VoteUpIndia

Monterey, California: Do you believe in love at first sight? Consider this: One look was about all it took when executives of Tata Motors, who in late 2007 were deciding whether to buy Jaguar from Ford Motor, saw sketches of what would become the 2011 XJ.

“What we had coming to market,” Gary Temple, president of Jaguar North America, said in a recent interview, “was what made them buy the company.”

Developed largely before Tata, of India, took over, the new XJ is a bold, mold-breaking styling statement. The old XJ’s long-running retro theme — traditional grille, quad headlamps, sculptured hood, low beltline and long tail — has finally been exorcized. While unmistakably a Jaguar, the new XJ is a thoroughly modern, flamboyant, unfettered expression of luxury.

Some loyalists feared that such a radical departure might alienate the typical Jaguar owner (known inside the company as the fictional “Mrs. Schwartz on Long Island”).

But based on early sales figures, two things seem apparent. The Jaguar faithful (presumably including Mrs. Schwartz) are still happily on board. And the new car’s wow factor has smitten those who thought the XJ had become too old-school.

For more than 40 years, the XJ has been Jaguar’s flagship. When originally introduced in 1968, the company’s founder, Sir William Lyons, appeared in grainy television commercials extolling it as “the greatest Jaguar — ever!”

Indeed, while the original XJ was a landmark car — it has been called the most beautiful sedan ever — the XJ’s iconic status within the company has for decades cowed those who longed for a bold update. The previous three major redesigns hewed closely to the look of the original.

“We were almost afraid to mess with it,” Mr. Temple said. “There was a limit to how far we wanted to take the design; we didn’t want to lose the look we had nurtured for so long. But in doing that, to some degree, we will admit we lost our way.”

Well, then, welcome back.

“We are trying to bring the word ‘sleek’ back to Jaguar styling,” said Ian Callum, the chief designer. “It has not been easy.”

As an example, Mr. Callum cited the new instrument panel: “It’s nine inches lower than the previous car’s dashboard. That wasn’t just all hollow space behind there; it was full of components. All those things had to be relocated.”

The lowered dash gives the entire cabin a feeling of spaciousness — the interior seems much larger than its predecessor. “It’s not,” Mr. Callum assured me. “We’re talking about millimeters.”

The new interior ranks among the most elegant in the auto industry, irrespective of price. I slipped into the cabin of a top-line Supersport XJL, which is offered only by special order at a starting price of $114,075; it was like being admitted to an exclusive English club.

The scent of glove-soft leather was intoxicating; the seats are a select “aniline” hide, with contrasting piping, and embossed headrests. (Could I replace the Jag logo with my family crest? Yes, there is a bespoke order department.) There is leather, leather and more leather — on the headliner, the door posts, the dashboard, the backs and sides of the seats, the center console.

My only wish was for a wood-trimmed steering wheel instead of one wrapped solely in leather.

The cabin is rimmed with choice wood — materials other than wood, like carbon fiber, are available — forming what Mr. Callum calls the “Riva line.” It is meant to evoke the shape of a classic Riva Aquarama mahogany speedboat.

In the back seat, matching “business trays” fold down from the front seatbacks. In long-wheelbase versions, stretched by five inches, the rear legroom is positively limousine-like. The vast expanses of leather, especially in look-at-me combinations like the wine-and-cream “Bordeaux” trim, can border on the garish. But isn’t owning a Jaguar supposed to be about standing out?

Outside, a tall shoulder — designers call it the “tornado line” — runs the length of the body. This subtle design element visually links the feline-inspired headlamps to “cat’s claw” taillights that sweep up from the bumper onto the top of the fender. The wheel arches bulge gracefully but muscularly from this line. The side window frames are blacked out, so the sleek silver accent around them stands out.

Much of the roof, along with the rear pillars, appears to be dark glass. On black cars, this treatment blends nicely; in lighter colors the contrast looks like two-tone paint. The effect may not be appreciated by everyone.

Even as the new XJ thumbs its nose at the old car, it does so while continuing to use many components carried over — in the interest of cost savings — from the midrange XF sedan and even the sporty XK coupe and convertible.

Jaguar lacks the development resources of larger competitors like Audi, BMW, Lexus or Mercedes-Benz. So Jaguar economizes by doing what custom coachbuilders did until World War II: creating elegantly appointed new bodies for existing mechnical components.

The new XJ has basically the same running gear and chassis — with key refinements — as the car it replaces. This is far from an impediment. Jaguar’s distinctive all-aluminum chassis (another legacy of the Ford era) significantly reduces the car’s weight and gives it a performance advantage over the competition. “One of the hidden facts that many people are not aware of,” Mr. Temple said, “is that we offer the only 500-horsepower car without a gas-guzzler tax.”

The base XJ, with a 385-horsepower engine that breathes conventionally, has a fuel-economy rating of 16 miles per gallon in town, 23 on the highway. The Supercharged version is rated 15/22, and the more powerful Supersport, which is also supercharged, is 15/21.

The 385-horsepower base model hustles to 60 m.p.h. in less than six seconds; the 470-horsepower Supercharged models can do it in less than 5. Jaguar says the 510-horse Supersport has an official 0-to-60 time of 4.6 seconds, but Mr. Temple said with a wink, “You can do better than that!”

Driving a Supersport on hilly roads near here, I found the off-the-line performance electrifying. In a straight line, the XJ tracked straight and true, although uneven pavement could unsettle it. Some body roll and suspension softness is expected in the land-yacht class, but in hairpin turns I appreciated the electronically self-adjusting shocks and competition-quick steering.

The car seemed rather tame in Standard driving mode, but the Dynamic setting imparts a more sporty feel. With firmer shock settings, more precise steering input, a torque curve that holds a gear longer and improved throttle response, the driving experience was richly improved.

But the 510-horsepower engine is so over-capable that it seemed bored on the highway. Even the 470-horsepower version burbled and stumbled when asked to obey speed limits. I preferred the efficient, direct response of the engine without the supercharger; when you punch the throttle in that car, the results are immediate, satisfying and much more than adequate.

All six XJ versions have a 6-speed automatic transmission and variants of a 5-liter V-8 from Ford, which remains Jaguar’s powertrain supplier. (Because Jaguar sales are outstripping projections, Ford has been asked to exceed its contractual obligations and provide more engines.)

Jaguar does not currently have access to a V-6; the diesel engine it offers in Europe comes from Peugeot and is not the most modern design. “We need to develop new sources for V-6s and diesels,” Mr. Temple said. In this area, Jaguar remains at a decided disadvantage to its European rivals.

But most XJ buyers seem to prefer a V-8; half opt for superchargers. The long-wheelbase versions are chosen by nearly 70 percent of buyers. There was some discussion about offering only long-wheelbase XJs, but executives decided that enough people want the shorter version.

“We worried it might not fit in some garages,” Mr. Temple said of the longer, more spacious variation. Mr. Callum says the shorter XJ looks sportier.

Prices start at $73,575 for the generously equipped base model; the long-wheelbase car is $7,000 more.

Jaguar claims a price advantage of some $10,000 over what it considers comparably equipped rivals like the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8, and an even greater edge over upper-crust competitors like the Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera. In addition, Jaguar has begun to offer free maintenance for all of its models for five years or 50,000 miles.

“We had quite an internal discussion about price,” Mr. Callum, the designer, said with a wry smile. “I thought we should have charged more. It’s meant to look like a more expensive car.”

But Mike O’Driscoll, Jaguar’s managing director, said: “We’d like to sell a few of these. We’d like to think we’ve priced them accordingly.”

Supercharged versions, which start closer to $90,000, offer not only more power but options like a proprietary Bowers & Wilkins audio system. The six-figure Supersports are exquisite, anointed throughout with cut-above materials and entertaining extras like indirect mood lighting.

These are the kinds of charismatic, idiosyncratic features that once gave a Jaguars a personality unmatched by anything else on the road.

As recently as 20 years ago, Jaguar would have ranked high on any list of products epitomizing British luxury. Then it seemed to lose the recipe. Before handing the brand over to Tata, however, Ford seems to have rediscovered the missing ingredients.

[Story Source] [Contest win Rs 1000-100,000 now]

This post was submitted by Chinmaya Nayak.

Thanks to www.ndtv.com