Current XJ8: How does it ride compared to.....?

I've just gone the other way, sold my XJ8 and bought a BMW 730 diesel.

To cut a long story short, having had other Jaguars I was very disappointed with the ride quality of the x350 and had it into the dealer on 3 occassions to be told there was no fault. BUT THERE WAS A FAULT, an independent specialist found that a suspension joint was seized and, with that repaired, the car was transformed!!

The BMW 7 series is good, the Jag is a better ride altogether.
The 7 series is very secure on motorways, but the Jag is a much better drive on country lanes.

To be fair, it is a matter of taste. Some people do not like the long suspension travel and floating feeling that it gives, I do. It takes all the jolts and bumps and transfers them into one smooth flowing motion. You'll need a good test drive.


It isn't all perfect with the Jag, though.

The new car is aluminium and the lighter car doesn't feel as secure in cross winds and in deep water puddles. There is more road / tyre noise transmitted through the body, although you will not hear the engine unless working it hard. There is some small wind noise on the A pillar - possibly due to the mirror design? Overall, the BMW feels quieter, just. The noises are from different sources and difficult to compare.

The dammed mirrors suck water back onto them, likewise the rear screen seems to hold water, so you can't see what is behind you in the rain!

The A pillars are wide, the B pillars block the side view and cause a blind spot when joining motorways...

The 6 speed auto box is smooth enough, although badly set up for spirited driving, ie: it upshifts at the first chance, then takes forever to shift 6-5, then 5-4!!! Unless you get one of the bigger torque engines, the car is a bit over geared, 1950rpm at 70.

Any of the engines will buzz the car along at a good rate, but you might find the smaller engines lacking in torque, so look at the 4.2, V6 diesel (or fantastic XJ-R). The 3.0 V6 petrol will drive the car okay, but you'll find the poor gearbox set-up starts to become important.

I had the 3.5 V8 (now discontinued in UK) and I found the car a bit overgeared for that engine, to the point that it had to downshift to maintain a cruising speed on motorway gradients.

The Jag has much better high beam headlights than the BMW, becomes important on longer journies.

Finally while the steering is very accurate, the car handles and turns in beautifully for a big car, but is entirely devoid of feedback and feeling. I lead a mixed group of Ferrari, Nissan 350z, Supra up a fast / twisting British A68 road for 100 miles to Scotland. None of them felt that they were being held back, with the Jag up front! Quite the contrary (some of this was the car, the rest was a very detailed knowledge of that brilliant road!!!).




Would I recommend you try one, having written the above? Yes. I've had the BMW for 3 months, it is an excellent tool, very fine in many ways and I am enjoying it, but I know my next car will be another Jaguar.

I also test drove the Merc E class. Very, very good, but I think not the same ride as the Jag and numb to drive.

My pick:
ride, drive and interior style - Jag
solidity, torque and noise - BMW 7
interior, finish and good ride - Merc E class


NOTE: specifications may vary between UK and USA. There is quite a difference between Sport, SE and XJ-R models in the ride stiffeness, although none should be harsh.


Does this help of confuse you?

David
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Over the years between me and my late father we have had a fair coverage of Jags.

Dad
1974 XJ6 4.2 series 1 (XK engine - not his car pictured)
1986 XJ6 3.6 Soverign (xj40 - AJ16 engine - again not his car pictured)

Me
1988 XJ-S 3.6 (AJ16 - no digital pictures - so again not my car pictured)
2001 XJ-R 4.0V8 (x308 - the best of all XJ for me!)
2004 XJ8 3.5V8 (x350 model)

and I have had two BMW 7's
1989 735i SE
2006 730diesel SE

It is amazing how model traits can be carried through from one car to the next. I think there is a common link in all the XJ's and likewise a direct comparison in the BMW 7's!

All the Jaguars had exceptional ride quality. On open motorway (freeway) the 7 series rides well. On rougher surfaces I think the 7 is lacking in suspension travel, feels stiffer and the ride suffers by comparison (not to say it is a particularly bad ride, but one versus the other...). The Jag is typically a better ride and handling on all surfaces.

But you are right in that the newer Jaguars have the adaptive shock absorbers, which stiffen to help cornering. This is a good system, but can be fooled on some surfaces, say if one wheel drops into a hole causing the car to rock, which triggers the shocks to stiffen briefly.

The later x350 uses air suspension, which does feel supple. Where-as the early cars had conventional spring suspension mounted on sub-frames front and rear; giving isolation between suspension and body.

Where the older Jag won over the older BMW was the twin wishbone suspension front and rear, which allowed longer supension travel than the strut / trailing arm set up on the older BMW. I am actually not sure what suspension the BMW is running on the current model... I must have a crawl under and look!

Both my BMW's rode well on motorways and felt very secure. Both BMW don't like turning into corners on country lanes, you could feel the weight of the car. The Jags were almost as heavy, but always were more nimble. The new XJ x350 is very much lighter than the BMW 7.

Difficult call. They are both very fine cars... I could go on making comparisons Jag to BMW and model to model and eventually just confuse things, you will have to draw your own opinion.

So to "cut ot the chase". The best Jaguar I have had is:

XJ-R (x308 model) (pictured BW 51 KYE)

This would eat the BMW in any comparison, as far as my taste is concerned.



Your specific queries, first off we don't use the VDP designation in the UK. I'm guessing they are using the Vanden Plas badge on what we'd badge as Sovereign, ie: top specification?

There is some variation in the stereo fitted, there was a premium stereo based on Harman Kardon and it is significantly better. Later Jaguars are now fitting B&W (Blower and Wilks). Over here the stereo upgrade was an option on nearly all spec. cars and very few people took the option. I suppose Jag guessed (correctly) that not all car buyers are hi-fi fans, so saved the cost and fitted a cheaper stereo, rather than a good one! On my car I turned the bass way down and it sounded better, the speakers or amps simply can't handle the bottom end and it just fogged the sound. With the bass off it sounded much cleaner, but thin.

BMW just fit BOSE to all 7 series models, so this generally wins!



740 versus 745. No I was only looking at diesels, so only looked at 730d SPORT and 730d SE. I can't really comment there. But there is a real feel of similarity between my first 7 and the current car, despite one being petrol and 15yrs older!

The diesel is, however, a very good car. It develops huge torque and for everyday driving it feels like the 745 / 750 petrol. It also sounds good, inside the car you really only hear some straight 6 exhaust growl. There is a little vibration at idle, but nothing like any diesel that existed only 5 years ago! The 730d is extremely popular in the UK, helped by 34 MPG.


Have fun weighing this up. Either way, Jag or BMW you will wind up with a nice car. Let us know when you've picked one!


David
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I'm considering an '08 or '09 XJ8 (SWB) and would love to hear any owners comment. I'm especially interested in reliability and dealer experience. I'm tired of the endless issues with my BMW and fighting with the dealer to fix it and would like something more relaxing now that I have a Porsche for when something more engaging is desired.

 

I'll chime in here, seeing as how I service many a Brit motor....


I had an '04 XJ8 for a brief spell and loved every second in that car. The only reason I no longer have it is because I hated the color, but it was available dirt cheap from the original owner, so I jumped at the chance.

It got 30mpg (yes, thirty), was quieter than my Bentley (and, perish the thought, rode better), the A/C would satisfy meat locker requirements and the heated seats were better than any Range Rover I ever had (but not as good as my Bentley's )

The downsides were; very narrow seats, somewhat of a low driving position, the car was BEIGE....sorry, "Topaz", and well, that's about it. I'm not a big guy (6'-1", 190 lbs), but still found the bolsters of the bottom seat cushion to be a little too narrow for my liking....I think the Vanden Plas models are better in that respect. Wish I hadn't sold it, but a friend rode in it, loved it and didn't mind the color, so I sold it to him. I'd have another one in a second, but definitely in a dark color and with NAV and xenons, which my car did not have.

Quite frankly, for the money ($15-$20K) you really can't beat it. The air suspension will be problematic at times (usually compressors fail @ $500 a pop and sometimes air springs @ $1K per corner or so) and control arm bushings will also fail, and it's near impossible to replace just the bushes (it can be done, but most give up), so easiest option is to buy new arms @ $500/each or so. The transmission is not known to be the most reliable on earth, but overall, they're not bad. Engines are damn near bulletproof....just don't overheat them. Beyond that, these were honestly some of the best cars Jaguar ever built and were on par with their German counterparts in terms of reliability, safety and economy. And the best part is that the Jaguar reputation lives on, meaning bargains for those in the know!

 

My father had a 2007 XJ8 SWB and it is a very nice car but honestly I do think it is as nice as my S550 4matic or the 745i I had several years ago. The S and the 7 series are a technological tour de force and the XJ8 is much more modest. My S class in comfort mode rides just as well if not better than the XJ8. Maybe some of the more spendy models have double pained glass like you get in the Merc but my fathers does not and as a result the S class is much quieter.

The new XJs are exceptional they still are at the same level technology wise as the aging S class but they are a huge step forward from the previous generation XJ.

I have not looked at any prices but if there is a big difference between the XJ and an S or a 7 then go for it, they are beautiful cars and much less pedestrian than a Merc or a BMW.

 

I did forget to mention one other negative about the X350 and that was the skittish handling over poor surfaces, particularly when rounding bends on highway ramps where the road is washboard-feeling, the car tended to dance around, primarily due to it's lightness and I'm sure the air suspension had something to do with it. Beyond that, great cars!

 

Great thread! Lots of good info, thanks for sharing guys.

 

Does anybody know where I could find the UK specifications or brochure scans online for the post 2006 UK market XJ ?