2010 Jaguar XJ Official Details, Photos and Prices

As announced these past few weeks, British manufacturer Jaguar released last night the official details and photos of their new XJ. According to the carmaker, the new XJ "reflects a vision that defies preconceptions and transforms the idea of a luxury sedan."

"The new XJ is truly beautiful, exhilarating to drive, and with its bold, enlightened approach to design, it meets the challenges of our fast-changing world. It re-imagines the ultimate sporting luxury car," Jaguar's managing director, Mike O'Driscoll, said at the launch held last night in London.

Engines

The new XJ comes equipped with a choice of three engines, namely the 3.0l V6 diesel, the 5.0l V8 petrol and the 5.0l V8 petrol supercharged. The smallest of the three, the 3.0l V6, develops 275 PS and 202 kW. Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, as is the case with all of the three variants, it reaches 100 km/h in 6.0 seconds and tops at a speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).

Unfortunately, all three versions of the new XJ top at the same speed, regardless of the engine under their hood, as Jaguar chose to electronically limit the speed at 155 mph.

The 5.0l engines develop 385 PS/283 kW (the V8 petrol) and 510 PS/ 375 kW (the supercharged V8). Fuel consumption for the two is, as you might expect, a tree hugger's nightmare: 16.6 mpg (17l/100 km) for the petrol V8 and 15.4 mpg (18.3l/100 km) for the supercharged version, both in city driving. Some comfort comes from the 3.0l engine, which averages 29.6 mpg (9.6l/100 km) urban.

Trim Levels

Four trim levels will be offered with the XJ, namely Luxury, Premium Luxury, Portfolio and Supersport. The entry level Luxury comes packed with... luxury features, including panoramic roof, Xenon headlamps, 400W sound system, keyless start, phosphor blue interior illumination, HD touch screen, dual zone climate control and many more. In all, 14 color choices are available for the Luxury, two solid and twelve metallic. This trim is available only for the XJ equipped with the 3.0l diesel engine.

In all, the new XJ gives customers a wide range of choices in terms of appearance. Alongside the 14 body colors available for all trim levels, Jaguar offers 10 wheel types, 11 veneers and 14 interior color combinations.

Technology and Gadgets

The interior of the XJ sets itself apart by the use of virtual instrument instead of your regular instrument cluster. When the engine is started, three virtual dials pop-up and replace the Jaguar graphic on the dashboard. The virtual dial house a speedometer, a tachometer and a fuel and temperature gauge. The information displayed on each of them can change depending on what the driver is doing: changing radio stations, showing warning messages and so on.

The XJ comes with a choice of three different sound systems, with power output ranging from 400W to 1,200W. The latter, sourced from Bowers&Wilkins is designed especially for the XJ and comes with no less than 20 speakers, powered through 15 channels. The 7.1 surround sound is delivered thanks to the Dolby Pro Logic Iix and DTS Neo:6 encoders.

XJ's Bluetooth system allows for no less than five different cell phones to connect to the car at the same time. Infotainment is insured with the help of a 300 GB hard disk drive, feeding movies and videos to the sound system and the LCD screens.

Prices

Starting prices for the new XJ range in between 52,000 pounds and 88,000 ponuds. Below is the list of starting prices. The first row of prices is for the XJ with standard wheelbase, while the second for the XJ with long wheelbase. Deliveries will begin in early 2010.

• XJ 3.0 V6 Diesel Luxury                             £52,500      £55,500
• XJ 3.0 V6 Diesel Premium Luxury             £55,900      £58,900
• XJ 3.0 V6 Diesel Portfolio                          £62,900       £65,900
• XJ 5.0 V8 Petrol Premium Luxury             £62,900       £65,900
• XJ 5.0 V8 Petrol Portfolio                          £69,900       £72,900
• XJ 5.0 V8 Petrol Supersport                      £85,000       £88,000

More images in the gallery below.