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By
EWAN KENNEDY
26 December 2005
In March 2004 Jaguar offered a six-cylinder engine
in its largest sedan for the first time in seven years. The welcome
return of the Jaguar six also resulted in the revival of the revered XJ6
tag for the car, a designation that had been used by the marque for
decades and was very much part of the upmarket motoring scene worldwide.
Somehow ‘XJ8’ just didn’t have the same ring to it as XJ6, in the
ears of the purists.
Jaguar’s switch to V8 engines
with the previous model in the XJ series was necessary because
they were big heavy cars. Now the latest XJ series is built almost
exclusively of aluminium. This has cut the mass by about 200
kilograms, so the XJ can now be comfortably powered by a 3.0-litre
V6 without losing too much in the way of pace.
Note that the new engine is a V6,
not a straight-six as had been used by Jaguars for generations.
The more compact V6 arrangement is the one chosen by the great
majority of car makers as it not only concentrates the mass of the
motor in a smaller area, but also makes it easier to provide a
frontal crumple zone for crash protection.
A high-tech unit, the 3.0-litre
Jaguar engine does a good job of shifting the big saloon. It doesn’t
have big grunt, for that you need large capacity, but there's
enough to satisfy most buyers most of the time.
In any case, the revheads can still
opt for a Jaguar with a V8 engine, though it does cost a fair bit
more, and enjoy strong performance. Naturally, the V8 also
benefits from the lower weight of the latest XJ body. Then there's
the supercharged variant of the V8 for the guys to whom too much
power is just about enough…
Fuel economy is another winner in
the smaller engined Jaguar XJ6 3.0. The big Jaguar will only use
about nine to ten litres per hundred kilometres on a moderately
paced country trip, and seldom go much over 14 litres per hundred
around town unless you push it very hard. Keep in mind that the
less fuel you use the fewer emissions are coming out of the
tailpipe, so it’s not just money that you’re saving by buying
one of the big aluminium saloons.
Ambience is something the British
maker does extremely well. From the full-wood dashboard to the
beautifully shaped leather trim on the seats and doors, this
Jaguar's cabin is a wonderfully relaxing place. Keep in mind,
though, that it’s a low-slung sports saloon, not a limo-like
sedan. Four adults can be carried with decent head and legroom,
five can be transported at a real pinch. Getting in and out can
tax old bones at times, so make sure you take all potential
passengers along for your test drive before falling in love with
the sleek lines of the big Jag.
Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH)
are very well suppressed and there's a relaxing atmosphere inside
the big Jag as it whisks you across miles of open road, or cossets
you during the seemingly endless waits that are a fact of life to
so many car commuters these days.
Dynamics are also improved. Because
the V6 puts less weight over the front wheels than the V8,
handling balance is improved due to a close to perfect weight
distribution. In the traditional way of Jaguars, the
power-steering is very light and doesn’t communicate road feel
as well as it could. This is mainly to suit the American market,
which is by far the biggest for Jaguar, but it may not be to all
Australians' tastes.
So, before lobbing straight into
the traditional upmarket car showrooms – those belonging to the
big-two German marques – do yourself a favour and have a look at
this alternative from Britain. You may well fall in love with the
way it looks and feels on the road.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
XJ6 3.0-litre four-door sedan - $149,900
XJ8 3.5-litre four-door sedan - $169,900
XJ8 4.2-litre four-door sedan - $189,900
XJ8 LWB 4.2-litre four-door sedan - $194,900
XJR Supercharged V8 4.2-litre four-door sedan - $219,900
XJ8 Supercharged V8 4.2-litre four-door sedan - $229,900
XJ8 LWB Supercharged V8 4.2-litre four-door sedan - $234,900
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard on all models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Jaguar XJ6
3.0-litre four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.967 litres
Configuration: V6
Head Design: Four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 89.0 x 79.5mm
Maximum Power: 179kW @ 6800rpm
Maximum Torque: 300Nm @ 4100rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.31:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 5090mm
Wheelbase: 3034mm
Width: 2108mm
Height: 1448mm
Turning Circle: 11.7 metres
Kerb Mass: 1545kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 85 litres
Towing Ability: Not available
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Air suspension system with air spring/damper
units
Rear Suspension: Air suspension system with air spring/damper
units
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 8.1 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 15.8 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
City Cycle: 15.3 L/100km
Highway Cycle: 7.7 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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