Jaguar updates XJ luxury sedan range

JAGUAR has announced model year changes to its flagship XJ upper large sedan range, including the arrival of the 423kW/700Nm XJR575 variant, which will headline the range when it arrives in the first quarter of 2018.

Replacing the existing XJR, Jaguar has squeezed an additional 19kW out of the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, which sends power to the rear wheels via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

Launching the 1875kg sedan from zero to 100km/h takes just 4.4 seconds and onto a top speed of 300km/h, giving the likes of the Mercedes-AMG S63 and Porsche Panamera Turbo a scare.

Jaguar has made sure the XJR575 is easily distinguishable from the rest of the range, with the addition of a rear spoiler, side sills, front bumper, lower air intakes with gloss black surrounds, exterior badging, twin bonnet louvres and 20-inch Farallon gloss-black wheels with red painted brake callipers.

The XJR575 is offered in two unique colours – velocity blue and satin corris grey – created by Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations arm.

Inside, it receives embossed tread plates and 575 intaglio and diamond-quilted seating available in jet/jet or jet/ivory colour combinations.

As with before, the rest of the XJ range will consist of Premium Luxury, Portfolio, R-Sport and Autobiography levels of trim, with the choice of V6 petrol and diesel engines, as well as the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 in the higher-level variants.

Powertrains comprise a 221kW/700Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, a 250kW/450Nm supercharged petrol V6, and the aforementioned V8 in two states of tune – 375kW/625Nm, and the 423kW XJR575 version.

All powertrains employ an eight-speed ZF transmission sending power to the rear wheels.

V6-powered variants will be available in short- and long-wheelbase form, while the 375kW V8 will be a long-wheelbase-only proposition. The XJR575 is only available in short-wheelbase guise.

To improve handling, the new XJ range will use electric power-assisted steering, while the low-speed all-surface progress control system helps the XJ stay planted to the road in situations where traction is low.

Along with the all-surface progress control system, the XJ range gains a number of driver assistance systems such as autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, driver condition monitor, blind spot monitor, reverse traffic detection and adaptive cruise control, all of which are underpinned by Jaguar Land Rover’s stereo camera technology.

Inside, the updated XJ gets the latest 10.0-inch touchscreen display, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 4G Wi-Fi capability, a 26-speaker, 1300W Meridian sound system, and an optional rear seat entertainment system with a pair of 10.2-inch screens.

Exact Australian pricing and specification will be announced closer to its release date in the first quarter next year.

It will likely be the last update for the current-generation XJ, which has existed since mid-2010.

In the first half of 2017, Jaguar has sold just 11 examples of the XJ, down 57.7 per cent on the 26 it sold to the same point last year.

Its 3.6 per cent segment share is bested by most competitors including the BMW 7 Series with 97 sales, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (80) and the Porsche Panamera (65).