically to 250km/h without any fuss.

But if you want to multiply the fun by 10, there is a magic little chequered flag button on the driver's central console. Press that and the friendly pussy cat playing with a ball of wool changes into a snarling, roaring feline with all its claws and teeth showing.

In a split second the car goes into a crouch as its drops down on the tar, the gear change ratios shorten, the growl from up front becomes deeper and the weight of the steering increases as show-off sedan turns into muscle car, flexing all of its directly-injected 283kW which is enough for the 0-100km/h dash in just 5,7 seconds.

Good - from any angle.

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In this mode the XJ displays levels of cling, go, dynamics and precision handling that are difficult to equate to a comfortable ultra-luxurious, four-seater sedan. And this is all the more pertinent if one considers that the car I drove is only one step up from the bottom of the six-model range - and armed with 88kW less than the fastest model.

Speedy too

Pricier and faster versions are two 5,0-litre V8 super-charged direct-injection models, with the 346 kW version reducing the sprint time to 5,2 seconds and the crown price 375kW model that needs only 4,9 seconds to get from zero to 100 km/h.

The current entry level is a 3,0-litre, 202kW twin-turbo diesel which is certainly no slouch with a dash speed of 6,4 seconds. This model will only become available locally in a couple of months' time.

The models and prices are:

A little bird has told me that more XJ versions are on their way, maybe even a station-wagon. What's more, it is an open secret that Jaguar is keen to get back into track racing, so with a bit of luck we might even see an even faster XJ showing its fangs locally.

Take a bow Tata for the XJ has all the grace, pace and passion that Jaguar sedans have built their reputation on. And not only does it have beauty, it has soul and character. It has re-invented itself and has all the makings of becoming another Jaguar icon.

Specifications

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