Jaguar XJ-R

Depends on year, maintenance, and previous owner if your not buying new. The '96-97 with the boosted or n.a. inline six is one of the most reliable cars they ever made. The '98-99 V8 models went through some growing pains and should generally be avoided, in 2000 they started turning out higher quality cars. I can talk to you off list as much as you like, or you can go to www.jag-lovers.org and subscribe to the forums and the archive and search. The forums are 20,000 strong with 95% business and 5% play with extensive archives going back to 1999 (as far as I can remember) if not earlier.

Their performance is deceiving. I've been lucky enough to track a friend's V8 XJR at Willow in addition to my own older and less powerful XJ6 cousin and they are great cars. It does everything well, a grand tourer you can race through the canyons. A nice low mileage 2001 can be had in the 30's.

Sunny

 

I was talking to guy that has one not that long ago.What surprised was he said his ram air trans am handled better than the jag.I was pretty surprised by that being that the f-bodys are solid rear axle.I guess the jag has a softer setup perhaps.I would imagine it would naturally be independent all the way around.

 

I'm sure his Trans Am handled better *snicker* They have been using fully independent double wishbone suspensions since the 60's. In fact, if its three things Jaguar is known for is their styling, their leather interiors, and their suspension prowess.

What did the C5 guys say to me after a run up Mt. Palomar Road with the NSX's?

C5 driver: How did you keep traction? I was sliding around.
Me: I slid the rear end a couple times through those turns. I was in 2nd most of the way.
C5 driver: You were flying through those corners!

NSX driver: This is the R version, right?
Me: No.
NSX driver: The V8?
Me: No, normally aspirated straight six (I pop the hood)

They are soft and not incredibly fast. But if I can keep ahead of these guys with a regular XJ6 and my friends with XJRs can leave me in the dust, your friend's car was not working properly or his driving sucked. My reputation among the group is not unjustified. Your friend never explored the limits of his car.

Sunny

 

I've sold quite a few used 2000-2001 Jaguar XJ8's and XJR's in the last 3-4 months and have nothing but good things to say about them.

I prefer the "ordinary" XJ8's as the extra power and handling trade offs of the XJR seem out of place in the character of this car for some reason. My opinion anyways....FWIW. I never liked earlier Jags but these current crop of cars are really something that I could very easily get used to.

Of interest is that they have some of the lowest re-conditioning costs amongst the MB...BMW...Porsche and other stuff I have seen.

We are currently going thru a 2001 XJ8 "Vanden Plas".....it's the long wheelbase version with the rear seat picnic tables.....seat piping and nicer interior trim, as well as a few different chrome accents as well as nicer wheels....WOW...what a car is right !!! They really are sweet to drive.

 

I assumed that the jag would have a lot more sophisticated handling feel myself but that's what he said.I was surprised.I've never driven a jaguar though so I have no idea what they drive like.

 

I owned a 1995 XJR (first year) and that thing was rock-solid reliable. When it wasn't, Jaguar did the (out of warranty) repairs for free. How do you like that?

With regard to performance, the handling was sublime, it would eat most anything on the road. In fact, my license plate frame said "Beemers for Brunch". An M5 would beat it, but not by much.

One problem with the car, the brakes are so big and effective that if you use em... don't be thinking that some lady on her cell phone driving a Toyota Tercel won't rear end you. It happens.

Buy one, you'll love it.

 

Topgear did a segment on the M5 and XJR. The XJ did a very good job of keeping pace with the M5, even in the tight sections.

 

What I love about these cars are the extremely LOW resale value. That is a very good thing for used Jag buyers

 

The M5 is a great sedan when you want to push. This is where the XJR loses a little of its cool. Its a fine match in the performance category with the nod going to the M5. With that said, besides reliability over the M5, the XJR is a leap (pun intended) above in the ride/cruising/luxury categories. The XJR can waft where the M5 grits its teeth and bounces along.

If your a racer type, the M5 will be the best tool for the job, of course. If you want a sports sedan that was built with a dual purpose, the XJR is a hard act to follow, and lighter on your wallet by 10k new.

Jaguar designs and builds its own engines, of which, the Aston Martin DB7 and the AMV8 are based off Jaguar engines. The transmissions in the XJ6/XJR of 95-97 are ZF 4 spd and GM 4L80E (handle up to 600ft pds of torque - very durable) respectively. The boxes in most of the V8's are ZF 5 spd and now a ZF 6 speed introduced in the S-Type and now the new XJ.

If you want an M5 killer, drop in a manual transmission. It will shave off half a seconds time in the 0-60 sprint in the 95-97 XJRs and a tick on the bursts from a roll. In the V8's, it will make it more competitive against the latest M5's and AMG offerings. However, these are seldom sold even in Europe (the only market where manuals were offered for the 95-97) with only hundreds made total.

For being down 1.5 liters displacement down from the competition, they are very refined engines. Designing something to challenge the Teutonic knights doesn't fit the "image" anymore and it started as an uphill battle.

The new 2004 XJs have again gone to a supplemental air suspension setup which failed frequently in the rear on the early 90's Pininfarina designed Jag code named XJ40 (the boxy one). This was a bad move in my opinion. The active suspension setup on the 2001-2003 XJs is the best blend of technology and the old school art of suspension design without resorting to excessive gizmos.

Never buy the first year of a new Jag and watch the second year closely. They depreciate past the 50% mark after 3 years anyway.

Sunny