Jaguar XJ saloon

Drive

The Jaguar XJ is built to be the most exciting big luxury saloon to drive bar none. It succeeds compared to the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series, although its sporty characteristics also pit it against the more exotic Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte - both of which are even more fun to drive. From the driver's seat, the XJ feels smaller than it actually is, because it has a low-slung driving position and an arcing roofline. It feels very agile, with light and direct steering and very little body roll in corners – which is impressive for a big, comfortable luxury car. Any engine gives genuine high-performance.

Comfort

In trying to be sporty, the big Jaguar sacrifices comfort, so whereas in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class most roads feel like they simply have no bumps or imperfections, the Jaguar's ride can feel slightly harsh at times. For a luxury car, headroom is sorely lacking too, and you’ll need to buy the long wheelbase version to stretch your legs in the rear. All that said, the Jaguar is very quiet indeed on the move, and its smooth automatic gearbox makes day-to-day driving a joy.

Reliability

There's little evidence to suggest the British-made Jaguar will suffer any reliability issues, although it's still relatively new. Some of its parts, and much of its know-how, are taken from the smaller XF executive saloon, which despite coming second for customer satisfaction in the 2010 Driver Power survey, was rated 47th for reliability.

Practicality

The Jaguar's 520-litre boot is huge and the tailgate is wide, so the Jaguar XJ could hardly be labelled impractical. The cabin itself has a number of large storage compartments too, front and rear, most of them big enough to carry a bottle of water or two and a stash of CDs.

Value for money

The price range of the XJ is wide. Three engines, four trim levels and two wheelbases (standard and long) are available, and you’ll pay nearly twice as much for a top-level petrol car as for a base diesel version. However, every single version has the same luxury car feel and presence, inside and out, and all come with leather upholstery, satellite navigation, climate control and an automatic gearbox. It's priced on a par with rivals.

Running costs

The fuel economy of the 3.0-litre diesel engine is startling, especially given its performance and the Jaguar XJ's size. Drive carefully and the diesel's 40.1mpg will be attainable. Either of the 5.0-litre petrols aren’t for those with running costs in mind - the supercharged Supersport model will return economy in the high teens at best.

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