http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWG-2gdiC_0

This car sure is beautiful.

I know that it is a XJ6 in the video, but does the crash testing part of the video look like a poor performance? The side impact test doesnt look very good IMHO. The frontal impact causes the back door to buckle at the bottom and possiblely not be able to be opened afterwards. This isnt even an offset impact. The rear impact makes the rear suspension move quite a bit which could also jam the rear doors?

 

The crashes look dramatic, but they are crumple zones, so are designed to absorb the shock of the impact, which is why they crush up like that. Most modern vehicles have crumple zones, which is why so many are written off because even low speed impacts can cause them to crumple up.

However, for some real shocking picture of a XJ(R) in an accident, check this out:
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/xjr/
The one in Germany is really rarther quite shocking, mainly because of where the door card has ended up. S.

 

Yeah I understand the concept of crumple zones, as I have studied vechicle safety. Its just that the side impact test shows alot of intrusion and the frontal impact has alot of body flex which is not good. Similar vintage BMWs and Mercedes have less flex. The XJ8 is supposed to be somewhat stiffer than the XJ6 though.

 

I agree, I was a passenger in an XJ6 a few months back and could feel the difference in vehicle quality between it and my XJ8. If I'm honest I'm not a fan of the X300, I didlike the square indicator and marker lights, and various other details around it. I think it is amazing the difference the X308's changes make! The rounded parts and improved gauges and dash make for a far prettier car.

Did you check out the link I posted? When I was at Mechanic College, we went on a little trip to the local "vehicle disposal centre" or Scrap Yard to learn about accident damage, I was surprised at how bad they crumple up, but impressed with the way its designed.

Though if I'm honest again my XJ makes me feel protected, and that is a good feeling to have

 

Yeah i saw those pictures! The door card on the german XJR was crazy! it came out perfectly with the wood trim intact.

I agree, the X308 is much nicer than the X300. I particularly dislike the base XJ6. The X300 Vanden Plas and XJR are nice, but the XJR is not as nice as the X308 XJR. I think the X300 Vanden Plas has more leather than the X308? Such as on the seatbacks of the front seats(I could be wrong)? It has more wood inlay.

Did the X300 feel like a looser chassis? I think the XJ8 was stiffened by 15% or so. I want to drive a X300 just to compare it to my car. I hear that the suspension in the XJ6 gives a worse ride and worse handling than the XJ8. The last time I rode in one, the 4.0 six felt rougher and made a worse engine note than the creamy smooth V8. The V8 is such a nice engine.

 

There is mor leather in X308s than X300s as far as I know. The 300 looks dated with little parts of it, i.e. the headlights not being crystal. The ride did feel different to mine, but I wasn't in it long enough to get a feel.

The V8 is a better engine, I got overtaken by a X300 XJR on the way to work once and its engine sounded strained and VW beatle like. (For the record I was overtaken because I was cruising along, and he was clearly late for work! )

I don't want to upset any X300 awners with my opinions, but I'm more a X308 man. When it came out in 1998, it looked so much more ahead of its time than any other vehicle on the market at the time. Also I like how the CATs system makes my XJ more of a drivers car

 

Hey have you seen this video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih-9jXsDIKY

Its interesting b/c of the XJ40 chassis of our X308s. The music is super 1980s. This video has got to be one of the most elaborate hype videos I have seen fore a car.

 

Ah your rubbing in my face that i dont have CATs on my car! haha. Have you ever taken your jag to the track? I autocrossed mine with the stock 16" rims and it was alot of fun. It had heavy understeer, but I got around the cones faster than a '01 BMW 740i. The tail on these XJs are rock solid. Mine never lost composure and didnt give me any unexpected oversteer. I want to try again with my 18" wheels.

I do have to admit the v8 engine and the Vanden Plas (Daimler) suspension are on two different pages. The v8 winds up like a sports car and keeps the car moving fast, but the suspension and LWB seemed to rather cruise. Alot of body lean. Despite this, my car was much faster around the cones than most people expected, and the hosts of the autocrossed all rode in my car one by one bc they were so excited to see it driven hard. They seemed to be most impressed with the acceleration, braking and grip despite the soft suspension. My car seemed to require more skill to drive fast than the other cars like the 740i.

 

No I'm not rubbing it in, I wouldn't do that because I'm jealous of the picnic trays fitted in the back of the US Vanden Plas! No I haven't taken my XJ on a track, but I live in Rural Britain so the roads here are a variety of surfaces and corners. I enjoy throwing it round in sport mode with the suspension firmed up. Mine isn't LWB though, I don't see too many of them round here.

I nearly bought a 750i before I got my XJ, but at heart I'm a Jag man! The 750i looked dated compared to the XJ, and even though there were some extra toys fitted to it, the interior wasn't as wonderful. I may get a chance to drive my XJ on the Aintree Grand Prix track, near Liverpool on one of the track days they have in the summer. I may also take my 1971 Triumph Herald too to see how that does.