Jaguar XJ (X300)

Jaguar does not build many cars like the Jaguar XJ (X300): a 4-door saloon car with 3.2&nbsp, built from 1994 to 1997 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Its designer of record is Geoff Lawson (1991).

The background

The Jaguar XJ (X300) is a full-size luxury saloon car manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1994 and 1997. It was the first Jaguar XJ produced entirely under Ford Motor Company ownership, and can be considered an evolution of the outgoing XJ40 generation. Like all previous XJ generations, it features the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement. The design of the X300 placed emphasis on improved build quality, improved reliability, and a return to traditional Jaguar styling elements.

At the car's launch in October 1994 at the Paris Motor Show, Jaguar marketing material made use of the phrase "New Series XJ" to describe the X300 models. The X300 series represented the result of a £200 million facilities renewal program by Ford. The program introduced state-of-the-art automated body welding robots manufactured by Nissan, and was intended to show the future direction of the British auto industry. The X300 went on to become one of Jaguar's most successful models.

The engineering

Under the skin sits 3.2  other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1800 kg. The gearbox is a 4-speed ZF 4HP22 transmission / ZF 4HP-22 automatic transmission / automatic / 4-speed ZF 4HP24 transmission / ZF 4HP-24 automatic / 4-speed GM 4L80-E transmission / GM 4L80-E auto. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is SWB: 2870 mm / LWB: 2995 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Where it sits

Where it sits in Jaguar's history is not in doubt: the Jaguar XJ (XJ40) came before it; the Jaguar XJ (X308) followed it; it was built at Coventry, England, United Kingdom. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Audi A6, the Audi A4, the Toyota RAV4. Its Jaguar stablemates include the F-Type and the Vanden Plas.

The money

On the used market today a Jaguar XJ (X300) typically changes hands for $17,700–$46,800, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,525–$7,526 a year. Insurance sits around $1,860–$3,570 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.