Edmunds asked me to update my '07 XJR Review.
Here it is:

(March, 2018)
Love my 2007 dark green XJR!
Just finished another 6,200 mile cross country trip - my fourth in three years of ownership - and can honestly say that this Jag is perhaps the best car I've ever owned. Please know that I've been a life long fan of high end German sedans - particularly 7 series BMW and 8 series Audi, along with various Mercedes models and many Porsches. I bought the Jag on a whim, just because it was so damn good looking (disclaimer: this is generally an ill advised approach with cars, women, and many other things). At first, it seemed that all the old Jag scare stories were true. The rear air suspension collapsed on the return leg of my first cross country trip; steering and handling were loose and rattled over bumps. I could smell coolant when the car was parked. And, etc, etc...
What the car needed - at 85K miles and 10 years - was refitting. This is actually no different than German sedans. My advice if you're in the XJ market is to buy the best example you can find (with big preference to late '06 and '07 US X356 models), then plan to spend another $6K - $10K in refurb parts. Double this if you're not a DIY'er.
When you're done, you'll have a taut, comfortable, and classy vintage Jag. My strong preference, aesthetically, is the short wheelbase models, with a nod to the supercharged, 400HP XJR (or softer riding SWB Super v8 model). Early (X350; '04 and '05) models have too many problems, though cheap and plentiful (the most expensive Jag you can buy is a cheap one). The last production years ('08 and '09) lost their good looks in an ill advised face lift.
The X356 XJR is a bonafide sports sedan, with unmatched kick down punch on the highway (my last sedan was an M5 BMW; with an S8 Audi before that). Ride is taut but comfortable; handling is not in Audi and BMW leagues, but pretty close. Gas mileage on my latest trip was ~ 23 MPG overall

And, people love this car. So do I. It is both beautiful and fairly unique; a real head turner, and a joy to drive...

(Feb 2021: Edmunds asked me to provide an update):
At this point, I've had my '07 XJR for about six years and 50K miles - a near record for me. It is now - at 14 years - clearly an "old car", perhaps more fitting for the hobbyist than mainstream buyers. Still, the old girl is such a wonderful traveling companion, and - within the realm of hobbyist cars - pretty modern and practical.
Understand, though, that old is OLD, and having an elderly Jag - no matter how lovely - is not for the faint of heart. To wit: I decided, last summer, to basically replace all of the engine cooling system hoses and wear items (pumps, etc), based upon age and mileage. This as preparation for a fishing/hiking trip to Montana. Well, Jag OEM parts alone totaled about a grand, and were so delayed (thanks, USPS) that I ended up driving my truck. And, doing this work required removing the supercharger, etc; figure another two grand or so in shop labor. While awaiting parts, I refinished the wheels, changed trans fluid, replaced trans cooling lines, renewed the brakes, etc, etc - figure another couple grand or more in materials and labor. About $5K, say, just on routine maintenance. And now, the sunroof cover headliner material has come unglued, which will require a complete headliner R&R to put right. I can (and may) fix this myself for maybe a couple hundred in materials, but it would cost the average car owner far, far more.
All this is exactly why you can buy one of these beautiful, marvelous cars for a song. If you're so inclined, do so very carefully, and you may end up with a real gem...

 

Well said, in my opinion.

 

WRT reliability of early models my Jag was first registered in November 2003

and I have owned it for 12 years.

The 'worst' fault I have had was one failed injector.

 

Hey Hisport. Great write up! Do you happen to have the list of ALL the cooling hoses for a SC car? I started itemizing them once and gave up lol.

Regards
Jeff

 

Hey Jeff,
The list (of SC engine hoses) I began with is very nicely set out by dsetter here:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...valley-134108/

IIRC, this list is accurate for your (X350) car. Quite a number of hoses, etc changed with X356 (eg, my '07) and X358 ('08/'09)

dsetter's excellent write up also outlines the project really well. A couple of comments to underscore or add:
- Suggest replace the thermostat, engine water pump, aux (heater) water pump, and SC water pump at the same time
- Best to use OEM hoses from Jaguar, though OE pumps can be found via Delco, Hella, and Bosch
- Replace all of the vacuum line o rings
- Definitely get a set of hose clamp tools; you'll need them
- Inspect your trans cooling line flex sections (under LH radiator hose) - now is a great time to replace them

Hope this helps!

 

Edmunds has published the (Feb, '21) XJR Addendum, I know this as I'm getting pings from readers.

Who knows, maybe old XJR's are starting to gain interest?

(I recall, during the 70's and 80's, when you could pick up XKE's for a song. Initially, the baroque Series III V12 was most valued. My youthful pick - a 4.2 SI coupe - eventually became recognized as a gem - beautiful and low key fun to drive)

With internal combustion vehicles, we're now slightly post-apex. Young people amongst us will live to remember gasoline and diesel vehicles as crude and monstrously inefficient relics. Perhaps a bit like we consider coal burning steam locomotives today.
In the meantime, traveling about the country in a classic old supercharged Jag sedan delivers a subtly nostalgic vantage point over a rapidly changing world. (I'm heading for California in April, covid permitting; this will be XJR cross country trip # 5...