Seasons greetings to the club forum. I'm a new member thinking about buying a good used XJ. I'm currently driving a 2003 BMW E39 525i SE Saloon auto, a lovely low mileage mint condition example. I love the car but the harsh ride is spoiling my enjoyment of it.

I am retired now and my boy racer days are long gone, all I want is a nice super quiet, smooth comfortable ride. I did my time at a BL garage back in the 70's then moved on to a Jaguar dealership working on the XJ range for some 5 yrs. The build quality back then was really quite awful but I do have fond memories of the lovely quiet & comfy wafty ride the XJ range offered. Having returned from 25 yrs overseas nearly 3 yrs ago, I am completely out of touch with the Jaguar XJ range but reading up and watching YouTube tests and reviews on the XJ I think it may be the car for me. I'm looking at the X350 cars but have picked up on negative comments about the air suspension being harsh at low speeds, even Clarkson commented on it in a old Top Gear test suggesting it "Had to Go"

I recently read an old march 2019 issue of Classic Car Buyer that did a XJ40 v Lexus LS400 comparison test. I quote. " Lexus openly admitted that it had benchmarked the XJ40 for ride quality while developing the LS, if you drive the two back-to-back, it's close but no cigar. The LS400 is an extremely comfortable car but the XJ40 is a wonderful one, who's ride quality wouldn't be bettered until the 2002 X350 XJ came along"

I'm certainly looking at the XJ40, also the X300 and X350 V6 and V8 cars, (no diesels) I would be most grateful for some advice from members on which model to go for for the ultimate in a quiet, smooth comfortable ride at low speeds on normal roads ? I appreciate that this can be quite subjective but I am hoping there is a car that really stands out with a general consensus as the one to go for.

The later XF and XE have not been ruled out.

Thanks. Busterbvi.

 

Welcome aboard..

 

Interesting that you bring this up. I am, or was, a big Toyota fan, having had nine Supras and a Landcruiser through the 80s and 90s. I remember giving my older brother a hard time when he purchased a Buick LeSabre at age 38. Not long after, I started hurting like hell too. Spinal surgery runs in our family so after mine, I decided I needed a luxury sedan for a daily driver and at about that same age, I bought a used 99 Lexus LS400 just because I had been such a big Toyota fan. I had to find to black one because in any other color, they looked like something my grandmother would drive. They all came with silver cladding on the bottom and I had intention to have the silver cladding repainted in black and get some custom wheels to masculinize it bit, but never got the chance. I didn't have it but a couple of months before it got demolished in a rear end collision which didn't do my back any favors I'm sure. It was at that point that I bought the XJ8 (X308). I was worried about the reliability, but after driving the Jaguar, I decided that Lexus was a too much a turd. Jaguar sedans also had a reputation for appealing to senior citizens, but the Jaguar was more grandpa than grandma and way more comfortable than the Lexus. Also, nobody ever once complimented the Lexus, but the Jaguar got compliments from total strangers just about weekly.

Turns out I didn't have to worry about reliability. The X308 was a rock, but only up until it was 15 years old and had over 100K miles. It was leaking oil, all the suspension bushings were toast and engine accessories like water pumps and alternators were starting to go. But that would've been the same for a 15 year old Lexus (we recently pulled the engine on my brother's 2007 Lexus to reseal everything). So in 2017, I finally decided to update to something no more than five years old. I test-drove everything on the market from 2012 to 2015 and discovered that nobody makes a luxury sedan anymore. The last true luxury sedans were made in 2011, being the last year for the Town Car and DTS. Everything made since 2011 is a "luxury SPORT sedan". Mercedes could kind of get tolerable with their Airmatic suspension and Infiniti Q70s were decent but getting above my price range. You could order a new Infinity with the v8 and standard suspension, but it appeared that all the v8s got the sport package with stiffer springs and 20 inch Conestogas on hard rubber bands, even the long wheelbase models.

But if you want something newer than the Lawson era design XJs, I found that there is (or was, not sure of current availability), an aftermarket suspension package for the XF (X250) that restores some of the comfortable ride quality you expect in a Jaguar. So I bought an XF, 2012, last year of the naturally aspirated 5.0L v8 and imported a Spires Comfort Suspension package. That, together with some 18" wheels and a little taller sidewall tires makes it tolerable. Its not the magic carpet ride of the X308, but its probably as close as anyone could get without buying something 2011 or older.

 

Welcome to the Forums.

Good luck.

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Busterbv,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

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Hello,
I wish you success in your search.
Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

welcome to the forum - enjoy!!!