Thought I'd share my driving and ownership impressions with the forum after the first 1000 miles in my new-to-me 1996 XJS. I've enjoyed reading many of your posts and I'm sure many of you will agree with my thoughts and others may disagree but nonetheless we all seem to share a common passion for these cars. As you can see from my previous rides, I've owned a variety of unique enthusiast vehicles and I claim no particular loyalty or blind allegiance to any particular brand, I just enjoy all kinds of special vehicles and aim to try them all at some point in my life. Yes I am Old School, but that's just because things actually were better back then. Ok most of them anyway. Here's a few rambling thoughts in no particular order.. comments welcome!

What attracted me to the car?
The styling is an easy answer. And I've never owned a Jag, so it was on the list. I myself like "classic" cars.. and by that my definition is certainly my own, but generally I favor vehicles that are somewhat modern but mostly pre-2000 era when we got so crazy with electronics and moved away from what made brands unique and special. Today's vehicles are so far removed from what used to define a brand that for most intents and purposes they are all the same.. change the badge and what's the difference? As someone else commented, the 96 XJS was the "last of the true Jaguars" and to that I agree. What I really like is that these cars have stood the test of time well, and now that all modern cars generally look (and drive) alike, the XJS looks even more special and unique. My intent here is to compare and contrast the XJS with more modern cars, as well as other cars I've owned, to see what we've gained and lost as time has moved forward.

Of course Jaguars have always had the best interiors IMO, and the BRG exterior with the tan interior and top is timelessly elegant, and personally I think it's the best and most appropriate color for this car, which is why I sought it out. I know that's highly subjective and I respect your opinion, but that's mine and I'm sticking to it. After looking for a few months, I found this one and pounced on it (pun intended). Here's my thoughts so far...

Best. Driving. Position. Ever. This car just fits me. Perfectly. I'm 5'8 and feel like the cockpit and driving position was made just for me. Love the view over that long hood. The Alfas I owned had a huge instrument pod that stuck way up and blocked the view out, which is a real shame.

Love the short dash. Such a treasure to have a compact, tidy dash that isn't 2 feet away from the windshield like modern cars. Get in some cars and the dash is overwhelming and dominates the interior, with all kinds of ridiculous swoops and weird shapes that are just dumb. The Jag's dash is just an honest, simple design that is elegant and stands the test of time. Wish we could go back to this.

The instruments.. so as a designer myself, first thing that sticks out to me is the generic and boring fonts used on the gauges which look like an obvious mandate from Ford. These would look more appropriate in a Taurus, not a Jag. Jag instruments need a special font that looks the part, not generic American family sedan type.

The door armrests and center console... Brilliant! Just absolutely fits me and where I want to put my arms when driving. Makes cruising in this GT a natural pleasure. So often this gets missed in new cars where there is no place to rest your arms, making for an uncomfortable driving experience. To me, this is the way cars should be. As if the cockpit was designed AROUND THE DRIVER, to be driven. Not like the driver is an afterthought. In my Nissan Frontier, the center console is so low as to be useless to the driver, and the door armrest has a pull hole cutout right where the elbow goes, so there is no way to get comfortable, and you find yourself sliding all around the seat with no way to brace yourself in. The Jag keeps you in place, as it should be. The Range Rover I owned had an excellent driving position too, with Captain's chairs with fold down arm rests and a wonderful view out front and all around. Is this just a British thing? It may be THE most important aspect of owning and driving a car, because it affects living with it day in and day out. In fact, I hate my wife's Acura MDX for this reason.. it's just too comported and weird.

The leather.. what can I say? All car interiors should use Connolly leather, period. Why wouldn't you?

Seats... Excellent! These remind me very much of the seats in my Alfas. Very comfortable and seem somewhat made for smaller folks like myself. That is, they aren't these huge ultra-padded Barcolounger seats that look like a ton and are raised up off the floor about a foot. They sit right on the floor, and they are comfortable but somewhat thin. I like it that way. You sit Down in them, not on top of them. Combined with the armrests and console and it's a perfect spot to hold you in place. You don't find seats like this anymore. And I can actually use the headrest in a comfortable manner.

There are no cupholders. There are no buttons on the steering wheel (other than horns). So I said to my son, "back then we focused on DRIVING" and didn't live in our cars or need to be entertained by them. Driving them was the entertainment. As it should be.

The power convertible top is Brilliant. It's wonderful in design and execution. In comparison to my Alfas, which were manually operated, the Jag is sublime. Alfa tops required a real struggle to pull them close enough to latch, then you had to fight with the latch. However they were quite simple and so easy to flip back. The Jag is obviously more complicated (and expensive) but the latch designs are Excellent. So easy to use and they just work beautifully. Nice design. The glass rear window is lovely. Compared to cheap plastic on Alfas that always ruined and fogged - having actual glass is a dream.

Build quality - for a 25 year old car (46k miles)... there are no squeaks or rattles. It is so quiet inside, top up or down, that one can carry on a conversation easily. It's amazing how quiet it is. Top down it's still so quiet. Lovely.

Ride and handling - Probably the nicest riding car I've owned. Not too soft, not too hard. Just right. The handling is about perfect. I especially love the steering feel and initial turn-in and response. So spot on! Even more remarkable considering the size and heft of this car. Well done Jaguar!

60-series tires... YES! This is what a GT should have, and probably all cars for that matter. The Jag handles wonderfully, at any pace. I do not need (nor do most folks I'd wager) ultra-low profile rubber bands for tires to gain an extra .02g at the expense of ride quality and can only appreciate on a race track. When you drive at a brisk, reasonable pace, these 60 series tires will be all you need and more. If you need ultra-high performance tires, then you are driving too fast on public roads. These 60 series tires can stand hitting a curb or pothole without blowing out or damaging a rim. Honestly I think we've all lost our minds with these crazy (and expensive) low-profile tires that we find on new cars, which are used 99% of the time for schlepping kids around or getting groceries. While we're at it.. 16" rims are BIG ENOUGH. If you think bigger rims are needed on your car, then your car is TOO BIG. If cars were appropriately sized, and not these gargantuan Hot Wheels they make today, then we could go back to a more reasonable sized rim and tire.

Steering wheel... thin... wood... not a lot of crazy buttons. I like it that way. I found I've forgotten how to reach over to the radio to actually change the station or volume.

Windshield... small, relatively upright, not so far away that I can't touch it with my hand. In my wife's Acura it's like I'm sitting in the back seat I'm so far away. This Jag nails it here. I even like the unobstructed windshield wipers. There's nothing fancy going on here. Just plain and simple wipers, right out in the open. Easy to get to. Easy to take on and off or change the blades. In most new cars I find it so painful I just let the auto stores do it. Doesn't have to be that way.

Under the hood - first thought was "Wow, I can actually see and access everything. I can even understand what I'm looking at." Obviously I have a 4.0 car, but still. So nice and such a contrast with modern cars and their plastic crap and mess of things under other things. There's an engine in there, and I can see and work on it

Engine... as mentioned I have the 4.0... ok I'm scared of the V12... the inline-6 is adequate for what I use this car for, which is mostly backroad drives and going places not in a hurry. It's fine for me, and having just sold my 911SC, I'm not looking for a sports racer.

Facelift.. I prefer the original pre-facelift taillights, and maybe even the quad headlights. BUT I prefer the 95-96 cars for their better build quality, features etc and in the end that's what I went for. But these taillights look more Ford than Jaguar IMHO. The aero headlights aren't as bad, but I can at least change that if I want to.

So after driving her these first 1000 miles, my driving impressions are this: I think it may be my favorite driving car of all time. Certainly seems to be the most "special" in terms of how it makes one feel when driving it, or looking at it. That's important. The Alfas (and I was a much younger person when I had those) were somewhat crude and Italian in their own way, and indeed had a lot in common with this XJS. In fact if you look at them (convertibles) in profile, you'll find they have some design elements in common.. the tapering trunk line, etc. The XJS is more of a gentleman's car, whereas the Alfa is more of a younger person's car IMHO. Jag is for Grand Touring... Alfa is a Sports Car. Neither is right or wrong or better or worse.. each is appropriate for the mission and one's station in life at that time. The 911SC I had was again a Sports Car. It was great at that. But it was not very impressive on the inside and in fact mine had an ugly (to me) brown interior that just looked dated, and it's hard to love brown anything. There was no bit of luxury to it. The Alfa did have fine Italian leather and very much looked like a poor man's Ferrari, but it didn't have much in the way of amenities. Another thing it does share with the Jag is, shall we say, "European" A/C.. which you know what I'm talking about. The Alfa was meant to be a weekend car, but I did drive mine, every day, for more than 5 years. I know it was meant to be a weekend car, because driving it every day meant you could watch it literally fall apart while you drove it.

The Jag is a much more livable, comfortable car - and to me that makes it such a sweetheart. I will say that my Range Rover was a close second in terms of favorite rides, but it was a truck basically, and no real direct comparison to this XJS. But what it got right made it easy to live with (I owned it for nearly 14 years). Excellent driving position and view out. Superb ride and handling. Adequate power. And being a 2000 model it had just the right amount of luxury and amenities without all the excess they have today. Horrible fuel mileage was overlooked by the fact that it was just such a nice riding, handling and driving vehicle. Those things make all the difference. And kudos to Jaguar for nailing it on those 3 things. The icing on the cake is the way it makes its owner feel Special. That is what we aspire to when we own a Jag. It's a reward that all brands should aim for, but I'm not sure if that's possible anymore, which is why I prefer the Classics such as the XJS.

Notice I did not say much about the 63 Corvette Split Window I owned about 20 years ago. It was fun to restore and looked amazing in my garage.. but it was horrible to drive. It was just so primitive that it was scary. A real white-knuckle affair on the road. So I learned my lesson (almost) and swore off anything older than me, including women I sold the 'Vette to a fellow in California and that car is probably worth at least 3 times today what I sold it for. But I like to drive my cars, not just garage them, so I don't have any real regrets about it.

As far as Reliability... well that remains to be seen, but I have my eyes wide open and fully expect to get educated. The only way to know a car, is to own the car. Obviously by the cars I've owned previously, I am not scared away by bad reputations or the unknown. Alfas taught me a good lesson, as my first true "exotic." They were beautiful to drive, and for what they were they were superb. The engine and drivetrain was bulletproof. 100% I can attest to that, as I was a young college student (part time racer) who did everything in my power to blow one up, but couldn't. Where the Alfa fell short was in some more modern things that had been fitted over time, as Alfa struggled to adapt to the modern era of car building. Power windows with wind-up cables. Mickey Mouse electrics (just carry spare fuses and you'll be fine). Ill-designed motor mounts. 1960s chassis technology. You were getting a 1960s car in 1990, so as long as you knew that going in, you would be fine. I'm inclined to think the Jaguars of this era, and probably most European makes, had much in common in their struggles adapting to changing times. I could argue that this fact inevitably led us to the Global Industrial Auto Industry that we find ourselves with today... boutique brands swallowed up by the soulless behemoths who are governed by accountants and marketers rather than enthusiasts and engineers. Sorry.. deep breath here.

Same with the Range Rover. It excelled in many ways. It fell short in many ways. The Porsche was no different. One must first understand, that be it a Jag, or any car.. there is no thing as perfection. Even Japanese cars have their faults from time to time. What they trade for reliability, they give up in Passion. It is hard to love a robot, no matter how good she is to you. As anyone on this board can attest, as human beings with a soul, we are seeking that engagement when we own a Jaguar. We tolerate its faults for the rewards that come with the soul. Cars are the closest thing to a living creature that we can build on this planet, and when one speaks to our Soul, then we have truly made a connection that is greater than the sum of its parts.

I'm smitten with my XJS so far, and I thank you for reading this far. I'll enjoy reading your comments and thoughts as well.
Cheers!

 

I enjoyed reading that. It is definately the last of a generation, modern cars don't even have proper throttles its sensors and safety bs. Utterly soulless.

I believe your car qualifies for the Andy Bracket to, being a newer 6cly engine? Im sure you could ask him with your build number and see, that bracket will raise the timimg into something more sporty and fuel efficient. I had one for my xj6 sedan along with a massive k&n open air filter it really woke the car up.

Post some pics of the car!

 

I thank you for that. I will certainly look into it. Now that I've "broken her in" to me.. as I said, let the mods begin! I'm trying to pace myself and not leave myself anything to do in the future

 

Lol, its a Jag she has already caught the scent of your wallet, there will be plenty to do.

 

Here's some pics of the Big Cat... she hasn't been bathed but I did clean those newly-polished wheels yesterday..

 

LOL I am sure that is true! I've already put $1500+ in her, to get the A/C sorted and the wheels were trashed when I got her so that was a big expense to get refinished. Even today I just got a new hood badge as the current one is a little pitted. That's part of the joy of ownership, right? But I've spent plenty on my Frontier and Jeep too, so what's the fun if we can't pamper our babies? My wife's Acura though.. haven't spent a dime on it and I have no real passion for it either. It's just a service vehicle in my opinion, for schlepping.

 

BCR
Wonderfully lyrical, true, and beautifully expressed post. I agree with every word. Thank you.

 

I agree.

The XJS is such a Grand Tourer, but sadly, lack of care, "get to that later" and so on, can make for a loooooong "tp do list".

The more you drive it, the less you need to do.

Good luck.

 

Bingo.

 

Lots of good observations, Big Rescue.

A good XJS really IS a fabulous drive. Compared to similar cars it may not be the best in any single objectively measurable category but, taken on the whole, it does a lot of things very well and is a very satisfying combination of many attributes....not the least of which is the feeling it evokes when you drive it.

Many car enthusiasts are fixated on the "technical specifications" page. And that's OK; I'm not condemning it. But there's no hope of understanding why people love Jaguars until you drive one.

Cheers
DD

 

Thank you all for your feedback. Doug, you are correct that too many car enthusiasts are fixated on the technical specifications, etc. It seems we are living in a world of horsepower one-ups-manship which I argue is again mostly meaningless when we are schlepping around town or driving on public roads. As Jay Leno said, most all of the fun happens between 40 and 100mph. For some reason the industry has been fixated on chasing track numbers and other esoterica that is mostly useless in the real world. Perhaps we blame the auto journalists? Perhaps we blame ourselves? As maybe that is human nature.

But as for me.. I'm a hopeless Romantic. Probably not the only Jag owner around here to admit that. That means it's more about the Experience. I'm a Driver first and foremost, which is how I look at the cars I own. How were they built to be driven. What is their raison d'etre? To be an excellent driver doesn't require a lot of horsepower or big fat tires or all the electric gimcrackery that we find on cars of today. IMO cars of today aren't meant to be Driven, at least as we used to know that term. Driving them is secondary. They do everything so well and the build quality is so good amongst ALL brands... but we've traded the joy of Driving them and engineered that right out of modern vehicles. We've taken sports cars or weekend cars and tried to turn them into Everyday cars (I'm looking at you 911)... which makes them great to drive to work but not so great on the backroads IMHO.

Of course not all cars were meant to be Drivers... most are built for a certain function. Understanding that function is important when choosing a vehicle. You can see that from the vehicles I've owned, I have been seeking cars that are meant for Drivers. None of them were horsepower champions or anything more than pure, driver-focused cars. I've tried to view them all in that context, which is what attracted me to the XJS. It is apparent to me that it was built for Drivers, and that is what I like so much about it. It's a different style of Driving than an Alfa or Porsche.. but perfectly suited for me at this point of (somewhat responsible) mid-life.

The most rewarding cars IMHO are those that achieve a pure, unfiltered Driving experience. They allow one to explore the limits easily and without putting yourself or others in harm. Most new cars or exotics have limits that are simply waaaaayy too high to explore on any public roads. I can appreciate what they can do, but they do so using technology and so forth that make it more about the CAR and less about the DRIVER. I'm looking at you Formula 1.

I want to be the star of my own Driving experience. I want a dance partner that allows me to do that. I want a Simple, Pure Driver-focused car that comes alive between 40 - 100mph, which is where 99.9% of us spend 99.9% of our time. We have gone off the deep end with our relentless focus on the wrong things, IMHO. That's why I enjoy my vehicles mostly in stock form, which is how I think they look and perform the best, and how they were engineered. To deviate too far from that is getting away from the original formula that makes them special in the first place.

Cheers to all and happy motoring!

 

Thanks for this... I'd love to see some pics of the K&N and pointers as to where I might find one to fit my XJS.

 

Agreed with "bcr". I like old fashion lover too, not only for style but i like things which are made for use. Well, XJS not really daily driver but being luxury GT it is nice and easy to use anyway. Except looooong doors and quite low driving position which needs own approach to get in and out. I find myself very comfortable when seated, seat is just littlebit too small (backrest) but i am ok with it. Actually my previous S-type had similar problem with backrest and i am not BIG guy.

Old fashioned, practical guy, we have Volvo V70 -99 and Range Rover P38A in house too. Project RRC is waiting for progress. I can say i like these old fashioned practical vehicles, XJS is something very different but in good way still.

 

Yes.. forgot about the doors! One looks so svelte when arriving in the XJS, as long as no one is looking when we try and get out! I'm sure I was more graceful when I was younger. This of course is an obvious reason for our fascination with SUVs and no doubt makes them more livable as a daily driver.

 

Funny moment with this in-out procedure. I was driving with my 15y daughter, she likes Jag too, at some point she just said "i need to practice COOL way to get out of this on public area".
Littlebit sidetrack, from my point of view it is not that difficult to get in or out if you are not too big or have problems with your body. I am not sporty person at all but i can slip in and out relatively easy IF door can be opened wide open.

 

A lady exits from a car thus:

1. door open wide
2. knees together facing forwarf
3. inside hand on steering wheel or console
4. lift legs from knees slightly and rotate torso swiveling on tush 90 degrees outward
5. lady now sitting with feet on ground, facing out from car, looking elegant
6. lady now gracefully stands up, or, even better, male companion arrives to take hand and assist

Do explain your daughter that historically, when Jaguars were in very short supply that this sort of etiquette knowledge has to be acquired and demonstrated before a Jaguar dealer would sell you a vehicle!

 

Good point, i need to explain this for her. When mens were Gentlemens and womens were Ladies time...

 

Great post. I have the same year / model '96 4.0. When I saw your screen name I thought you were down here in Tampa as well (A friend of mine is a vet at Big Cat Rescue). I have had mine for close to 2 years now. My "Break-in" drive was a drive down to Sarasota, then back up the coast along Longboat Key in February (after replacing the rear suspension, some engine work, brakes, etc.) The only real issue I have is the A/C,... now you would think "Who needs it? It's a convertible!" Well, this is Florida and the heat index was 110 yesterday, so it stays garaged several months a year.

Mine does tend to run a little hot, but if it is moving there is no problem. The only time it overheated was taking it to my daughter's poorly planned "Drive-Thru Graduation" in May, and sitting in the sun, in a black car, in a slowly creeping line of traffic for 3 hours.

The other item / issue is the inability to find certain parts, in particular the cover for the bumper-mounted headlamp jet. These are plastic and break easily. You will probably see others in the forum trying to find these for years as well as some suggestions for replacements from other vehicles (Range Rover), none of which fit. I still have the driver's side, but have been unable to find one for the missing passenger side. (Why doesn't someone find the specs and have these digitally printed and chrome plated?)

Most fun I have had driving a car. I am 2" shorter than you, and my daughter is shorter than I am, so we have no problem fitting in there comfortably. Not so much my mechanic, who is over 6'! The car still turns heads, both the exterior and interior (with the wood dash and steering wheel on the "Celebration".

I hope you enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours. Let us know if you are headed down this way to visit Big Cat Rescue,... or if that is just a reference to rescuing a classic Jag!

 

LOL I wasn't sure if anyone would get my tongue in cheek screen name! I loved that show and watched it twice. Now I see Carole Baskins is going to be on Dancing With the Stars and Joe Exotic is coming out with men's underwear with his face on it. Judas Priest! America knows no shame.

So I had the exact same issue with those damn headlight washer covers. I ordered a set from SNG Barrett. One of them is a special order so it takes about a month. Theirs are in fact metal chromed pieces, not like the plastic ones I had originally. They are a little shorter too, but they fit. BUT I did away with the useless washer nozzles and just tucked them inside the bumper. Then I used epoxy and glued the metal covers to my bumper. It's just a dummy but looks nice and ain't going anywhere, but I wouldn't take it through a car wash, which I wouldn't do anyway. I was surprised that no one made a simple chrome plate that covered the hole, which I would have much preferred. The very idea of headlight washers is so lame and absurd that whoever came up with or approved that idea should never work in the auto industry again. Headlight wipers are even dumber so at least we don't have those.

A black convertible in Florida.. whew! Makes me sweat just thinking about it.

 

Thanks for the tip. Would be nice to get both of them in there so it doesn't look like a snaggle-toothed cat missing one fang! I contacted them and am waiting for a reply.