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Full 2011 Jaguar XJ Review
What's New for 2011
The 2011 Jaguar XJ has been completely redesigned.
Introduction
In the history of great transformations, this one is a doozy. The old Jaguar XJ was a perfectly modern automobile under the skin, but that skin was nothing more than a rehash of Jaguar's previous 30 years. The interior was so stale, it was practically growing mold. Jaguar felt something radical was needed -- not only to kick-start this flagship luxury sedan's sales, but revitalize the brand itself. With the 2011 Jaguar XJ, something radical is exactly what the world gets.
Gone is ye olde world styling, and in its place comes a strikingly unique blend of cues from the midsize Jaguar XF as well as all-new ones. The rear of the 2011 XJ looks like no other rump on the road. Meanwhile, the interior ditches the stuffy fascia of wood, the ugly green lighting and crotchety old J gate shifter in favor of a cabin so exquisitely detailed and so dramatically designed that it may make a potential Rolls-Royce Ghost buyer think twice. Really, this would be like Susan Boyle walking into a pub and walking out looking like Keira Knightley. Perhaps it's not a look for everyone, but dang, what a makeover.
However, while the look is a stunning 180, the mechanical bits and pieces are quite familiar. The aluminum chassis is similar to the outgoing car, allowing the XJ to maintain a much lower weight than its bulky luxury flagship competitors. This not only makes the XJ feel relatively nimble, but it also helps out the lineup of 5.0-liter V8s. The "base" XJ produces 385 horsepower while the supercharged XJ cranks out up to 510 horses.
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