I am currently looking at XJ's and the physical
selection in Atlanta in black with Jet interior is pretty small....
I would love reviews/opinions on Ebony(which looks duller
but perhaps not?), Midnight Black(which is in stock here but on a cloudy day looked deep blue) and Ultimate Black(which I REALLY like the best online)...I have been told that "Midnight Black and Ultimate Black are pretty
much the same color" and the name changed due to the lack of
availability in the Tsunami in Japan.... Just looking for opinions for those who own or have seen!

 

I have Ultimate Black which has metallic flakes in it. Ebony is non metallic. Personally, I wanted Ebony but couldn't find the combo I wanted in Ebony so settled for Ultimate. If you are looking for the pure, deep reflective black that you can see yourself in, then you want Ebony. Metallic paints will never reflect as well as non metallic paints but hide minor scratches/swirls better than non metallic paints. In direct sunlight, Ultimate will "sparkle" but Ebony will look like a mirror.

I've never seen Midnight Black so I can't speak to it.

 

The midnight black seems to be a dark charcoal metallic........an ALMOST black in my opinion.

 

I have the Ebony with London Tan and glossed Ebony wood inside. Very happy!

 

Personally, I was not impressed with Ebony. I'll say it looks great (with deep shine) just after a wash/polish/wax, but with a bit of dust or dirt on it, it will look dull very quickly.

Here's a pic of our XK in Midnight Black (which is a "normal" metallic paint, and we loved it. Great shine and depth, and very nice flake "pop" in sunshine i.e. very sparkly.


We have an XJ in Ultimate Black (which is a Xirallic paint i.e. much more flake and shine than "normal" metallic paint).

I have never owned a Jag with Ebony paint, but have seen quite a few at close quarters, and as I said previously, unless it has just been washed it is not very impressive (and frankly a bit dull). In my opinion, Ultimate Black is the one to go for. It has great metallic reflections in sunlight, and still has a deep wet glow.

Anyway, hope you find a paint you're happy with, and best of luck with your new car

 

Hey macperegrine, I love the wheels on both of your cars. I have a 2013 XK on order, and I don't like the wheels it comes with, so I'm planning on changing them out. My two choices are either the 20" Kasugas that you have on your XJ, or the 20" Nevis that you have on your XK.

Here's my question, though. The Nevis is made exclusively for the "R" models and the wheels say "supercharged" on them. So, I was wondering if it would be sacriligious to put them on an XK. Do people give you grief for that? :-)

Thanks!

 

i have the Ebony/London Tan with Burl Walnut, and wood steering wheel. Absolutely beautiful. go look at both and get what you want. i have had black cars all my life, on the XJ, it is stunning.

 

Uh-oh....Have just looked at an XJL Portfolio in Caviar
that was a real stunner....May just through the Ebony/Ultimate
decision out the window!! Looked beautiful inside and out in
the Atlanta sunshine...deciding Friday- Really want to thank y'all
for your responses! Cathy

 

Hehe, well spotted! The normal wheels we had were the 20" Senta ones. We had some problems with the Sentas, and while they we're being sorted out with Jag we had the Nevis ones on temporarily (and the above photo was taken during that period).

We don't have the XK any more, and I don't have many photographs of it on this computer, but here's one that shows it with the normal wheels fitted:

 

I have the Ultimate Black/London Tan with Burl Walnut and wood steering wheel. It's a beautiful combination and I get a lot of compliments, but IMHO the Ultimate Black is a little too metallic--it really sparkles in the sun. I've had a couple of past Jags in Ebony and I like the plain gloss black, but I had to have the new Jag when it first came out so I took one that the dealer had on order already. My dealer says that more buyers want the metallic colors and that's why they always order their high end spec cars with metallic paint. Might be better for resale.

 

I have the Caviar as well and its the way to go. It is completely gorgeous.