2005 Jaguar XJ Super V8 Review

Introduction

Jaguar XJ Super V8 -- 2005 Review: It wields more power than a female teacher at an all-boys school, looks more at home amongst the social elite than The Donald’s freaky hair, offers technology only fully appreciated by the loneliest IT geek, and hits you where it hurts more than 90,000 times.

That describes a long list of vehicles, but this one comes from a land where a hood is a bonnet, a trunk is a boot, a road is a motorway, a windshield is a windscreen, and where pubs are as common as bad teeth. And did we mention that this pretty kitty is supercharged? Feel free to insert your own Tim Allen power grunt here.

Indeed, the land is the U.K. and the vehicle is the 2005 Jaguar XJ Super V8. The Super V8 is new, but those familiar with the XJ lineup will recognize almost all of the parts and features, combined in an exclusive way. The Super V8 represents the first supercharged long-wheelbase XJ, the first with a standard navigation system, the first with a rear DVD entertainment system, and the first that mixes and matches the best that the XJ8, XJ8L, Vanden Plas, and XJR models have to offer. Clearly, in creating the Super V8, Jaguar has developed a vehicle that aims to coddle rear seat passengers while simultaneously entertaining the driver. And at about $90,000, 14 grand more than the XJR, that’s the way it should be.