Jaguar Cars Philippines unveils spectacular all-new XJ ultra-luxury sedan

“The all-new XJ re-imagines the ultimate sporting luxury car. It’s beautiful, exhilarating to drive and with a bold, enlightened approach to design meets the challenges of our fast-changing world.” - Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director, Jaguar Cars

 “The new XJ is a thoroughly modern interpretation of the quintessential Jaguar. Its visual impact stems from the elongated teardrop shape of the car’s side windows, a powerful stance and wide track. It is the most emphatic statement yet of Jaguar’s new design direction.” - Ian Callum, Design Director, Jaguar Cars

MANILA, Philippines - Sleek, sporting and sophisticated, the all-new Jaguar XJ brings a daring new spirit to automotive luxury, offering a seductive mix of striking design, breathtaking performance and uncompromising engineering.

The new XJ is the epitome of fluid, contemporary automotive style – the most dramatic aspect of which is its seemingly bold departure from XJ tradition, which dates back to the 60s.

The all-new XJ’s distinctive lines mark the next bold evolution of Jaguar’s new design language. The new car’s elongated teardrop side window shape establishes the car’s silhouette and lies at the heart of its flowing design. The sleek lines are complemented by a taut waistline, which further accentuates the impression of length and elegance and creates a natural tension as it fades from the front arch into the middle section of the car before reappearing as a strong haunch towards the rear.

The nose of the car follows Jaguar’s new design language first seen in its groundbreaking XF sedan and underscored by an evocative mesh grille and slim xenon headlamps to create a strong road presence. The muscular lower half of the car is contrasted with the slim and graceful quality of the roofline, which takes inspiration from the original 1968 XJ saloon. The wraparound rear screen reduces the visual weight of the pillars and gives the impression of an exotic “floating” roof.

The new XJ doesn’t just look streamlined; like the XF, it sports a drag coefficient of 0.29, making these two cats the most aerodynamic Jaguars ever.

The sweeping coupé roofline cloaks a cabin that offers comparable levels of space to sedans with a more conventional (read: upright) style. There is generous accommodation for five occupants, while long-wheelbase models provide rear-seat passengers with true stretch-out or cross-your-legs space thanks to an additional five inches of rear legroom.

The new car’s rear end – perhaps the biggest departure from previous XJ designs – is notable for its pure, sculpted shape, with a conscious absence of unnecessary shapes or ornamentation. The sheet metal of the rear panel retains its pure form, with a single leaping Jaguar motif making a strong, confident statement. The LED light clusters wrap stylishly over the rear wings and feature three dramatic red vertical strips.

The exquisitely designed interior has a luxurious and sporting character throughout. A panoramic glass roof – standard on all models – dramatically enhances the sense of light and space inside.

At the sides of the cabin, a bold architectural wood veneer sweeps forward from the doors and across the top of the dashboard, emphasising the new XJ’s powerful, dynamic character. This linear, modern use of wood helps to create a truly luxurious and welcoming environment.

The new XJ, which has a retail price of roughly P9 million, enjoys more sumptuous leather in its cabin than any previous Jaguar. It adorns all of the main surfaces, including the seats, instrument panel, door tops, centre console and armrests. (The exclusive Supersport model even has a leather roof-liner.) And like the seams on a hand-tailored Savile Row suit, the soft-grain leather features beautiful twin-needle stitching. Visually seductive, this complex stitching delivers a feeling of opulence and style in a modern way.

The driver grips a beautifully trimmed three-spoke steering wheel, and the broad center console – positioned further rearward thanks to the absence of a conventional gear lever – helps to provide an intimate, cockpit-like feel. The new XJ’s elegant switchgear and phosphor blue lighting enhance the contemporary mood even more. The doors feature a beautiful pannier-style storage compartment, inspired by the look and feel of a high-quality, hand-stitched designer briefcase.

Reflecting the all-new XJ’s approach to luxurious “personal space,” the new trim and color selections, which include a fresh range of more daring colors chosen by the Jaguar Design Studio team, offer the opportunity for increased interior personalisation. Nine different mirror-matched wood veneers are available, all chosen to create a crisp, contemporary appearance, while carbon fiber and piano black finishes are also available for those who prefer a more technical ambience.

The simplicity and purity of the interior design emphasises the fine execution of detail. The four spherical air vents contrast a high-gloss piano black finish with chromed metal components. This stylish combination of piano black and chrome is repeated on the center console.

Center stage on the instrument panel is an analog clock, its individual chrome graduations, spun metal face and iridescent blue background inspired by luxury Swiss watches.

And in keeping with its status as the ultimate four-door Jaguar, the XJ introduces a new generation of interior technologies, pioneering the use of display and infotainment systems such as the innovative high-definition 12.3-inch Virtual Instrument panel and the stunning 20-speaker, 15-channel 1200-watt Dolby Pro Logic IIx Bowers & Wilkins 7.1 surround sound system.

The Virtual Instrument panel prioritizes the most useful information as well as creating a real sense of theatre for the driver. As the XJ starts, three virtual dials build before your eyes: the center dial houses a speedometer, flanked on the right by a tachometer and on the left by an information window with fuel and temperature gauges.

The display employs a “spotlight” effect to highlight the areas showing the most important information, such as road speed or engine revs. When required – for example, if fuel is running low, or the driver is selecting a radio station – the rev counter fades away to be temporarily replaced by the required warning message or menu.

This prioritization goes to another level when the driver who is looking for even more sporting performance and handling selects the XJ’s Dynamic mode. In this case, the dials assume a sporting red hue and feature a bold gear position indicator which glows red as you reach the rev limiter.

At the heart of the all-new XJ’s construction is a next-generation application of Jaguar’s unique lightweight vehicle architecture. Primarily aluminum, but also utilising magnesium and composite alloys, it allows Jaguar to produce a significantly lighter and stiffer body – the lightest in its class. The new structure, which retains the same aerospace-based riveting and bonding processes, has been refined using these advanced new materials to deliver improved strength, enhanced refinement and superior safety.

The new XJ gets its leaping cat prowess from a state-of-the-art naturally aspirated 5.0-liter 32-valve direct-injection, variable-valve-timing gasoline V8 that develops 385 hp at 6,500 rpm and a whopping 515 Nm at 3,500 rpm, enough for a 5.7-second 0-100-kph sprint. This ultra-clean EU5-compliant engine is coupled to a shift-by-wire, 6-speed automatic transmission controlled by the JaguarDrive Selector for manumatic functionality or via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Chassis-wise, the new XJ benefits from technologies pioneered on the new XFR and XKR models, including continuously variable damping (Adaptive Dynamics), electronically controlled rear differential (Active Differential Control) and a quick ratio power steering system.

We were able to take the new XJ for a quick drive and true enough, the car combined responsive, sporting dynamics with the refined, supple ride expected from a luxury Jaguar. It is as equally accomplished as a driver’s car as it is a chauffeur-driven one.

At more relaxed cruising speeds the new XJ is blissfully silent. A full secondary bulkhead, laminated glass in all the main windows, streamlined aerodynamics and an optimized body structure help to reduce noise levels to an absolute minimum. Put the pedal to the metal, however, and carefully tuned intake and exhaust systems and precisely machined engine internals deliver an inspiring engine soundtrack.

Giving even greater level of personal control, XJ drivers can tailor the driving experience to suit their mood or conditions. JaguarDrive Control offers two different modes: Dynamic mode, for a more sporting and responsive character, and Winter mode, for greater control in low-grip conditions. Each mode changes the characteristics of engine mapping, transmission shifts, Adaptive Dynamics and Active Differential Control systems and DSC interventions.

In Dynamic mode gearshift points are extended, the suspension stiffens and even the presentation and color of the main instrument dials changes. And in Winter mode, the transmission selects second gear to provide greater traction from a standstill.

To complement its powerful engine and advanced driving dynamics, the new XJ provides a comprehensive set of active safety aids including front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Understeer Control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Traction Control (ETC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Engine Drag Torque Control and, for vehicles fitted with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Electronic Brake Pre-fill.

The new XJ’s aluminum body uses more than 50 percent recycled material, with a plan to increase this to 75 percent. Body panels made from recycled material use only 5 percent of the energy required for new aluminum, equating to a potential saving of three tons of CO2 per vehicle as well as drastically reducing its carbon footprint.