BALLISTIC performance, unique styling and a bolshie attitude mean the long-wheelbase XJ Supersport – the supercharged V8 flagship – is not for the faint-hearted, but there’s a sturdy (and disarming) undercurrent of quality, composure and technology that guarantees the Jaguar’s right to play in the rarefied performance-limo end of the new-car market. If you’re in the market for a Maserati Quattroporte or Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, you ought to check out what the Brits are up to first, because the latest Jag flagship is quite a car.
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Jaguar X350 XJR 4.2 Supercharged LWB
Released: January 2005
Ended: April 2009
Family Tree: XJJAGUAR'S third-generation luxury limousine certainly looked like all the previous XJs that came before it, but underneath that elegant if samey styling lurked a thoroughly modern chassis with exquisite engineering. Aluminium construction for lightweight performance, combined with computer controlled air suspension, provided buyers clued up enough to look past the retro design with a compelling mix of performance and luxury, especially in flagship supercharged V8 guise, which developed a heady 298kW of power and 553Nm of torque, driving the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox. But most people ignored it, catapulting Jaguar into the futuristic current-gen XJ.
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