So I drove the XJ today, the other real contender for my money for my new car. This car was a 2012 portfolio swb with a ridiculous of standard kit. Asking price is the same as the A7 I drove the other day but the spec blows it out of the water.

Heated and cooled seats front and rear with massaging function on the fronts.

TV, DAB, Bluetooth Streaming and phone

That speedo (HD screen) a bit like the new TT.

I really liked it, a lot more so than the A7. I liked the power delivery and the gearbox (plus the cool gear control that rises from the console)

The only downsides for me was the space in the rear and the technology. For a car that's over 5m long there isn't a lot of room in the rear. The LWB has a lot more space and that would be my preferred option. The other downside is the technology. It is so reliant on it that I'm worried it will just fail. The one today had a pixel out on the speedo binnacle. This concerned me. Also the fact that everything is linked to Central screen. Seats, climate, stereo, car settings, steering wheel etc it's all linked in some way.

Still love it though and it's firmly at the top of the list..but in LWB form.

Not jealous. Much. It's ages since Jag lent me an S Type R for a few days.

Very capable car and IMO stands head & shoulders above the A7.

 

You're right about the technology but isn't that becoming present in nearly every car. Years ago we would take our cars apart, these days I daren't !

 

Had an XF many times and love the Sport Brake version. Not been in an XJ but from what I've seen at the factory they are small in the rear, which is a shame for such a great car.

Yeah, really small, I'd say similar to an XF in the back. With the LWB you can actually stretch out. Strange as there isn't masses of difference in terms of overall length.

Unfortunately the dealer came back with finance quotes and they are miles away from what I want to pay. The cars they were pushing were not really the specs I was after (one a swb and the other a lwb at more than my budget and toys that I didnt actually want (rear TVs etc) that I'd already said wasnt for me.

Yeah, really small, I'd say similar to an XF in the back. With the LWB you can actually stretch out. Strange as there isn't masses of difference in terms of overall length.

Unfortunately the dealer came back with finance quotes and they are miles away from what I want to pay. The cars they were pushing were not really the specs I was after (one a swb and the other a lwb at more than my budget and toys that I didnt actually want (rear TVs etc) that I'd already said wasnt for me.

Getting old, and increasingly miserly, I think I would be going for a Superb rather than an XJ. Love the idea of owning a Jag but just know I would always look at Superbs and be niggled. Apart from which, I doubt any Skoda driver has ever been labelled a "flash git" by the envious. I have been openly pitied by a BMW 6-series driver...of all things, (had my old vRS at the time). There followed a frank discussion about his eyesight and what his guide dog thought of the BMW.