Jaguar XJ (X350)

Jaguar does not build many cars like the Jaguar XJ (X350): a 4-door saloon with Petrol, built from 2002 to 2009 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Exterior: / Tom Owen with Sandy Boyes (1998, 1999) / Interior: / Giles Taylor / Geoff Lawson (designer) / Geoff Lawson (design director, 1997–1999).

Where it came from

The Jaguar XJ (X350) is a full-size four-door luxury saloon car manufactured and marketed worldwide by Jaguar Cars for model years 2003–2009 as the third generation of the Jaguar XJ saloon, carrying the internal designation X350 and the internal designation X358 following its 2007 intermediate facelift. Both the X350 and X358 were available with a six-speed automatic transmission, a range of petrol and diesel engines (V6, V8, and supercharged V8), numerous trim levels, and short wheelbase (2003–2009) or long wheelbase (2005–2009) car body configurations. The extended-length model was the longest saloon Jaguar had manufactured, eclipsing the 1961–1970 Mark X, though the latter is still 3 inches (8 cm) wider. The X350 was noted for its advanced electrical systems, self-leveling, adaptive air suspension, and full aluminium unibody chassis and bodywork, among the first for a mass-produced automobile. The bodyshell (body in white) was 40 per cent lighter and 50 percent stiffer than its predecessor, despite its increased overall size.

Styling was a conservative evolution of the previous XJ's styling, and its slatted grille recalled that of the original 1968 XJ Series I. Exterior styling was by principal designer Tom Owen, along with Sandy Boyes, under the design directorship of Geoff Lawson, who died midway through the project, and his successor Ian Callum. The XJ's interior was styled by Giles Taylor. The XJ was manufactured at Jaguar's Browns Lane plant in Coventry and was the final Jaguar to be produced there. With an unpainted and highly polished example of its all-alloy bo

Under the skin

Under the skin sits Petrol; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 3946 lb. The gearbox is a 6-speed 6HP26 automatic. 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: 119.4 in / LWB: 124.4 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

In context

Where it sits in Jaguar's history is not in doubt: the Jaguar XJ (X308) came before it; the Jaguar XJ (X351) followed it; it was built at Coventry. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Kia Sorento, the Honda Accord, the Mazda Mazda6. Nearby in the Jaguar catalogue sit the F-Type and the Vanden Plas.

The money

On the used market today a Jaguar XJ (X350) 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.