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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Should I buy one?

The XJ is one of the oldest cars in this segment and it’s not hard to see the signs. The screens aren’t of a very high resolution, the infotainment system feels clunky and dated, and some of the controls in the cabin feel a little low rent by today’s standards. What it has in spades, however, is proper old-school British luxury with a bucket-load of charm thrown in as well. It’s a very desirable car with a lot of emotional appeal. What lets that appeal down is this motor. Yes, for most chauffeur-driven owners, this seems like it won’t be much of a concern – let the driver deal with the weaker responses and turbo lag. True as that may be, it simply feels like a compromise that you don’t need to make, and that’s because of the excellent V6 diesel alternative. Not only is it amply more effortless and more efficient than the petrol, it’s not too bad on refinement either. And though, at Rs 97.73 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Portfolio petrol costs over Rs 6 lakh less than the Portfolio diesel, you can sacrifice a bit of equipment and get the same diesel engine in ‘Premium Luxury’ trim for Rs 1.17 lakh less than the petrol. All things considered, we’d say the XJ 2.0 petrol could work for you, but we have a hard time recommending it over its superb oil-burning sibling.

GAVIN D’SOUZA