Jaguar Xj Review

The 2012 Jaguar XJ ranks 9 out of 12 Super Luxury Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 26 published reviews and test drives of the Jaguar XJ, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

With loads of standard features, a stunning design and powerful engine choices, test drivers say that the 2012 Jaguar XJ has a lot going for it. However, the XJ loses points for its fussy cabin electronics.


The JAGUAR XJ is a cab-rearward design and is incredibly riveting to stare at as it sits back on its haunches with as much cool as James Bond lighting a Chesterfield. In black, with the big-dish 20-inch wheels, the car is sinister enough to warrant its own RICO investigation.
Jaguar Cars managing director Mike O’Driscoll, who’s peddled more than his share of schlock over a 35-year career with the company, is smiling more lately. He says the mission was to recapture the uniqueness of the original 1968 XJ but in a modern form.

Some test drivers love the opulent surroundings inside the 2012 XJ, while others see room for improvement. Materials are mostly high-quality; some reviewers even call the interior stunning. But, one test driver comments that some small trim pieces look a little cheap and out of place, and that the radical interior styling is a departure when compared with flagship sedans like the Mercedes S-Class. The XJ’s seats are comfortable, but back seat legroom isn’t the best in regular-wheelbase models. Additionally, some taller drivers might want a little extra headroom.

The C-pillars are clad in wonky glossy black panels that bridge the side glass with the backlight. Styling head Ian Callum—who gave us all of our current 2013 Jaguar and a few Aston Martins — demanded it and got his way. You don’t hear odes to the Jensen Interceptor very often, but Callum is fascinated with the way that car’s rear glass wrapped around the body sides to isolate the roof. He wanted to create an unbroken black band around the car’s cranium, like the Lone Ranger’s mask. On lighter colors the effect is more pronounced—and a little forced, frankly—but it’s definitely not something Jaguar’s competitors would ever do.
Lately, the market’s air has been pretty thin at the XJ’s price point—the company sold just 1161 of the big cats in the U.S. last year, 2452 in 2008—so you can’t blame Jaguar for leaning on existing components where possible. Unexpectedly, it’s the Jaguar XFR that donates the most gear, including its suspension, steering rack, and, in the Supersports, the active electronic differential with few modifications.

The riveted and glue-bonded aluminum unibody shares DNA with the previous XJ, but thanks to a learning curve and a change in priorities, there are substantial changes. Besides the graceful sheetmetal, there are more cast nodes in the new XJ’s skeleton, helping to drive up torsional rigidity by a claimed 11 percent, and the front subframe is now solidly mounted. In the past, Jaguar used rubber isolation bushings, something it found only negatively affected handling while supplying little isolation benefit.