Jaguar-Land Rover-Aston Martin-Bentley of Naples

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Walk Around

The crucial element in the 2007 Jaguar XJ's design and construction isn't visible from 20 paces, or even up close in its lacquer-look paint. But it's one thing that separates the XJ from most other full-size luxury sedans available today.

Most automobiles are using more aluminum parts all the time. Aluminum is light, and in most cases, light is good, as long as it's also strong. Many luxury sedans have a couple of aluminum fenders or an aluminum hood; a few have complete aluminum bodies. The XJ, on the other hand, is made almost entirely of aluminum from the chassis crossmembers up. It has a conventional unit-body design, meaning the body and chassis are a single, assembled piece, with some visible elements of the exterior serving as structural, load-bearing components. But the XJ's unit-body is entirely aluminum, with steel subframes that cradle the engine and suspension.

The XJ L and other long wheelbase models are the longest cars in this class. They're a fraction of inch longer than the Mercedes Benz S-Class, and 1.4 inches longer than the longest BMW 7 Series. Yet the XJs are also the lightest, thanks to their aluminum intensive construction. Other things equal, lighter means better performance and better fuel economy.

Of course, no one will be thinking about the aluminum when they're sizing-up the XJ in a showroom. We suspect many buyers choose Jaguars for the styling, and there's no mistaking this big sedan for anything other than a Jaguar. The XJ looks as though it's ready to pounce even when it's standing still.

The hood has the traditional curves that flow back from the top edges of four round headlights. The wide grille protrudes forward slightly and the leaping jaguar, called the Bonnet Leaper, sits on top of the hood. The rear is uncluttered and features iconic triangular taillight clusters.

From the side, the XJ has a high belt line, the trend at least partly because people feel safer with taller side panels. This makes the side windows appear shallower. The windshield is set at a modern, raked angle. The subtle way in which the belt line edges up as it runs toward the rear gives the car a purposefully crouched look. All the glass is laminated, with two layers separated by an ultra-thin acoustic interlayer, which cuts interior noise and protects trim from the damaging effect of UV radiation. Jaguar also claims that the laminated side glass makes smash-and-grab thefts more difficult.

All XJs now feature the wire-mesh grille introduced on the high-performance XJR, though the R model still sports a unique body-color grille surround and other design tweaks that give it a more aggressive look. These include thin-spoke, 19-inch wheels.

Wheel packages range from 18 to 20 inches in diameter. For appearances sake, we generally say bigger is better, and that applies with the XJ. On the other hand, larger wheels (and therefore shorter tire sidewalls) tend to produce a slight decrease in ride quality, or at least more tire noise.

Interior

2007 Jaguar XJ

Inside, the 2007 Jaguar XJ exudes tradition and good taste. It may not be as avant-garde precise as its German competitors or as Zen-like or techie as some from Japan, but it looks and most importantly smells like success.

All XJs feature polished burl walnut trim and contrasting piping on the leather seats. Some have soft, long-pile wool rugs in the footwells, which make you want to ride with your shoes and socks off (even if those rugs are harder to brush off or clean). The walnut in the Vanden Plas and Super V8 is hand inlaid with chunks Peruvian boxwood, and a lighter elm trim is offered on all models at no cost.

The XJ dashboard sweeps across the front of the cabin in a fairly high position. Three primary gauges are clustered in front of the steering wheel, with the speedometer slightly larger in the center, tach to the left and fuel and temperature gauges combined on the right. The center stack features a seven-inch LCD touch screen for managing climate, audio and navigation functions. Jaguar has made the controls easy to operate and avoided the temptation to include a host of gee-whiz computer controls. We find the control center in general, and the touch-screen navigation system in particular, far preferable to the point-and-click devices in German competitors.

While the XJ is a large car, everything adjusts to accommodate drivers from tiny to almost huge. All seats feature sixteen-way adjustment, and foot pedals can be moved up to 2.5 inches at the touch of a switch. The XJR and Super V8 feature more heavily bolstered sport seats. We'd recommend them to drivers who like the occasional blast down a canyon road, but the standard seats are just fine.

The current XJs are roomier than ever. Gone are the days when the unmistakable Jaguar styling brought an obvious (obviously cramped) payback inside, compared to German cars. While the long-wheelbase versions have proven popular with American consumers, they were originally developed for Europe's chauffeur-driven executive class. Five extra inches in the car's length is entirely behind the B-pillars (between the front and rear doors), so inside it means a lot more rear seat room.

The rear seatbacks also recline, and there's a switch provided for the person riding in the right-rear seat to power the front passenger's seat forward. This allows plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy such things such as wooden picnic trays that flip down from the backs of the front seats. The Super V8 comes standard with separate climate controls for each side in back, as well as the dual-screen DVD entertainment system. The 6.5-inch LCD monitors are embedded in the back of the front-seat headrests, with a control panel located in the rear center armrest that operates the screens independently. One person can be watching a DVD while the other plays a video game or looks at snapshots from a camera.

The XJ's trunk offers 16.6 cubic feet of volume, which is more than the Audi A8 (14.6 cubic feet) and BMW 7 Series (16.3), but less than the Lexus LS460 or Mercedes S-Class (both 18.0). To be sure, we wouldn't expect buyers in this league to choose primarily on trunk size, and the XJ's trunk is large in any case. It will swallow lots of luggage, and at least a couple really large golf bags.

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