THE DRIVER: On the ever of Tata’s takeover of the storied—and troubled—British marque by a formal colonial underling (and owner of Tetley Tea, natch), it is fun to examine what went right, and what faired miserably, under Ford’s control.

Let’s start with this: this large cat is still almost the top dog in driving deportment amongst import luxury vehicles. A spectacularly well-resolved ride compliments lithe and athletic handling. And the aging AJ-series supercharged V8 still has the moxie to move this bonded-aluminum with verve. The 6-speed tranny is terrific as well, though the ancient ‘J-gate’ shifter is not as useful as Jaguar’s newer setup. All this took place under Ford’s reign, and was part of the renaissance in driving joy courtesy of recently retired VP Richard Perry Jones.

The cockpit is as refined and well wrought as ever, with inch-deep Wilton carpets, acres of buttery, piped Connolly leather, and a forest’s worth of hand-rubbed timber. Yet the ‘olde worlde’ interior architecture is at odds with the thoroughly modern mechanicals, and the almost aftermarket nature of some of the systems (with rear entertainment, you loose the center console storage, for example) one can’t help but lament the lack of development dollars that went into this Jag’s updating.

The worst offenses are committed outside, where in a futile bid to bring the retro-styled XJ into the 21st century, they’ve stripped off the artfully chromed, svelte bumpers and replaced them with blocky and ill-proportioned monstrosities. It’s as if an attractive yet aging screen siren went under the knife to maybe, just maybe, land one more leading role.

There’s too much inherent talent in the Jaguar engineering and styling ranks to take such frippery too seriously though. The XK coupe and convertible are simply brilliant, and the new XF mid-ranger shows what’s in store under Colonial rule.

THE BROKER: You’d have to be daft, man, to consider the purchase of an XJ of any stripe other than sports-orient ‘R’ model, and even then the only thing that makes sense is leasing. Used, the verdict changes. Jaguar’s quality is on par with the other European marques—which means an extended warranty is mandatory, but that overall it’s not a bad proposition. And it’ll cost thousands less than the German players. As a bonus, you’ll not see your car everywhere, and wont engender the same reverse-snobbery that BMWs and Benzs are often on the receiving end of.

THE (ROCKY MOUNTAIN) MAN: Still a blissful way to roll; the supercharger keeps it chargin’ at altitude, and with winter tires and stability control its perfectly fine through winter—while returning a few miles per gallon better economy than competitors.

PRICE AS TESTED: $95,200.00

Send article as PDF to