When you consider stunning cars, a picture of the Panthera onca E-Type is bound to crop up in your head. 1st showcased at the Geneva Motor Salon in 1961, the E-Type not solely hypnotised the media and guests alike, however additionally managed to charm the good Enzo Ferrari. most so he referred to as it the foremost stunning automotive within the world! shortly once, Panthera onca founder Sir William Lyons thought of building a saloon that was as stunning and fun to drive. What started as associate degree ‘eXperimental Jaguar’ – therefore the ‘XJ’ terminology – has captivated audiences the planet over for past [*fr1] century, throughout which period 800,000 examples are oversubscribed worldwide.
The Panthera onca XJ 1st came into production in 1968, at which period it set new benchmarks in terms of refinement, comfort and luxury. And Panthera onca upped the ante with each update of the XJ. And once it had been finally launched in Asian nation at the 2010 automobile exposition, here too, it had everybody enthralled.
Nine years later, Panthera onca has given US this, the XJ50 – a special edition that celebrates the fiftieth day of remembrance of the posh saloon. As you’d expect from associate degree XJ, it comes with a truckload of living. And can we even got to denote that it’s still is one in all the foremost elegant luxury sedans within the world?
Cat Suit
This Panthera onca XJ50 isn’t what you’d decision a generation upgrade, which implies it primarily retains identical style cues that we’re accustomed to. That said, it will get a number of cosmetic changes. The grating currently encompasses a chrome surround, the bumpers are gently tweaked and there’s a brand new set of 19-inch alloy wheels. And since it’s a 50th-anniversary edition, XJ50 badges on the fenders and boot lid adorn its overall charm.
And even if the XJ is over eight years previous in Asian nation, we tend to still love the big grille, long bonnet, boomerang-shaped taillights and, above all, that suave silhouette. In short, this kitty continues to seem gorgeous, even in the end these years.
The inside of the XJ is equally as luxurious as you’d expect. it's ivory soft grain perforated thick animal skin seats, that area unit electrically adjustable and have heating, cooling and massage functions. Draped in black animal skin, the dashboard offers a bright distinction against the ivory of the seats, giving it a pleasant balance of sportiness and luxury – one thing that matches okay with the nature of the automotive. The gloss picket accents additionally add associate degree air of panache to the cabin. we tend to additionally love the manner it wraps round the bottom of the front windscreen. so there’s the XJ50 badge on the dashboard, central rest and door sills, that inform you of the car’s bequest.
The XJ50 additionally comes with 2 giant screens at the front – the motion picture system and also the instrument cluster. The central motion picture screen could be a 10-inch bit unit. whereas we tend to love the manner it displays info and makes navigating the menu a hassle-free task, the bit might are a lot of responsive. However, there area unit physical buttons to form the task even easier, particularly once you’re driving. The larger twelve.3-inch LCD for the instrumentation offers a range of knowledge – navigation, motion picture, drive modes and a lot of. It even changes color supported your driving mode.
But a number of niggles area unit currently starting to seem. for example, the age of its 9-year-old platform becomes apparent after you get into the rear seat. Despite being the longest automotive in its category, the house on provide is very restricted. after you recline the seat, the bottom moves forward and upwards rather than dynamic the angle of the seat back. whereas there’s no dearth of knee area, there isn’t enough house for your feet beneath the front seats.
On the positive facet, the rear seat, too, has heating, cooling and massage functions. Passengers at the rear additionally get dedicated motion picture screens and headphones. whereas in terms of luxury and options, the XJ50 has just about everything lined, you can’t shake the sensation that it lacks the aptitude of its German rivals.
Swift & Agile
The XJ50 is on sale with only 1 engine choice – fortunately, it’s a yeasty three.0-litre, V6 diesel. At 302bhp and 689Nm, it makes marginally a lot of power and perceptibly a lot of force than its rivals. The XJ is that the longest automotive within the section and still the lightest, due to the intensive use of metallic element within the chassis. this enables it to sprint from zero to 100km/h in barely half dozen.2 seconds.
Some could feel that the 161bhp/ton power-to-weight magnitude relation of the XJ50 is simply concerning adequate, however the loads of force that the automotive makes is over ample to feature enthusiasm and excitement to the driving expertise. The XJ will fall behind in terms of refinement tho' – it simply doesn’t feel as sleek as its rivals. The diesel clatter that seeps into the cabin isn't one thing that you just expect from a automotive during this category. However, somebody UN agency takes the wheel sometimes could jubilantly put up it, given its sensible handling capabilities.
At a time once electrical steering systems area unit attenuating the pleasure of driving, Panthera onca looks to possess their steering setup in good tune. It’s communicative and has simply the proper weight for each town and route duties. Around bends, the length of the automotive will inherit the play, however at no purpose will the XJ feel unsettled – thanks in no tiny half to the wide Pirelli P Zero tyres. The XJ has coil springs up front and air suspension at the rear. The damping at the rear may be altered mistreatment the drive modes – Winter mode is that the softest, whereas Dynamic is at the other finish of the spectrum. Some thuds from larger potholes do creep into the cabin, and also the Jag doesn’t feel as supple as its rivals, however it’s a trade-off you’d volitionally bring unmatched handling.
Cat’s out of the bag
In comparison to its rivals, there’s nothing that the XJ50 doesn’t do. However, its German rivals do have a small go up terms of indulgence. for example, the BMW gets a ‘Display’ key with its own touchscreen and also the Mercedes has active body management and people cloud-like rear seats.
But that doesn’t mean that the XJ doesn’t have things operating in its favour. Even in the end these years, this flagship Jag appearance fully gorgeous. increase that the punchy diesel, and what you get could be a luxury sedan that’s the maximum amount fun to drive because it is gilded. And with a value of `1.11 crore, it even manages to undercut its rivals by a minimum of 1,000,000 usd. The Panthera onca XJ50, then, is unquestionably a good alternative – even if it's greying round the edges.
