NEW VEHICLE ROAD TEST REPORT

NEW VEHICLE ROAD TEST REPORT

Test Vehicle

Jaguar XJ6

Supplied By:

Jaguar Australia

Report By:

Greg Hill



SUMMARY

The return of the XJ6 is a welcome addition to the Jaguar’s XJ range and compliments the
more expensive V8 models.


In distinguished com
pany of the upper luxury car class the XJ6 is right at home.

It is pack
ed

with

all the

luxury feature
s

and hi
-
tech equipment you expect at this level
,

and Jaguar has
manage
d

to keep everything user friendly.


While the performance is not class leading, th
e 3.0 litre
power
ed

XJ6 flows along
comfortabl
y
,

responds appropriately on demand

and displays good road manners
.



The classic character of the XJ6 is something people will immediately love or hate, and in the
end this will play a major role in any buying

decision.

STAR RATINGS




Pricing & Equipment

* * *

½

Presentation & Features

* * * *

Comfort & Space

* * * *

Noise

* * * *

Performance

* * *

Economy

* * *

Handling & Braking

* * * *

Parts Pricing

* *

OVERALL

* * * ½



EXCELLENT

GOOD

ACCEPTABLE

FAIR

POOR

* * * * *

* * * *

* **

**

*




RACV Vehicle Engineering


Page
2


JAGUAR XJ6


Cars are often described as having ageless s
tyling, but when it comes to standing the test of
time very few actually live up to the claim. The sleek,

elegant

line
s

of Jaguar’s XJ6
make it

one
car
that

has

challenge
d

the odds.


The XJ6 dates back to 1968, and is now in its seventh generation. Natur
ally there have been
subtle styling changes along the way
,

but the close family resemblance is unmistakable.
The
classic
shape

of the new

XJ6 still has quite a

distinguished appearance.

While we love the
look, the allure of this
older style
luxury Britis
h saloon is not going to be everyone’s cup of
tea

in our modern, fast paced society
.


The $149,
900 price tag will also discourage some admirers, but for those buyers considering
the
top spec versions of the
Audi

A
6
,
BMW

5

series

and

E

class

Mercedes, or ev
en some
one

who might be looking at luxury limousines like the A8, 7 series or S class
,

the Jaguar
is
certainly a worthy co
mpetitor
.




In the new XJ6, Jaguar has managed to cleverly blend traditional style and character with a
high level of modern technol
ogy to produce a sophisticat
ed

luxury saloon.



Light weight construction features an
aluminium monocoque body with aerospace technology
used in the bonding and riveting of panels.

The result is a bigger car that is around 40 percent
lighter and has

far
greater
rigidity
than its predecessor.
To put it all in perspective
, the XJ6 is
bigger tha
n a Commodore and carries more gear, but has a
slightly

lighter kerb mass.


Under the bonnet, Jaguar has broken with
its

tradition
of an in
-
line six
-
cylinder engine

and
fitted a technically sophisticated 3.0 litre V6.

The 3.0 litre capacity is not a big engine for this
size and type of car
but
it
produces an impressive 179 KW of power at a relatively high 6,800
rpm. Combined
with the light weight

body

and

an effici
ent 6
-
speed ZF automatic
transmission
,

the XJ’s
acceleration times are only marginal
ly

slow
er

than those recorded by
some V8 powered competitors. In everyday driving
the XJ6

flows along very smoothly

and
there is ampl
e

in reserve for
safe, rapid

passing m
anoeuvres, although a touch more low speed
torque
might be handy
.
Jaguar’s “J”
selector
gate allows drivers to over
-
ride the auto and
change gears manually,
but the operation is somewhat clumsy
.

In a mixture of city and
freeway driving, the fuel consumpt
ion of our test car ranged from 10.4 to 13.9 l/100 km,
which is pretty much on par for this type of car.



Continuing a hi
-
tech theme, the XJ6 is underpinned by an active suspension
control
system

that

Jaguar
coincidentally

calls “CATS” (
Computer Active Te
chnology Suspension)

and air
suspension
.

ABS with emergency brake assist and stability control also play their

part

in the
overall package.

Add in the well

weighted

steering and the car has a precise, surefooted feel
on the road.
The ride is comfortably

controlled for the most part, but just occasionally what
appears to be a small bump will
hit
a lot hard
er

than you might expect.


Leather trim and the look of wood
-
grain is found in some fairly basic cars these days, but in
the XJ6 there is a real sense
of quality and craftsmanship about the cabin presentation, with
the use of real wood veneers and hand
-
stitched leathers.


For the driver
,

the
cockpit is loaded with electronic wizardry and features to make the
experience more enjoyable.

Seat comfort is su
perb and an excellent range of

power operated


RACV Vehicle Engineering


Page
3


adjustments allow the entire driving position to be
easily
fine
-
tune
d

to

your

personal
requirements.


Standard equipment includes

electronic park brake, adaptive cruise control
with optional forward alert,
sate
llite navigation, television,

integrated

telephone, premium
sound system, reverse park
ing

aid, rear multi
-
media pack
,

rain
-
sensing wipers

and much
more
.


The good news is you don’t need to be a fighter pilot to master it all.

Everything
,
with a couple o
f minor exceptions,

is well place
d

and intuitive,
which
mak
es

it
simple

to
operate.

Poor speedo markings
mean

60 and 100 km/h

are

difficult to read at a glance and
Euro
-
style stalk controls with the indicators on the left won’t be to everyone’s liking.


Being a big car, the accommodation is room
y enough

for five adults
,

however, t
he

cabin
layout
,
with a large transmission tunnel

restricting legroom for the centre rear passenger
,
is
better suited to
seating four in style and comfort.
Boot space
,

in term
of length and width
,

is
enormous, although limited height will
have a bearing on

the shape of items that can be
carried.


Jaguar’s new
car warranty is the now fairly

standard 3 years or 100,000 kilometre cover but it
does offer the added benefit of
free sc
hedule servicing for the warranty period, including the
normally replaced parts and fluid
.
Unfortunately, if you happen to damage the panel

work

in a
crash
the aluminium body

will require a specialist

repairer
.



RACV Vehicle Engineering


Page
4



COSTS



List price

$149,900

On road cos
ts


Model price range

$149,900 to $229,900

Warranty

3 years / 100,000 km

Service intervals

12 months or 15,000 km

FEATURES:


Automatic transmission

Std

Air conditioning

Std climate control

Power steering

Std

Central locking

Std

Electric windows

S
td

Safety airbag

6

Antilock Braking System

Std

Security system

Immobiliser, alarm and
deadlocking
.

Sound system

CD player, multimedia system

with touch screen TV and
navigation.

Leather upholstery

Std


SPECIFICATION


Engine capacity

2.967 litre

En
gine type

V6

Maximum power

175 kW @ 6,800 rpm

Maximum torque

300 Nm @ 4,100 rpm

Transmission/drive

6 speed automatic / rear

Kerb mass

1,545 kg


PERFORMANCE:


Acceleration

0
-
60 km/h

4.4 seconds



0
-
80

6.8



0
-
100

9.4



0
-
400 metres

16.8

Flexibility

5
0
-
8
0 km/h

3.8



6
0
-
1
0
0


5.2

FUEL CONSUMPTION



Overall


12.9 l/100 km


Variation

10.4 l
/100 km to 13.9 l/100


Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded


Fuel tank capacity

85 litres

BRAKING:


Stopping distance from
8
0 km/h

26.7 metres

TOWING:


Manufacturers maximum

1,900 kg

(braked trailer)




RACV Vehicle Engineering


Page
5



DIMENTIONS:


Length

5,090 mm

Width

2,108 mm

Height

1,448 mm

Wheelbase

3,034 mm

Tyres

235/50 ZR18

Spare wheel

Full size

Turning circle

11.7 metre



ITEM


Alternator belt

$135.19

Air filter

$46.53

Fuel filter

$50.05

Front brake pads

$498.96

Front brake rotors (pair)

$819.72

Radiator hoses (pair)

$398.31

Radiator

$648.34

Rear exhaust muffler

$
614.46

Head light assembly

$949.85

Tail light asse
mbly

$484.66

Windscreen

$613.03

Original wheel rim

$1094.50

TOTAL

$6353.60