The Jaguar XJ Supersport and Aston Martin Rapide state-of-the-art mega-saloons have been pitched head-to-head.
Although they are separated by £55,000 - the short wheelbase Jaguar costs £85,000 and the Rapide £140,000 - they are very similar in many ways.
See the exclusive Jaguar XJ v Aston Rapide pictures
Both weigh close to 2000kg (the Jaguar about 90kg the lighter) and are a little over five metres long. Each has a large 'bent; engine mounted north-south in the nose.
But whereas the Aston has the kind of snug rear compartment you get by adding only 30cm of length to a coupe, the Jaguar has rear seats big enough for premiers and potentates, even before you specify the long wheelbase version.
On the road
In Supersports guise, the Jaguar's supercharged 5.0-litre V8 (503bhp at 600rpm) has a 10 per cent advantage over the Aston's normally-aspirated 6.0-litre V12 (469bhp at 6000rpm). The Jaguar's torque output of 461lb ft at 2500rpm just shades the Aston's 443lb ft at 5000rpm.
These figures translate into genuine high-performance. The Jaguar easily achieves the 0-60mph sprint in 4.7sec, but is limited to 155mph. The Aston achieves 0-60mph in 4.9sec, but will go on to 184mph. On the roads of Essex there was no perceivable performance difference between the two.
The engines are fairly different, though, in smoothness and sound. The Aston's V12 starts with the brief, even whirring of a starter motor, then bursts smoothly into life with a sound so sophisticated and seamless that there is hardly a clue to the fact it's made up of separate impulses. Rev the engine and it gets a little louder but no rougher.
The Jaguar is quiet and smooth, of course, just as its limo character requires. But what surprises you is its guttural growl at full noise, along with the muted but unmistakable whine from the blower. This is a British luxury car with the merest whiff of Nascar available on request.
There are other quirks about the XJ's character. The car's ride is quite a lot firmer and sportier than equivalent Audi, Mercedes or even BMW models. Its suspension rates are variable via a push-push Sport button on the centre console, and there's a Dynamic mode that also varies the steering weight, accelerator response and transmission regime.
The XJ has grip and directional ability to match the very best, along with a sweetly responsive steering system that feels tauter when you select Sport and then Dynamic mode. It's a big car, though, and you sit higher than in the Aston, so it feels a little more cumbersome in tight going.
But the Jaguar's big secret is effortlessness. Attack a long, bumpy bend at speed and the car will scythe through so easily, so perfectly on line, that you find yourself wondering, "Was it the car or me?"
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Re: Jaguar XJ v Aston Rapide
I've been 'away' for a few months. Whatever happened to good old Nicksheele? Did he actually disappear up his own 4rse after all that ranting?
I'd have an XJ over just about anything else available today, if I had any money that is :-)
Re: Jaguar XJ v Aston Rapide
Personally speaking I think this article highlights the strength and depth of the Jaguar XJ. The Rapide is a seriously good looking car (IMHO at least) and although it's over priced, not fast enough and not practical enough, it's a car that frankly I just like more than the UGLY, UGLY, UGLY Porsche Panamera (can you tell it disgusts me). So enter the Jaguar XJ a car that looks smooth, handles and performs better than it's rivals from BMW, Mercedes and Audi and is more efficient to boot. It therefore torments the Porsche and asks difficult questions of the Aston. People on here say Autocar has been biased towards Jag, but come on, it's clearly better packaged than the Aston or the Porsche and it rivals the BMW, Merc and Audi. Quite simply it's like all the cars in this class have been put in a blender. All the nasties taken out and the result is the Jaguar XJ. Autocar isn't biased on the jag. It's obviously not only best in class. It's the definitive model for this class. This is the car that now sets the benchmark. And it's competition have a very high target to hit.
Re: Jaguar XJ v Aston Rapide
I love both of these cars ! First saw the Jag driving the roads around mira last year and knew they had a winner on their hands ! The Aston could do with a couple of small turbos or a supercharger to give it a bit more go ! As Fiat has proved with its hi-tech engines the basic engine doesn't have to change !