Hi there everyone,

I'm a LONG time Jaguar fan and I was offered a Jaguar 2014 XJ ( X351 model ) Portfolio for a fantastic price, trading in my 911 Turbo.

Porsche has to go, for the best reason ever : family is growing.

Now, that will leave me with the Jaguar XJ as the only family car.

Boot is good but it is not outstanding - plus the rear seats do not fold down - why why why ?

Also, I do not see any roof rack rails that will fit there.

So it is a luxury limo full stop ? If I want to use it also on the weekends to shop at IKEA and/or transport bikes, I'm out ?

Wife wants a Panamera - and they are infinitly more versatile. But I lust at the XJ - think its the best looking car as of today, full stop.

Trying to do some man maths ( pratically wise ) to buy one - but struggling with anything else than couple of parents + baby or child - IKEA out of the question, long items I'm out, bikes I'm out... is that true ? I'm missing something ? Please say so .)

 

Gonsalo Owing to the XJ's total aluminium construction and glass roof I am unaware of any ability to add a roof rack or tow hitch, for that matter. As for trunk/boot space we find that it can handle one large "wife size" garment bag and 2.5 airline carry on bags plus some small extra computer bags. While not huge it's adequate for our needs. Yup no fold down rear seat back, but then it's not a Panamara it's a true luxury sport sedan.

 

Thanks mate

I guess we have to resort to the wife's work car ( VW GOLF ) when she has IKEA urges...

I've rechecked the trunk size again and seems ok for a baby cart + baby stuff + our stuff.

I prefer it SO MUCH to the Panamera... Trully thorn between this and a Range Rover Sport... oh well, could be worse

 

Goncalo, the question that you have to ask is how much are you going to need to use the extra space for hauling long items compared to daily driving. If you are making weekly trips, then that would definitely put the XJ in the back seat of things. If you are doing this sort of thing say 2 times a year, then the XJ would be right in there.

I have been known to take long boards and stick them out the sunroof of my XJ. Would I do this for long trips. Never. But the few miles home. I don't see an issue.

I see it this way for me: If I am going to be doing a big haul to the hardware store or something of the like, then I am going to spend a few dollars on the rental truck and haul it home that way. I don't see me doing it all that often to give up the benefits of the XJ. I can see where having the cargo space that the Rover has as being a plus. BUt, at the same time, how often are you going to have the kid in the back and hauling big loads out the back of the Rover at the same time? I can't answer that for you.

I think you will be surprised as to what the XJ will haul. Worst case, if you are going to the airport for a long trip, a suitcase or two will also fit in the back seat too.

Either way, get what you think is best and don't second guess yourself. ONce you buy, consider things done.

 

My opinion: No the XJ is not suitable for hauling around all the equipment associated with children, nor for the way children conduct themselves when traveling. When i need to haul things I use either my Corvette coupe, which has a very large luggage space, or my wife's Mustang convertible with the top lowered. In addition the Jaguar doesn't deliver particularly good fuel economy.

 

Most furniture stores, lumberyards, etc. offer delivery. You can always borrow or rent a truck. The kids will love riding in the xj.

 

thank you all for your replies

At first I was heavy inclined for the Range Rover Sport ( new model ) but then wife told me : please, for the love of god, keep a car for 10 years. you can have little "side projects" ( that she calls the jeep, the convertible, etc lol ) but have a car that stays with us.

And for that, the Range Rover pales. Its pretty now but it will be mega expensive bill plus just "ok" in 10 years.

Jaguars on the other hand, I do not know a single Jag that dont look stunning with age ( ok, perhaps being a snob, the S Type and the F type did not improve with age. but then agian, there wasnt much to improve on to start with... ).

Fortunatly there are a few options here at the moment - a very nice Portfolio SWB for sale with low km's and a superb LWB Portfolio with delivery miles.

So I'm going on a few days vacation and will settle the deal afterwords, but seems Jaguar its the way to go. Thank you all for your help !

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love my XJ. However I was initially shocked and confused at the complete lack of storage Jaguar managed to omit in such a big car.


Have you ever been in a SUV and being amazed at all the many useful storage spaces… Massive family coke bottle in the door pocket, huge glove box that holds a KFC party bucket, hidden tray under the seats, sunglasses holder in the roof?? Well the XJ has none of that!



The glove box is only just about big enough to fit a small Glock wrapped in rag.



The Door pockets are so small and obscure that you can easily lose a wrap of crack cocaine that will only be found 6 months later by “sally” the police sniffer dog.



The Centre console is too small to contain any box size of evidence wiping tissues… although it does has two the compulsory American cup holders. I don’t know why Americans to need drink while driving anywhere (as if they are cycling on the tour de France) but I think it goes back to the days of the Flintstones where they had to use their legs to power the car and liquid intake was obviously vital?


There is a solid metal panel behind the rear seats making folding rear seats impossible. Leaving the trunk as a complete self-contained metal box.



The size of the Trunk is big enough to get “Ray the Snitch” inside but little else. You have to ensure Ray is totally “out” before insertion as annoyingly there is a manual trunk release inside the boot to let people out? This makes no sense until the day you realise that Ray’s fraternity ring is stuck at the very back of the trunk and you have to climb in yourself to get rid of it! (as there in no other way to get it).


If you opt not to have a spare wheel (and use the puncture inflation kit) you have a wheel size area under the floor of the trunk that is big enough to hold an entire gallery of Donald Trump ginger wigs. However, accessing it is neither convenient nor graceful on such a top end marque.


External roof storage and trailer towing is completely restricted by the style police who will pull you over and beat the living £%&$ out of you if you attempt such an uncouth practice on a top end Jaguar!


At the end of the day if you own a XJ you have a large classy car with loads of leg room in the back for “Cherry” and “Sunny Days” to show off their talents in complete luxury. The lack of practical storage in such a big car is a mystery at first but once you realise that Jaguar have used every square inch to hang speakers, gadgets and leather indulgence you then realise where all the space has actually gone.

 

First of all, thank you for the flashback - I lived for 10 years in London and albeit I do not miss neither the weather or... well.. the weather, I do miss sarcasm and the irony.

English do it to another level and I felt right at home.

So thank you for a few good laughs but worry not - my Glock is always put in the glovebox without a wrag and I never tried cocaine - so worries not with "sally". I think. I think I never tried. Anyhow thanks for the tip, I'm sure to buy a couple of cans of dog food to put in the door pockets, just to be on the safe side.

However pleasing having a full set of donald trump wigs in my boot, I'm think I'm going to pass that and have a full set tyre replacement. I think I prefer for "sally" to find crack cocaine rather than explain why I have a few donald trump wigs under the trunk.

But yes, I've started this thread because I was looking for one car to replace two I had - and eventually become the family car and the XJ ( the brief time I had with it, a couple of times ) seemed not to have much storage and usable space.

The other option was a Range Rover Sport which has plenty of space but wife test drove the two and said the Jaguar was miles better than the Range and we have one child - not twenty - so if people could live with a Renault Clio and three kids, she was sure that we could live with one kid and a XJ - and that I wanted the XJ so bad, so just buy it.

So I did.

Thank's everyone and now I'm off to buy some dog food for sally.

 

The reason we have drink holders is because we have speed limits and it can take so long to travel to your destination, not to mention traffic.

 

To be fair most of the world has speed limits, long travel and heavy traffic... and yet they don't demand cup holders in the same regard as American culture does.

Most people can drive 2-4 hours without the need for a "bathroom" break or refreshments... in which case you tend to stop for a break.

 

All of Europe, consisting of 50 countries, is only 3.4% larger in area than the United States, which also number 50. Eleven of our fifty states are individually larger in area than the entire U.K.

 

well... yes and no.

if you consider that Europe has 50 countries, you are including countries like Russia and Ukraine + continental Europe + tea Island (UK). So its quite larger than the US. But then again, saying that Russia and Ukraine are part of Europe, its pretty much saying that Canada and Mexico belong to the US....

If you consider Europe - the UE - then its 28 countries - USA is larger by a mile..

And if we are talking about my country - Portugal - oh boy... there are only two US states that are smaller than my country : Delaware and Rhode Island. The next one ( Columbia ) its pretty much almost the double area than Portugal.

Now that we cleared all this out - and of course the innate love of Americans for cupholders ( have to agree with my fellow Brit there, I think in all my cars - had quite a few so far - I used the cupholders ... once ? in ONE car ? ) - can we go back to Jaguar talk ?

I still have to buy dog food for Sally the police sniffer dog...

 

Russia is not considered part of Europe, and the European Union does not include all the countries of Europe, which number ~50.

I have no idea how the love of cup holders became associated with Americans, but a great deal of our meals are bought at drive-through quick service or "fast food" restaurants without leaving our cars, in order to save time.

Our speed limits in the U.S. are so low, and we have many so many incompetent drivers slowing traffic (most talking on their cell phones, "texting", and primping in the rear view mirror) you might as well slurp hot coffee or cold beverages (neither widely consumed in the UK) while sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and this requires cup-holders. So yes, I guess we are guilty as charged.

 

We Americans live in our cars. We have drive thru everything including liquor stores in some states. No surprise that at some point in a full day of driving around that a person would get thirsty.

 

I'm recoiling at the very idea of drinking let alone eating in a luxury car with leather.

Oh well. Seems odd not to want, er, rest room facilities as well.

Two cultures separated by a common language...

 

JagV8, I eat/drink all the time in my vehicle. It would probably drive you nuts to hear that I let my 5 year old grandson eat in the back seat of my XJ. But, I have to admit that I see the XJ as another vehicle, not as a trophy. So, I see it needing to be used and if that means that it gets a stain here and there, so be it.

 

Hmmm ... and I always thought it was a common language separated by two cultures!

On my side of the pond, the boot fits on our foot and our luggage fits in the trunk. We also drive on the parkway and park in the driveway. If we can't keep out the illegal immigrants, we'll confuse the hell out of them!

 

Our XJ is a family car. Just yesterday I vacuumed a large pile of beach sand off the white Leather passenger seat! It is summer and everyday the wife picks the kids up from surf camp! I have all but given up, but I draw the line in letting our Catahoula Leopard dog in the car!

 

Actually a leather interior is far more impervious to greasy foods, ketchup, Gray Poupon mustard (but of course), and beverages than the cloth interiors on lesser vehicles, as long as you treat the leather with conditioner occasionally.

Just warn youngsters that ball point pins and chewing or bubble gum, and sharp objects are simply not permitted, and that if they scuff seats or seat backs with their shoes, that you will crush their little feet in a vise.

Also beware of females (or transvestites) that use "tanning lotions" on their bare legs, or who try and use make-up (lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, etc.) while in the car.

Also beware of blue denim pants, especially if they get wet as in the rain; and also for decorative "bling" sown on the rear pockets of their "jeans"; simply insist the wearers get naked, change into other clothes before getting in your Jag, or find another way home (including your wife, children, relatives, and best friends).