Unveiled: 2010 Jaguar XJ

[Evel]

The 2010 Jaguar XJ was just unveiled at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

Source: Jalopnik

The 2010 Jaguar XJ has shed its retro skin to set a new course for the company's flagship sedan. The future of the XJ will include a 510 HP supercharged V8, aluminum body, and virtual instruments. Also, it'll look XF-ier!

Starting with the obvious, Design Director Ian Callum has managed to both underwhelm and surprise with this newest Jaguar. At first glance, it's almost indistinguishable from the Jaguar XFR, taking much of the nose and sleek profile from the four-door coupe.

Upon further investigation the new XJ reveals a longer and more muscular profile, with a narrow greenhouse that slopes into an elongated and blacked-out C-pillar. The addition of a full panoramic glass roof adds another new dimension to the car. Whatever you're feelings on the new design, it's clear this is an almost complete departure from the previous XJ.

Mechanically, the Jaguar XJ isn't quite as drastic a step forward. The platform is new, featuring a significant use of aluminum in the structure, but the first batch of engines will be a trio of the 5.0-liter Gen III direct-injection V8. The base XJ and XJL will include the naturally-aspirated version good for 385 HP and a 5.4-second 0-to-60 MPH jaunt. The XJ Supercharged and XJL Supercharged models will be fitted with the same engine supercharged for 470 HP and a 5.2-second time.

The new high performance model, perhaps a stand-in for the XJR or merely a placeholder, is the XJ and XJL Supersport models. This will feature the XFR's supercharged V8 good for 510 HP and a 4.7-second 0-to-60 MPH time. All of these will get Jaguar's six-speed, shift-by-wire transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The biggest upgrade on the inside, which includes the usual mix of wood, chrome and piano black surfaces, is probably the "virtual instrument" panel, which includes three round hi-def screens and no physical read-out at all. This allows the pods to adjust themselves to the driving conditions. For instance, if you switch into Dynamic mode the dials change to a red hue and bold the gear position indicator -- which turns red as you approach the red line.

A lot of people didn't like it in the leaked shots thread, like me. I think they've made a mess of it. What do you think?

Pictures:



















































You can find more XJ pictures here: http://www.netcarshow.com/jaguar/2010-xj/

Edit: This happens to be my 100th post

[Spectre]

[darkshark0159]

That looks rubbish. I was hoping it would be much more refined than the horrible pre-release renderings, but no.

EDIT: The carbon fibre version of the interior is
The rest are okay though.

[gaasc]

a message to whoever designed it

[captain_70s]

I am in two minds on the styling of this car.

On one hand it is a car bringing Jaguar into the future away from the 1960s/70s XJ6 style that was getting very dated, especialy from a company thats supposed to be supplying high class cars. No-body wants an outdated car.

One the other hand, its not really pretty. Lots of good ideas but thrown together into a bit of a mess.
I like the front... but the rear side profile is all weird, and I like the rear lights... but this car has a huge bulbous arse.
I like the interior too, but the over elaborate wood makes it look like my piano, and thats 100 years old. Not what I'd expect from a brand new car.

All in all its not great, the side profile isn't clean or swoopy and screws up past the back end, the rear is far too huge and the interior wood wasn't designed with being modern looking in mind.

Another gripe I have is that I want to see it with numberplates, especialy on the front, so i can see whatt it'll looks like when its one the road.

Also, give up on blaming the designer for its looks. Everything that is properly designed comes from personal taste, and because he's designed something that isn't pretty by most peoples judgment doesn't make it a failiure of design. Possibly a marketing failiure yes, but not design.

[Evel]

Originally Posted by gaasc

a message to whoever designed it

It was Ian Callum

[Wizegui]

I quite like the look of the interior, but the rest I'm afraid is garbage...

[Evel]

Originally Posted by captain_70s

I am in two minds on the styling of this car.

On one hand it is a car bringing Jaguar into the future away from the 1960s/70s XJ6 style that was getting very dated, especialy from a company thats supposed to be supplying high class cars. No-body wants an outdated car.

One the other hand, its not really pretty. Lots of good ideas but thrown together into a bit of a mess.
I like the front... but the rear side profile is all weird, and I like the rear lights... but this car has a huge bulbous arse.
I like the interior too, but the over elaborate wood makes it look like my piano, and thats 100 years old. Not what I'd expect from a brand new car.

All in all its not great, the side profile isn't clean or swoopy and screws up past the back end, the rear is far too huge and the interior wood wasn't designed with being modern looking in mind.

Another gripe I have is that I want to see it with numberplates, especialy on the front, so i can see whatt it'll looks like when its one the road.

It's going to look even worse with front number plates, but I don't think they're mandatory, not here at least. I believe you only need rear number plates in Canada.

[Pedrocas]

Why are the C pillars colored black? It's not even glass. Why painting them black? And the interior. That dashboard looks like it was ripped off of a 90's Mazda Miata.

[Evel]

Originally Posted by Pedrocas

Why are the C pillars colored black? It's not even glass. Why painting them black? And the interior. That dashboard looks like it was ripped off of a 90's Mazda Miata.

Come to think of it, the dashboard does look quite cheap.

[Loop]

FAIL. They just took the front from the XF and it looks like they didn't even bother with the rear end of the car.

[Evel]

So then, Jaguar was hoping to gain sales with this, but so far as I can see, almost no one likes it.

[nouseferaname90]

That back looks really like the MKS. I'm not a fan.I don't like vertical tail lights.

[Thraxes]

I actually like it alot, only i am a bit worried about the rear passenger headroom. This thing is in a class were many are driven around and not behind the wheel themselves. If the CEO of Megacorp is constantly bashing his head into the roofliner, the Jag get's part-exchanged for the german competition...

[Arctor]

Originally Posted by Thraxes

I actually like it alot, only i am a bit worried about the rear passenger headroom. This thing is in a class were many are driven around and not behind the wheel themselves. If the CEO of Megacorp is constantly bashing his head into the roofliner, the Jag get's part-exchanged for the german competition...

Jags are supposed to be cars you drive, not ones you are driven in. And it looks like rear headroom is fine, the roofline goes quite a ways back.

[Spectre]

Oh God. I just thought of something.

That's the short-wheelbase model they're showing.

What's the long wheelbase one going to look like????

[maxtortheone]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Oh God. I just thought of something.

That's the short-wheelbase model they're showing.

What's the long wheelbase one going to look like????

Now that's a terrifying thought. This thing reminds me a lot of the Quattroporte, so if I were looking for a big Jag I'd get a current one while they still make them. I saw an XJ today and found it imposing. This isn't

[Evel]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Oh God. I just thought of something.

That's the short-wheelbase model they're showing.

What's the long wheelbase one going to look like????

Oh great. That's probably going to end up worse.

[H0nzik]

Besides the fact that I'm not a fan of the general design, being a tall person, I have to wonder what the rear headroom is going to be like. It's not a typical family car, where it's OK if you can only fit kids in the back, many people get chauffered in cars of this class, FFS. Why are all designers so obsessed with the sweeping rooflines/4-door coupes/whatever these days, when it's been proven many times in history that you can make a very good looking saloon without compromising the headroom.

[Loop]

Originally Posted by Evel

Oh great. That's probably going to end up worse.

FTFY