Jaguar XJ - the sunset of a legend
It's amazing how easily he breaks with the legend. It's amazing how easy it is to forget traditions and true values. It's scary how easy it is to turn a person's value system upside down. It is surprising, in the sense that it is disturbing, how easily people stop appreciating the simplest and most ancient form of recreation, i.e., walking in nature, in favor of extreme and expensive pleasures. The world is changing, but is it necessarily in the right direction?
Once upon a time, even a non-professional, looking at a Jaguar, knew that it was a Jaguar. E-Type, S-Type, XKR or XJ - each of these models had a soul and each was 100% British.
Contrary to what most people think, even under Ford, the Jaguar was still a Jaguar. Oval lamps, a squat silhouette, sporty aggressiveness and this is “something” that can be defined as a unique style. This was especially noticeable in the XJ model, the flagship limousine of the British concern. While all other manufacturers were moving towards high technology, Jaguar still adhered to traditional values: modernity, but always with style and never at the expense of tradition.
The XJ model, which left the arena in 2009, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cars in the history of the automotive industry. Not only in the British automotive industry, but all over the world. The car, produced since 2003, marked with the X350 code, was largely made of aluminum alloys. The classic silhouette, with an obscenely long mask and an equally obscene tail, made the Jaga a rarity among wind tunnel-carved, curved German grays. The chrome accents, the absurdity of the large aluminum rims, and the "stuffed" bumpers, which further enhanced the impression of hugeness, made the XJ an object of sighs. This car was amazing and still impresses with its body lines.
Inside the Jaga, it is useless to look for countless liquid crystal displays (not counting the navigation screen) and those same matrix solutions from the realm of fantasy. With classic clocks, a cabin trimmed with the finest woods, and perfect seats upholstered in the most natural leather in the world, this cabin has a sense of history, and the driver instinctively feels that he is driving in this car, not driving electronics. This interior is made for drivers who expect the car to be… a car, not a vehicle to move around. This interior is designed for drivers who stop using the services of a driver and begin to enjoy driving.
The aggressive design of the front end is awe-inspiring – the twin oval headlights stare sharply into the space in front of them, like the eyes of a wild cat. An enticing, contoured long bonnet with a very low cut hides some of the most beautiful-sounding powertrains on the market.
Starting with the base 6L Ford V3.0 with 238 hp, through the 8L V3.5 with 258 hp, and on the V4.2 8 with less than 300 hp. The offer also included a supercharged version of the 4.2L engine with less than 400 hp. (395), reserved for the "sharp" version of the XJR. 400 km in the most powerful version?! "A little" - someone will think. However, given the car's aluminum construction and ridiculous curb weight hovering around 1.5 tons, that power doesn't seem "funny" anymore. Competitors in the class have about 300 - 400 kg of “body” more.
However, the XJ, with the X350 badge, true not only to the name but also to the Jaguar style, left the scene in 2009. It was then that a new model was launched - definitely more modern and technically more advanced, but still truly British? Is it still a classic in every sense? When I first saw this car, although it fascinated me with its style, I must admit that I had to look for ... a logo to find out what car I was dealing with. Unfortunately, this has not happened to me before in the case of other cars of this British concern. A pity….
