Design
The XJ was designed at Jaguar Land Rover's Whitley plant in Coventry by a team led by design director Ian Callum.[17] Design work began in 2005, with final design approval taking place in November 2006 and the design being frozen in the first half of 2008.[18][19] The new design is a complete departure from any earlier XJ model; mechanically, the car is a development of its predecessor.[20]
Models
In addition to the standard version with a 3035 mm wheelbase, a long-wheelbase version was available with a 3160 mm wheelbase.[10] At the 2010 Moscow Motor Show, a high security version of the car called the XJ Sentinel was introduced.[21][22] This is an armoured version of Long Wheelbase XJ with B7-level ballistic protection as well as providing protection against 15 kg TNT or equivalent explosive. It has the 5.0 L supercharged V8 engine shared with the XJ Supersport having a power output of 510 PS and 19-inch wheels with Dunlop Self Supporting Technology run-flat tyres.[23] Unlike other full-size flagship executive cars, the long-wheelbase variant was designed first and was expected to make up 67 percent of sales in the US market.[24]
Engines
The engine used by the X351 are enlarged and upgraded versions of the previously used V8 petrol and V6 diesel engines.
Transmission and top speed
All 2010 models of the Jaguar XJ include standard six-speed automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift carried over from the X350, the main change being steering wheel shift paddles rather than the J-gate gear selector. The XJ has an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h; the limiter has been raised to 280 km/h for the XJR model.[26][27] An eight speed automatic transmission was introduced from 2013 onwards.[28]
Chassis
The XJ features a lightweight aluminium floorpan and body (with 50% recycled material content) based on the X350 chassis and retaining a proportion of the earlier floor pan. The biggest change is reversion to steel coil springs for the front suspension, retaining air suspension for the rear only. Continuously variable damping is electronically controlled as before but with driver selectable modes.[29] The aluminium alloy uni-body makes the XJ L among the lightest of the full-size executive saloons despite its exterior proportions, weighing in at 4131 lb, which is 245 lb lighter than the mid-size/executive BMW 550i.[24]
Equipment
Driver information and entertainment is provided by a Bowers & Wilkins 1,200-watt, 20-speaker Dolby 7.1 surround-sound system,[12] along with a bi-directional touch screen display on which the driver can only see the vehicle functions and satellite navigation data; a front passenger can simultaneously view a DVD movie or a television transmission.[29] Standard equipment levels on the United States-spec XJ L with the base engine includes a panoramic dual-pane moonroof, lane-departure warning, navigation, quad-zone climate control, and power sunshades, which is considered to be generous at this price point compared to other flagship executive saloons.[24]
Fuel economy and emissions
The diesel engine version had a fuel economy of better than 40 mpgimp and a emission rating of 184 g/km.[6]
Special uses
The car has been used by British prime ministers. Dating back to the Jaguar XJ (Series III), various versions of the XJ were used by Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown.[30] On 11 May 2010, David Cameron took delivery of the dark grey car No. 10 Jaguar XJ Sentinel as his prime ministerial car.[31] In 2011, Cameron took the delivery of another XJ Sentinel featuring bomb proof doors, bullet proof glass, and armoured plating beneath the floor of the car, respectively replacing the previous XJ Sentinel.[32] The car was used for transporting Theresa May,[33][34] and was also used by Boris Johnson.
