Recognizing that I am opening up subjective a can of worms, I'd like to ask for advice on color choice. I'm choosing between the following:
-indigo
-stratus gray
-liquid silver
-lunar gray
-stratus gray
-ultimate black
-ebony

If it matters, I expect to get a standard wheelbase and sure like the London tan interior.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

Anything except black.

You don't own a black car. It owns you :-)

Cheers
DD

 

I disagree--you just can't go wrong with a black Jag (this is my 5th one), but, yes, you have to keep it clean. Just find a good hand car wash--at the one I use, you can buy a book of 50 washes for a discounted price of about $10 each (regular $15). The London Tan interior makes a great contrast to the black--many compliments have been received. Black also makes the controversial blacked out "C" pillar a non-issue. I will say, if I had it to do over again, I would have gotten Ebony instead of Ultimate Black. I was anxious to get the car back in June, 2010 so I took the one that the dealer had already ordered instead of waiting an additional couple of months to special order one. I have never been a big fan of metallic black, but the dealer says that they always order their high end cars in metallic because that's what most people want. It's not fatal, just sparkles a little too much out in the sun IMHO.

 

Since you listed stratus gray twice, I'm going to assume that subconsciously you want stratus gray?

I wanted ebony for my car but could not find one with an ivory interior anywhere in the western US so I settled for ultimate black. It's grown on me since I don't normally like metallic paints.

 

I would pick up black

 

I disagree with your disagreement :-) :-)

Were it just a matter of more frequent washing I'd have no problem with a black car. No, it's not that. I enjoy washing my cars.

'Tis the endless polishing-out of scratches that makes a slave of the owner.

As we know, every time you brush up against the car, every time you wash it, every time you put your hand on the hood to slam it shut if there's even an iota of dirt, you're scratching the paint. Thousands of minute scratches that stand out like a wart on Kathy Ireland's nose, taunting and tormenting the owner.

No, no, I say ! I'll never again suffer the abject tyranny of a black car.

Cheers
DD

 

Ultimate black or ebony is the way to go, the contrast with the london tan interior is awesome.

I have an ultimate black with London tan supercharged with the regular wheelbase and looks great IMO.

Plus everyone knows black cars are faster ;-)

 

if you choose black or ebony hand wash only using two bucket method to avoid swirls and scratches. clay the car and put a good paint sealant on and absolutely no drive thru carwashes. paint will look wet if taken care of properly.

 

Thanks to all for the great feedback. Having been owned by three black cars in my life, I think DD is right. That said, I think I'm hooked on the idea of the black and tan combination and may be ready to be owned again. Glad to hear others like it.

I'm leaning towards the Ultimate Black, in part out of a (probably vain) hope that it will show swirls and scratches slightly less than Ebony. I welcome any more advice anyone has.

 

Guys,
got a black one. Love it BUT as we my other black cars it WILL OWN YOU. To me its worth it. But of you are a car nut you will be detailing it a lot.

 

Black cars are definitely more trouble to maintain looking good, but when you sell it you can usually get more money for it as it's a more popular color. A friend of mine owns a high end used car dealership and black cars sell easier and for more money than the same car in another color.

The moderator should put a poll to see which colors people are buying their XJ's in. Would be interesting to see the results.

 

Yes, the Ultimate Black does hide swirls.

 

+1

 

If I had to do it over again, I'd do spectrum blue with tan and custom black dash (loathe navy, and loathe isn't a strong enough word) with zebrano wood. If not going SS, go with the indigo or green, tan with truffle, and zebrano custom order.

Trying to argue that ultimate black shows less swirls than ebony is like trying to argue that your dog's poop doesn't smell as bad as my dog's.

 

Probably true, and yet I still can't resist!

 

My top 3 choices are any black, any black and any black. I have the metallic black with the London tan interior and the black headliner. Coolest (and fastest) black car i have owned. And that interior is killer! Previous 2 black cars - 750LI and A8L, but have received the most compliments on this car.

 

I have the Caviar and I tell you guys its the stop and stare car. It's a beautiful hue that looks like a fine wine. I completely love it. Now I do have second thoughts about the ivory interior I picked out. All I can say is denim and ivory don't like each other. The leather on the drivers seat is already stained blue because of it. Ugh!

 

If it were me, I would go for either the Indigo Blue, Caviar or Ultimate Black. All three cars really show the lines of the car nicely.

 

I think the indigo or caviar adds a unique and rich element that is spectacular! And I love the idea of zebrano wood...

Of course my car is amaranth...

Jools

 

+10000000000000000

Black looks fantastic, but at enormous effort and maintenance. My DD is white and I never have to do anything to it. It always looks cleaner than my Jag! Also, if it ever starts to get dirty and I don't feel like hand washing it, I can just take it to the machine wash without any noticeable damage/swirling of the paint! So simple!

However, for the latest iteration of the XJ, I think black looks the best. It hides those ridiculous looking blacked-out C pillars quite well, and gives it a classier look.