Jaguar XJ 2.0 petrol review, test drive

A small petrol engine in a big limousine doesn’t sound like an ideal formula, but can the charismatic XJ pull it off?

Published on May 14, 2015 01:06:00 PM

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What’s it like to drive?

In a nutshell, even in everyday usage, you will feel the pinch of Jaguar’s downsizing efforts. Sure, when you’re in traffic and just ambling along slowly, the four-cylinder motor will do just fine. Even holding moderate speeds steadily is not an issue, provided you feed in the power gently. However, the moment you ask for a sudden change in pace, even just to slip into a gap in traffic, is when you’ll feel a little underwhelmed. There’s a fair bit of lag, and the hit of power it serves up after a kickdown is just not as potent as you’d get from a six-cylinder engine, and this is not something you want in a big luxury car. This only gets worse at higher speeds, and should you want to overtake that 18-wheeler on the expressway, the 2.0-litre motor won’t do it as effortlessly as a bigger engine, and will feel and sound a lot more strained in the process. Speaking of which, though it’s very refined at low revs, and can’t be called loud when you wring it out, there’s a bit of a buzz at higher rpms, which is just not a sound you want to hear in your Rs 1 crore limousine. It’s simply not as smooth as a six or eight-cylinder engine. The ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox is brilliant as always, though – not just quick and intuitive, but completely unobtrusive with its shifts as well.

Apart from that, it’s a lot like the diesel XJ. The ride is very pliant and comfortable, and though there’s a bit of a firm edge over sharper bumps, that’s only when you compare it to some of its sublime peers, like the Mercedes-Benz S-class. There’s a Dynamic mode that tightens up the air suspension (though never to the point of discomfort) and, strangely, lightens the steering rather than firming it up. All in all, for all its comfort, this is still a very engaging car from behind the wheel, one that belies its huge dimensions with its agility.