When you think of a jaguar, you think of an angry, growling animal. When you first look at the Jaguar XJL, it doesn�t look like an angry, growling animal. It looks like a regular, boring sedan. There are no fins or spoilers anywhere. The few bulges it does have are very subtle. You probably won�t even notice them unless someone points them out. The one distinct feature that differs from a regular sedan is the tail lights, which look like a cat�s paw. At least, that�s what Jaguar says it looks like.
The inside is a bit more interesting. There�s leather everywhere you look and it feels more like a luxury airplane has been put into a car. The seats heat up and they even give you massages after a long stressful day. The back seats have tons of leg room, and there�s even TV sets built into the front headrests. You get many luxury features that make your drive more fun and relaxing. The knob for the gear shifts pop up when you start the car up. You get GPS, Bluetooth, and the best stereo system I�ve ever heard.
When the car first starts up, it doesn�t scream at you. It just purrs like a soft kitten being petted. Even when you put your foot down, it still doesn�t growl at you. It�s so surprising how quiet this car is even at high speeds. Don�t be fooled though by the simple looks and quiet noise, because even though it may not growl like an animal, it certainly moves like one. The entire body is made out of recycled aluminum, making this car the lightest Jaguar ever. The 5.0L V8 engine will get you from 0-60 in 5.4 seconds and then keeps going to 121 mph. If that�s too slow for you, the supercharged version will get from 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and then up to a limited 155 mph. It is incredible how fast this car goes, and yet it�s still so quiet and comfortable. If you switch the car to sport mode, you now can shift gears yourself using the paddle shifters. Normally, paddle shifters are annoying because they never work, but the shifters in this car work great. They let you switch to whatever gear you want and they will keep working all the way to the car�s top speed. If you think moving fast in a straight line with very little noise is amazing, just try going around corners. The length of the four door sedan is 202� long. Other cars this long would have to do a four or five point turn just to maneuver around tight areas. This car can maneuver around obstacles like cars that are much smaller than this. You can also go around corners at high speeds and not have to worry about under steering or over steering. The suspension changes to however the car moves and the traction control gives power to whichever wheel has the most grip. This offers you great control and peace of mind. You won�t be worrying about crashing into anything with this car.
Of course, next year�s model is going to have a few changes. There will be a small spoiler in the back just above the back window. The 5.0L V8 is going away and will be replaced by a supercharged V6. I feel a bit sad that the V8 will no longer be available, but those who like better fuel economy will be happy. Hopefully the savage power will still be available. In the end, the XJL looks like a regular sedan, the inside feels like a first class seat on an airline and it barely makes any noise. But underneath all the simplicity and luxury elegance, there is still an angry, growling animal just waiting to pounce.
Special thanks to Jaguar of Orlando for test vehicle.
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