Jaguar XJ

The X300/X308 XJ was Jaguar’s flagship sedan 1995 to 2003, and is natural competitor to the W210 E-class. One might instinctively compare Jaguar’s flagship to Mercedes’ flagship, the S-class. However, the XJ best matches the Mercedes E-class in dimensions, intial price, and resale value. The sumptuous wood & leather XJ interior fits like a glove, and is probably best avoided by larger people.

Ford Motor Company took over ownership of Jaguar in 1989-1990. Ford management revamped Jaguar’s ailing quality control. By 1993, Jaguars began spending more time on the road than in the repair shop. The X300 Jaguar marked the first car engineered by Jaguar and produced under Ford’s watchful eye on quality.

X300: 1995 to 1997

The 1995 to 1997 XJs were available in four configurations. The base XJ6 offered a 245 HP, 289 ft-lbs, 4.0L inline six engine. The super-luxurious Vanden Plas added to the XJ6 various interior upgrades (e.g. more wood) and amenities (e.g. standard heated seats, Harmon Kardon stereo). The XJ12 upgraded the Vanden Plas with a glass-smooth, high maintenance V12 with 313 HP and 353 ft-lbs of torque. A high performance supercharged XJR was also offered with 322 HP and 379 ft-lbs. Long wheelbase versions were offered in 1996 and 1997 to shut up back seat passengers complaining about leg room.

The 1995 to 1997 XJ6/XJ12/XJR/Vanden Plas have remarkably few troubles. A few 1995 models have issues with rear fender rust. The XJ6 exhaust manifolds tend to crack frequently.

Reviews

X308: 1998 to 2003

In 1998, Jaguar made cosmetic updates to the exterior and interior of the X300 and called the new car the X308. From the outside, only clear headlights, round front fog lamps, and badges distinguish the X308 from the X300. Under the hood, Jaguar replaced the inline 6 engine with a 290 HP, 290 ft-lbs, 4.0L V8. Now toting two extra cylinders, the XJ6 was renamed XJ8. The XJ12 was discontinued and later replaced by the XJ8 Vanden Plas Supercharged. Jaguar also dumped the XJ6’s ZF four speed automatic transmission in favor of the same Mercedes five speed transmission that is used in the 1997+ W210 E-class. Although similar in power output to the XJ6, the extra gear in the Mercedes transmission endowed the XJ8 with nearly the same acceleration figures as the old XJR. Meanwhile the XJR, upgraded to 370 HP and 387 ft-lbs, was transformed from fast to wild beast. The chassis otherwise remained the same.

Although newer, many Jaguar enthusiasts feel that the build quality of the XJ6 was a better car than the XJ8. Apparently the XJ6 hit the sweet spot of Jaguar engineering and Ford quality control. The XJ8 got a bit less Jaguar and a bit more Ford engineering.

The 1998 and 1999 Jaguar XJs should be avoided. Jaguar executives fell asleep at the helm when they opted to use the same Nikasil cylinder wall material that caused the big debacle with BMW in the mid ’90s. Without getting into all the gory details, the problem arises from the Nikasil cylinder liners dissolving when exposed to sulfur. This wasn’t a problem in Europe, where the nanny-state mandates low sulfur levels in gasoline. In the United States, however, sulfur levels are much higher. The end result: the sulfur in U.S. gasoline eats the Nikasil engine block from the inside out! For this reason, you’ll see many 1998 and 1999s XJs with rebuilt or replaced engines. The 1998 and 1999 V8s also had problems with timing chain tensioners that, upon failure, could cause catastrophic engine damage. Jaguar fixed the Nikasil and timing chain tensioner problems in 2000. So if buying a Jaguar, stay away from the 1998 and 1999 V8s.

Reviews

Conclusion

The 1995 to 2003 Jaguar XJ is an excellent buy and worth considering. As noted, run away from the 1998 and 1999 cars. The downside to the Jaguar XJ is that their low production volume makes finding repair shops and replacement parts more difficult.

Jaguars arguably have the best online enthusiast community of any manufacturer. For more information about the Jaguars than you could ever care to read, see Jag-Lovers.org.