DALLAS, July 16, 2012 — Got a desire to turn heads on the road? Then the 2012 Jaguar XJ will do it. With some new features this year, it’s, as always, a stunning ride, offering a poise like what is expected from this high-class set of wheels.
With a modern design interior and exterior, the 2012 Jaguar XJ drives you – you don’t drive it. You don’t want to as this vehicle knows how to own the road and you are just along for the ride. It’s in the class with the best the XJL Supersport rivals the BMW 760Li or Mercedes S63 AMG while the Audi A8 and the Porsche Panamera also stands up against this one too.
The 2012 Jaguar XJ is a full-size sedan with room for five passengers and you can opt for the regular XJ or the longer wheelbase choice, which is the XJL model.
The bottom of the line, even though it’s far from it, XJ has 19-inch wheels, adjustable and self-leveling suspension, adjustable drive settings, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, automatic wipers, automatic bi-xenon headlights, auto-dimming and power-folding mirrors, a power trunk lid, a panoramic sunroof, and keyless ignition/entry.
You also get a dual-zone automatic climate control, a heated and powered tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, heated and ventilated power front seats and heated rear seats, and extended leather upholstery.
A Portfolio package will give you an added four-zone automatic climate control, additional front seat adjustments with a massage feature, heated and ventilated rear seats, additional leather trim, and a faux-suede headliner.
In the XJL ,you automatically get the Portfolio package and additional rear seat legroom since it is a longer wheelbase. Count on rear vanity mirrors and manual rear side sunshades too and if that’s not enough there is the Executive Package. That comes with a power rear sunshade, rear flip-down trays and a wood-trimmed steering wheel.
For those who yearn for a more powerful engine with their luxury ride, the XJ Supercharged is just what you need with a stronger engine, 20-inch wheels, adaptive headlights, automatic high beams, and you also get a power rear sunshade and a 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround-sound audio system.
Jaguar says quality
On the XJ Supersport, it’s one step more with a supercharged engine, performance tires, upgraded leather upholstery, more leather trim, and a rear-seat entertainment system with two headrest-mounted screens.
Also possible add-ons on the XJ’s are the heated windshield and an adaptive cruise control system.
Under the hood, the 2012 Jaguar XJ and XJL has a 5.0-liter V8 engine with 385 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque. All the XJ models offer rear-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic.
The Supercharged version is a 5.0-liter V8 engine, but here you up the horsepower to 470 with 424 pound-feet of torque.
On to the Supersport, it is a supercharged V8 with a whopping 510 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque.
With all that power, you have to expect safety too, so there is antilock brakes, stability and traction control, front side and side curtain airbags, active head restraints, and a blind spot warning system. There is also a forward collision alert system and the advanced emergency brake assist optional.
Climbing inside the 2012 Jaguar XJ, you won’t be disappointed either since the design is eye catching, modern and just plain classy. Attention to detail and fine craftmanship shows here with the leather seats and the vibrant wood trim throughout the interior.
Look for the touch screen taking care of the electronic inside including the instrument panel that is a large LCD screen
The trunk is 15.2 cubic feet so average probably not your best option for hauling, but that is not what the Jaguar is for anyway.
The 2012 Jaguar XJ, no matter the various options, will give you just the right handling, comfort, and sportiness to make you believe you really have died and gone to car heaven.
Should You Need to Know: Note that the base 2012 Jaguar XJ is about $20,000 less than its competition like the BMW 760Li or Mercedes S63 AMG. And, for speed drivers the XJL will go from zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, while the XJL Supercharged takes it from zero to 60 in just 4.5 seconds.
Miles Per Gallon: The XJL Supercharged I drove came in with 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 miles per gallon on the highway.
Cost: The cost for this set of wheels is $94,175, but the price goes down if you aren’t in the market for the supercharged version.
Rita Cook is a writer/editor with has over 1000 articles to her credit in the past 13-plus years. She is a frequent auto and travel contributor on a radio show in Los Angeles called Insider Mag Radio at KPRO 1570 am on from midnight to 12:30 a.m. Monday mornings.
She also contributes travel and auto to the Anthony Duva show, which can be heard live from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST every Sunday at www.unregularradio.com.
Cook is a member of the Texas Auto Writer’s Association, writes for the Dallas Morning News Green Living Section as well as artist profiles and www.greensourceDFW and spends much of her time on the road traveling or working on books.
Her latest book releases are both “Haunted Dallas” and “Haunted Fort Worth” from www.historypress.net. You can also follow Cook at Twitter at @ritacook13.
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