Jaguar XJ 3.0 SC Portfolio LWB

A new petrol-powered version of the Jaguar XJ. If Jaguar’s growing success in the global executive car market is to continue, it’ll be thanks in no small part to downsized petrol power. As part of 2013 model year revisions on both its XF middleweight and XJ heavyweight saloons, as well as making the former available as a ‘sportbrake’ estate and adding four-wheel drive to both models, Jaguar has also introduced two new petrol-fuelled engines. 

The smallest, a 237bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-pot, won’t be offered in the UK, but is expected to boost Jaguar XF and XJ export volumes to the US and China by a considerable margin. But the other, a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 that should be particularly popular in Russia, America and parts of central Europe, will be available to us Brits.

It’s been added to the XJ range as part of the current car’s first mid-life refresh since its launch in 2009. There have been minor updates to the navigation system, and there’s a new high-end hifi, offered as an option, from Meridian.

But the headline changes consist of the 335bhp V6 engine in place of the old atmospheric 5.0-litre V8, the addition of ZF’s eight-speed automatic gearbox to every engine in place of the old six-speeder, and a slight reappraisal of the chassis’ spring and damper rates intended to produce a slightly more quiet and cosseting secondary ride.

Time has been kind to the XJ – but more in some ways than others. The last three years certainly haven’t brought a better-looking limousine to market. To these eyes, Ian Callum’s elegantly sporting giant continues to shine at least twice as brightly as any other large exec, having set the bar on aesthetic appeal almost unreachably high for the relatively conservative German opposition. Perhaps that’s why the car’s exterior design has survived its first facelift entirely unchanged.

It’s a shame that Gaydon’s interior design department wasn’t employed to bring some of the XJ’s cabin materials up to a slightly more rarified level. There’s nothing wrong with the look of the car’s leathers, veneers, trims and controls; quite the opposite, in fact. When you slide onboard, the bright and lustrous mix of chrome trims, knobs and vents you’re faced with creates a very warm and special ambiance. But when you begin to touch some of those trims and prod some of the minor switchgear, it’s a plasticky, slightly mass-market impression you get; not the cool, tactile metallic substance of an Audi A8 or Mercedes S-class. Still, the new hifi system is as powerful and clear as almost any we’ve heard recently. And Russian compatibility has been added to the XJ’s voice recognition system - which tells you everything you need to know about where in the world JLR is now looking for further success.

Why retune the chassis? Apparently, it wasn’t in response to feedback from customers, or criticism from the press about the XJ’s lack of rolling refinement - although there’s been plenty. According to Chief Program Engineer Andy Dobson, it’s was simply a process that they would naturally go through following any change to the engine and transmission lineup. “But it has given us the opportunity to improve the ride a little, which was something we were keen to do,” he says. Enough said. Spring and dampers rates are now lower, though they vary depending on engine and wheel specification.