Jaguar XJ (2003 – 2009) Review
Jaguar XJ (2003 – 2009) At A Glance
Quick, comfortable, refined and sporty. Excellent safety kit. Diesel offers inexpensive running costs for a luxury car. Reasonably reliable.
Unimaginative styling. Suspension can clonk in tight bends taken hard. Steel rivets in aluminium structure cause severe corrosion.
The Jaguar XJ350, introduced in 2003, is an alloy bodied XJ with looks similar to the previous XJ, but lighter weight. V6 petrol and diesel engines, V8 petrol engines, and a supercharged XJR.
Model History
February 2003
Aluminium bodied XJ range, kicks off with a 240bhp V6 XJ6. Relatively light 1,630kg and gets to 60 in 7.3 seconds. XJR has 400bhp and 408 lb ft torque. Also 262bhp 3.5 litre V8 and 4.2 V8. All engines mated to same six-speed ZF automatic transmission with J gate manual override.
Safety features include ABS with Brake Assist, traction control, Dynamic Stability Control, and Adaptive Cruise Control which senses when the car is getting too close to the car in front and either emits an audible warning or applies the brakes. Passive safety by Jaguar’s Advanced Restraint Technology System which senses the severity of a crash and deploys seatbelt pretensioners and airbags accordingly.
16' 8" long x 6' 11' wide. (5090mm x 2,108mm.)
Prices and insurance groups:- 3.0 V6 £39,000 15E; 3.0 Sport £42,250 16E; 3.0 SE £42,250 16E; 3.5 SE £48,000 17E; 4.2 SE £51,500 18E; XJR £58,500 19E; Super V8 £68,500 19E.
12-04-2004: Long wheelbase version, 125mm longer and with 999mm (39") rear legroom launched April 2004 for sale in UK from Autumn 2004.
11-05-2005: 207PS 2.7 V6 Twin Turbo diesel from Summer 2005, priced from £43,995. 0 to 60mph in 7.8 seconds. Flat curve 435Nm Torque. 35mpg combined and low 214 g/km CO2 emissions, result in best-in-class 29% BIK tax category.
6-3-2007: 2008 facelift launched Geneva Show.
3-12-2008: Range rationalised for 2009: more versions of 2.7 TDV6, 4.2 V8 dropped, Supercharged 4.2 V8 retained. renamed 'Super V8'. 2.7TDV6 had combined fuel economy of 35.0mpg and CO2 emissions of only 209g/km – an improved figure for 2009
XJ Executive 2.7-litre Diesel – priced at £44,599 and included satellite navigation as standard as well as front and rear parking aids, Bi-xenon headlamps with headlamp washers, bright mesh lower grille and side vents and Jaguar tread plates.
XJ Sovereign 2.7-litre Diesel – priced at £50,472 and featured 20" Takoba wheels as standard along with 16/16 soft grain leather heated and cooled seats with embossed front headrests and a leatherette instrument panel and grab handles, plus Jaguar tread plates and front and rear lambs wool rug set.
Sovereign adds to the Executive specification with DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio, metallic paint, power fold mirrors, heated rear seats, premium sound system with six CD changer and Jaguar Voice.
Sport Premium specification no longer available in the XJ. XJ Super V8 4.2-litre Petrol – priced at £57,760 and featured the 4.2-litre supercharged engine previously found in the XJR plus a luxurious interior with chrome side vents and Rich Oak veneer as standard. Other standard features offered with the Super V8 option include Jaguar's high performance braking system with black painted callipers and a Super V8 badge. The long wheelbase version could be ordered for each engine derivative for an extra cost of £1,712.
April 2012
BILSTEIN, the German suspension manufacturer has announced that it will make its OEM-quality air suspension modules available to the independent aftermarket with immediate effect. The latest application is a direct replacement for all X350 models of the Jaguar XJ, offering owners with failed units the chance to replace them at substantially less than main dealer prices.
The dampers are produced at BILSTEIN’s Ennepetal plant in Germany. Fully TUV certified and complete with 12 months warranty, the units retail at £650 + VAT each.
Driving Jaguar XJ (2003 – 2009)
Sometimes you read performance described as an iron fist in a velvet glove. Not this time. Velvet glove, for sure. This is the smoothest, most refined diesel in the World. Yet, though it gathers pace commendably quickly, to 60 in 7.8 seconds, and is far from a limp wrist in a velvet glove it certainly doesnt perform with the feeling of being hurled forward by some brutal, unseen force.
No problem. It simply lopes along in its natural speed range of 90 120mph, noiselessly, effortlessly and, pushing a comparatively light kerb weight of just 1,659kg, very economically. The official figure is 35mpg combined and we found no reason to disbelieve this. It actually feels like its only sipping fuel even at 100mph.
Apart from a curious tinkling noise that sounds a bit like pinking when accelerating hard, this Jaguar is the least diesel-like diesel I have ever driven. You cant hear it at all. At idle, electronically controlled active engine mountings reduce vibration by 90%. Outside the car, if the surroundings are quiet, you can hear a subdued diesel rattle. But in town even that is drowned by surroundsound and you dont notice it.
The electronically controlled air suspension automatically lowers the car at high speed. We hit 220kmh to 230kmh several times and the highest speed we saw on test was 238kmh, which is 5mph over the claimed maximum of 141mph and at which it felt completely stable and unruffled, even when braking to 100kmh or so for the next bend. The air suspension also provides superb ride comfort on the test roads at the Spanish/Portuguese border where surfaces varied from billiard smooth to as pot-holed as a British B road.
The 6-speed automatic transmission is a good match for the engine. Whether you select Sport or simply leave it alone, it picks its own ratios well enough for you not to miss the lack of a buttonshift. The Jaguar J gate is okay for holding ratios on hills, but too cumbersome to use for high speed cornering.
Handling is precise and steering faithful to the line you choose, only scrubbing off speed and running a tad wide if you misjudge the corner slightly and the box changes gear. Its a left foot brakers delight and definitely a car you can trust to do what you want with very good feedback for such a large car.
Three can sit comfortably across the back and even an average sized adult sitting piggy in the middle has enough headroom not to have to bend his neck. The boot is big and nicely carpeted, with a full size matching alloy spare wheel under the boot floor.
The Bluetooth system means that all you have to do is accept the connection with your compatible Bluetooth phone and you can then leave it in your pocket using the cars hands-free controls instead.
We were testing in 35 40 degree ambient temperatures, and the twin turbochargers got very hot, especially after a long ascent, so owners need to be warned to idle the engine for a few minutes before switching off to avoid carbonising the oil in the turbo bearings.
But thats the only minor negative. If you want a fast, refined, economical cruiser with excellent handling and driver appeal and entirely built in Britain, then this is the car for you.
Not only that, its comparatively low 214g/km CO2 means the lowest BIK bill of any luxurious car. 40% taxpayers will pay £5,103 - £5,799 over a full tax year.
Jaguar XJ (2003 – 2009) Buying Guide
Good
9-12-2009: Jaguar and Land Rover brands achieved the 1st and 5th highest scores among Luxury brands in J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) StudySM. The study is a comprehensive analysis of the new-vehicle purchase experience and is based on responses from over 48,000 owners and lessees of new vehicles registered in May and June of 2009. Overall customer satisfaction is measured based on five factors: dealership facility; salesperson; paperwork/finance process; delivery process; and vehicle price.
Bad
Looks are a mixture of X type and XJ. Suspension clonks a bit on tight corners taken hard.
Needed but never got Dagenham built Range Rover's 3.6 litre twin turbo V8 diesel with 272PS and 640Nm torque originally due late 2006 but by late 2008 still not offered. Engine production at Ford's Dagenham plant started April 2006 for Range Rover. Would make the XJD a genuine 155mph car. Where fitted to the Range Rover, despite more power and torque than the TDV6, fuel consumption figures are the same or better at 19.6mpg urban, 31.2mpg extra-urban, 25.1mpg combined. Cuts 0-60 by 4 seconds to 8.5 seconds. In the XJ reckon on 155mph top speed and 0-60 in 6.5 seconds.
No 3.6 V8 diesel in 2008 range at launch.
Watch
One reader running the 2.7 diesel in Spain very annoyed by tinkling noise identified in my road test. Seems to have been a "bad" batch of turbos fitted to 2006 2.7 V6 turbodiesels. Though failure may simply be due to failure by owners to idle the turbos from red hot before switching off. They do get extremely hot, especially after a long ascent.
2.7 diesel turbos run very hot and are prone to turbo oil seal failures. need to be idled after motorway runs in hot weather, after long ascents, or after towing. 2.7d engines used for short runs from cold starts will clog their particulate filters, leading the the excess fuel for regenerating them dribbling down the bores into the sump, contaminating sump oil and raising its level to a point where the engine may run on it.
Seems to have been a "bad" batch of turbos fitted to 2006 2.7 V6 turbodiesels. Though failure may simply be due to failure by owners to idle the turbos from red hot before switching off. They do get extremely hot, especially after a long ascent. By late 2010 the first report of DPF failure had come through and the cost of replacement is a substantial £2,000 + unless Jaguar contributes.
Rear brake pads can have a very short life.
Surprisingly prone to corrosion, particularly around the bootlid, door pillars, door bottoms and wheelarches. Seems that the culprits are the steel rivets used in the aluminium panels.
Problems can occur when two dissimilar metals are in electrical contact in the presence of a corrosive electrolyte; this leads to so-called "galvanic corrosion". An example might be stainless steel (acting as the cathode) next to aluminium (the anode). This is a potential problem with the XJ, since Jaguar, in their infinite wisdom, chose to use steel rivets! The rivets are coated with a protective zinc/tin layer, so the risk is minimized, but it is still there. Interestingly, Jaguar and Alcan are sponsoring a lot of research in this area.
16-8-2011: On 3.0 V6 petrol, a rumble from the front may mean that the bottom crank pulley damper assembly 4659709 is starting to separate around the rubber insert in the middle of the flat dinner plate sized wheel. Costs £83.23 + vat. Pulley Assy £25.47 +vat and the V-Belt £17.86+vat Total Labour £82.00. Separation is usuallly more marked on the inside than the side one can observe. If it fails completely then engine is written off.
11-6-2012: Report of exhaust flexi hoses to driver's side catalytic converters failing on 54,000 mile 2006 2.7TDV6. These coast £650 + VAT + 2 hours labour to replace because the oxidising cat converters have to be replaced as well. Cannot simply replace the flexi hoses.
25-8-2012: Rear wishbone bushes prone to failure after about 5 years. Can cost £840 to have them replaced.
1-9-2013: Electronically controlled hydraulic engine damper on 2.7TDV7 is prone to failure of the electronics leading to harsh tickover. Jag dealers want £600 to replace it.
2-11-2013: Report of problems moving old style selector out of Park. Dealer replaced contact switch on brake pedal, but problem returned.
17-3-2015: On Jaguar XJ TDV6, the fractured flexi hose downpipes to the DPFs and cats is such a common problem that Jaguar makes a repair kit for it. (See 11-6-2012.)
17-10-2016: Seemingly unsurmountable problem reported with 2007 Jaguar XJD 2.7 diesel: "Brake assist" warning light showed and then the car would not respond to "cruise control". Took it to a Jaguar franchise in North London who could find no fault with the braking system or any reason why the cruise control should not operate. When asked for return, Jag dealer told could not have car back "because they could not get the gear shift out of "Park"". He insisted, and was told that if he pushed a screwdriver into space behind the shift he could disengage the mechanism and move the shift. He did this and and took car to the Jaguar dealer he bought it from. They say to repair the "Park" problem would cost £700. They say the brake assist comes on and the system says there is a brake fault so bars the cruise control for safety reasons. As the car was still being driven a second safety stage is triggered and the gear shift is locked. This would be fine if there was a fault with the brake system in the first place, which both garages have categorically stated that there is not and therefore can find no reason why the warning light should come on. There seems no way to brake this frustrating circle.
7-10-2017: Report of driver's window mechanism failing. Motor whirrs but window doesn't mive. Probably the mechanism has rusted.
26-12-2017: Report of engine catastrophe with 58k mile 2007 Jaguar XJ350 2.7TDVi with full Jaguar service history. Owner nad it serviced including timing belts and transmission oil change. Then service light started coming on intermittently on start ups. 10 minutes into a journey went into limp home. Dealer said problem awas DPF pressure sensor and replaced it, but service light remained on. Reset the service light. Then got about 30 miles into another run and and the DPF light came on so stopped and referred to the handbook, which stated should drive at a constant speed in a lower than normal gear. Didn't get very far and it cut out and wouldn't get going again, so recovered home and left battery on charge overnight to see if that had anything to do with the problem. Next day, reconnected battery and started it up. It struggled starting and it was throwing out smoke, more on the left side and it was also misfiring on what looked and sounded like the whole left bank. So got it taken in to a local independent Jaguar specialist. They found oil and metal parts in the turbos. Also no compression on the left bank. Owner researched and cound a couple of other examples of the same thing. The problem with this engine is that the turbos sit inside the V where they get extremely hot. If the engine is shut down when the turbos are extremely hot, then the oil in the turbo oil feed and oil return pipes becomes carbonised, restricting the flow of oil to the turbo bearings. Eventually those bearings will become oil dry and will disintegrate which is where I think the shrapnel came from. Good maintenance of this engine (apart from letting it idle for a minute or two before shutting it down, so the oil flows rather than carbonises) is to periodically replace the turbo bearing oil feed and oil return pipes and I think your Jaguar dealer should have been well aware of that.
12-4-2018: Report of valve stem breaking in 2003 Jaguar XJ8 at 150,000 miles.
Recalls
April 2004: Recall because 6-speed automatic can slip into reverse at high speed due to computer software problem.
28-7-2004: Recall announced for all production from 18-11-2003 to 13-1-2004 because sharp edges of dashboard could puncture airbags as they inflated, rendering them useless.
