Dear all,

I am thinking of getting a Jaguar XJ/XJ Supercharged . I am 33 years old and live in NYC (may get rid of my beemer as BMW steering's have gone soft).

I would appreciate if current owners could please provide answers to the following questions.

1. Is XJ S/C worth extra $'s over XJ Portfolio? Do they handle very close or do you notice substantial difference when cornering hard/steering/brakes? I suspect one cannot feel difference in 0-60 acceleration time of 4.9 vs 5.4. How is the steering feedback between XJ and SC?
2. How is the overall reliability? Are you guys happy? Has it ever broken down in the middle of nowhere? I saw JD power ranked BMW higher (but not that much higher) than Jag.
3. I believe SC only comes with summer tires. How is the handling in snow/ice? Do I absolutely require winter tires as living in NYC, the real estate to store tires is hard to find. Is the performance tires useless when the temp is less than 45? I typically take a cab or subway to work and would probably never drive in snow unless it was a surprise snow storm or after the road are cleared but still slushy. What winter tires do you recommend for the 20 inch SC rims? I did run into a surprise snow storm last year while driving 535i and it handled fine without any issues with all season tires (I was slow and careful).

Thank you.

 

1. I test drove both the SC and non-SC. The while the non-SC is perfectly acceptable and powerful, the supercharged version is a real kick in the pants. Huge instantaneous power. I'm not a car expert, but to me, the difference is large and noticeable. I gladly paid the extra $$$.
2. In the 9 or ten months I have owned the car, it has not caused me any problems whatsoever.
3. Having cruised this board for about a year, I can say that most posters with snow experience on summer tires say that it is an experience...to be avoided. I have also read that the all-season tires make the car just fine in the snow. ExpatJag drives his in Germany year-round, IIRC. I drive my car in sub-freezing conditions routinely on DRY pavement, but this winter brought no real snow, so I lack first hand experience and can't give a definitive answer.

Good luck with your potential purchase.

One thing to consider...I drove through New York tonight. BMWs and Mercs and Acuras and Infinitys were more common than Toyotas and Hondas.

Yet I did not see ONE Jaguar of any model or age all night. I like the distinctiveness of the car, myself.

 

+1 on getting the SC. I love the boost you get from a supercharged engine and this one doesn't have any annoying whine when it kicks in like some do (like one of my former XJR's). If you drive the base model and SC back to back you will notice a difference in the power. The suspension is also a little firmer, but that is also my preference for such a high performance car--I like to feel the road.

One tire note not related to winter driving is that the stock Dunlop Sport Maxx GT's get incredible mileage (note that these are the "GT" variant--one of the tire stores I talked to tried to sell me the Sport Maxx which are less expensive and a completely different tread pattern). I just replaced the rears at about 18,000 miles (could have squeeked out another 500-1,000 miles) and the fronts probably still have another 2,000 miles left before the wear bars come up and I drive pretty agressively. The tires are pricey at about $384 for the rears, but well worth it and they stick pretty well for such a high mileage tire. Sorry, can't give you any advice on driving in snow since I live in Houston!

As gostratusgray says, this is a very distinctive car that you don't see a ton of on the road and that was a factor in my decision as well. Good luck.

 

Thanks. Just curious what sort of mileage do you get on highway around 70-75 mph. I am impressed by current BMW which gets close to 30 mpg on highways@ 75 mph.

 

Thanks. True, I see lot of BMW, MB's and Audi's in NYC.

 

I consistantly get 18 - 19 MPG with mostly city driving. On a recent road trip with mostly highway driving I got 23 - 24 (that included quite a few passing "blasts"). I obviously did not get this car for great gas mileage.

 

I get 24 on the highway and mine is supercharged (2007 Super V8).

 

Just remember to compare apples to apples. I assume you are talking about the 535i but the XJ is a much larger car w/ a V8 not a 6-cyl. A more accurate comparison would be to the 750i or 760i which get in the 19-22mpg range - similar to the XJ

 

I get 25 on the highway in my 08 BMW 750Li. I get 20 mixed highway and city.

 

Thanks everyone.

One last question - I was reading a review on a car magazine and few people said the throttle feels too touchy (hair trigger). Is that true as my car will be parked in NYC garage and the valet guys park the cars extremely close and do a lot of back and forth. If the car just flies with a little bit of a throttle, it can easily get dents.

 

I'm a New Yorker, now living in Pa. I understand your concerns.
The steeling , braking, and gas is very 'fast'.
But the winter mode would make the gas slower.
(That's what they say- I have never used it.)
Finding a parking spot, a safe spot in the city , is a job in its self, and one that fits a large car such as the XJ will not be easy.

Gas miles: I'm at 10,500 now and the mileage is improving.
Going up from 19 to 23, to 21 to 25.Highway. I have no idea about city.


~HAPPY DRIVING~
BILL------------------------------------------>

 

Not so much that it should be a concern while parking IMHO--yes, the throttle is responsive, but I wouldn't call it touchy. I don't have any problem taking off smoothly. That being said, I'm always paranoid when someone else drives my vehicles, especially valets. Most of them are pretty careless.

 

Get the XJ SC, I love mine and no problems with the throttle. I drove the dealer's regular XJ and it just don't feel close to the SC. Pay the extra, you'll LOVE IT. The non-SC has less features and nav dont display in dash nor does it do manual shift in D mode.

I drive it to NYC and Flushing every few months and yes don't see a lot of it there. Gets around 22 on the highway, averages 16 or so mixed use. I try not to park it with Valet if I can and had ok luck with street parking spots. It's not jumpy at all, u can glide it in easy with the radar plus camera action.

I kept my old Acura TL as my winter tire beater car, don't want salt and damage to the Jag and repair would be expensive as hell too. Looked into the snow tire option but between tire and rim and mounting/dismounting, I'd be better off "slumming" it in my old TL.

 

I have the standard XJL and find the power to be more than adequate. I traded in a 2010 XFSC for the XJL which has the same SC engine as the XJLSC. Yes, the SC engine is more powerful, but I found it to be a bit twitchy on take-off and required a soft foot to accelerate smoothly from a stop. Can be fun at times but not so much if you or your passenger are having a cup of coffee. Also, the SC version comes with 20" wheels which makes for a harsher ride and has less options for tires and wheels. My XJL came w/19" wheels and all season tires. I bought an extra set of wheels and winter tires because I drive the car throughout the winter in Michigan. There were no aftermarket wheels or winter tires for my XFSC. The 19's also have a smoother ride on the lousy roads we have in Michigan. I am very happy with my choice of the standard XJL - wonderful car. Now, I have had some problems that the dealer is trying to sort out as I type this. The main one being the stereo reboots about one time per day. Others have had the problem and you can read about it in the post "stereo rebooting". Mine is a 2011 and I have driving a 2012 loaner for the past day and it does not have this problem.

 

i have the base XJ with the portfolio interior. i do a lot of city driving and feel the base engine on this car is PLENTY. to me .6 seconds isn't worth it. of course, those that have the SC engine would probably disagree. This is a fantastic car, and i love my short wheel base with the base engine. you can't go wrong either way.

 

Thank you everyone for your advice. I got the SC and I am very happy with it. My garage guys were like "wow, this is a real luxury car".

We picked up in rainy and cold conditions and we did have a mild moment of rear skidding but I am used to the throttle now.

 

Congrats. You won't be disappointed. I love mine.