From a rational standpoint, Jaguars are not very good cars. Anything from Germany will be much more reliable, more comfortable, and will depreciate far slower. But those cars are so cold and souless. Jaguars have personality and they exude a certain coolness that allows you to get away with anything because you have a Jaaaaaag. And for 51 years, their flagship has been the XJ.
In the mid 60s, Jaguar had an aging lineup of sedans. There was the Mk2, which was absolutely beautiful, but had its roots in the 1956 Mk1. There was the larger MK X which was a massive landyacht sharing a platform with the Mk2. Then there was the S type, which had an independent rear suspension that improved handling over the MK2. Sales were slow and Jaguar was not turning the profits needed to fund its ambitions. They needed to consolidate their lineup.
And so, in 1968, Jaguar brought out the XJ6. It was an absolutely beautiful car and wonderful to drive with a magic carpet ride and surprisingly good handling. In 1969, it became Jaguar’s only sedan. By this point, Jaguar was part of British Leyland and was under the same corporate umbrella as its previous rival, Rover. It was decided that Jaguar would be Cadillac to Rover’s Buick. That meant a move upmarket and an end to the Jaguars being affordable for bank robbers. The engines were a 2.8 liter I6 and a 4.2. The 4.2 was much more popular. In 1972, a long wheelbase model was added as was an option 5.3 liter V12 making 250 horsepower and allowing a top speed of 140, this was known as the XJ12. The Series I XJ was a huge success with 82,000 sold by the time production ended in 1973.
In 1974, the XJ was given a facelift with a new shorter grille and a higher bumper for US safety regulations. US spec models had to be given heavy and ugly 5 mph bumpers. A new engine, a 3.4 liter I6, was added to the lineup, eventually replacing the 2.8. At this point, Jaguar’s build quality was at its nadir. XJs rusted and overheated as they sat in the showroom. They were also the victim of Lucas electrics. Here are some classic jokes about them:
Lucas: The Prince of Darkness
Lucas headlights have 3 settings: off, dim, and flicker
Why do Brits like warm beer? Because Lucas makes refrigerators.
Jaguar had been planning to give the XJ a full redesign before 1980 but BL’s financial problems and the energy crisis meant that was out of the question.
1975 brought the XJ-C, a coupe version of the XJ. It was somewhat pointless given that they were already selling the XJS, but I think this was a better looking car. Sadly, it was killed off in 1978.
1980 brought the Series III. Now all models had 5 mph bumpers, they weren’t the prettiest things but they weren’t as bad as many other cars. With BL in a more stable financial condition, they could finally set to work on a replacement. The last of the original XJ6s rolled off the assembly line in early 1987, after 18 years of production.
The new XJ, codenamed XJ40 had been under development since 1973 and finally saw the light of day in 1986. This very long gestation period brought many welcome changes. Build quality was vastly improved, but still not at Mercedes S Class level, and aerodynamics were much better. There’s an urban legend about this car. It’s said that BL had wanted to put a Rover V8 engine under the hood, and Jaguar engineers, horrified by this prospect, made the engine compartment too narrow to fit a V shaped engine. And as a consequence, they could not put their own V12 in, forcing them to keep the old XJ12 in production until 1992. Jaguar’s engineering director Jim Randle said in 2003 that he lied to management about the engine compartment not being able to fit a V8, when it probably would have fitted. The engines that were first used were a 2.9 liter 6 and a 3.6 liter 6. In 1990, the 3.6 was replaced by a 4 liter and in 1991 the 2.9 by a 3.2.
In 1992, the last XJ12s rolled off the assembly line as part of a special edition of 100. In total, 318,000 of the original XJs had been built, and the car was almost as beautiful during George Bush’s presidency as it was during LBJ’s.
But Jaguar needed a V12 offering now that S class and 7 series did so for the first time. So in 1993, they finally managed it. I imagine that as part of the ruse to go with the lie that the Rover V8 wouldn’t fit, for 7 years they just played ping pong while telling management they were working on how to fit the V12 in. The V12 was enlarged to 6 liters and put out 310 horsepower.
Jaguar became a lot more punctual about their redesigns after being bought by Ford. 1994 brought a new XJ, the X300. It featured more rounded styling, recalling the original XJ. Beyond that, not much was changed from the XJ40, engines being the same. But Ford greatly upgraded production facilities with robots that further improved quality. In 1997, the XJ12 was pulled from the US market as it was no longer able to meet emissions standards.
In 1998, another update of the XJ arrived, codenamed X308. This time, the styling stayed the same, but everything underneath changed. There was a new dashboard with more intuitive controls. There was a new optional computer controlled suspension system. But the biggest change was under the hood, or bonnet. The 6 and 12 cylinder engines were gone, replaced by Jaguar’s new range of V8s. There was a 3.2 liter making 240 horsepower, a 4 liter making 290 horsepower, and a supercharged 4 liter in the XJR making 370 horsepower. Also new was a 5 speed automatic. By this point, Jaguar was now easily shifting 20,000 XJs per year.
The XJ was redesigned again in 2004. It gained a whopping 5 inches in height over the previous model. An aluminum body structure was used to reduce weight and increase stiffness. The XJR rose to 395 horsepower and the 3.2 liter V8 was replaced by 3 liter and 3.5 liter V6s. You could even now get a 2.7 liter turbodiesel. The transmission gained an extra gear. But Jaguar had overused the retro look and the XJ just looked dowdy next to its competition.
In 2010, Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata Motors of India. Chief designer Ian Callum was transforming the company’s styling language as first demonstrated on the midsized XF. Now he turned his magic to the XJ and the result has been spectacular. The XJ is easily the best looking big luxury sedan around. And because it’s so lightweight, it handles like a sports car. An update in 2014 brought optional all wheel drive and an available 3 liter supercharged V6 making 340 horsepower. It’s a nice car, but if I was a CEO, I’d still get an S class which is much more reliable, spacious, and comfortable.