Did this have the paddle shifters?
Jaguar's XJR is built for one purpose: To be the ultimate blend of performance and luxury. It certainly looks the part, with a striking, swooping silhouette. But how does it stack up against its rivals? We took it on a trip to test new roads for ourOrange Blossom Tour to find out.
This was the first time I have ever driven a Jaguar product for any length of time and came away pretty impressed. So after having this car for a week, here are my impressions.
When I first went out to the parking lot to drive home, my first thought was: "Wow this car is long!" The benefit is a car that not only allows the rear passengers to stretch their legs, but makes this a very comfortable riding car. In town this car is so comfortable to drive its not even funny. It just rolls over road imperfections likes its nothing, and driving down the interstate is even better. The exterior lines of the car really appeal to me. I like a long body with a low roof line and low center of gravity in these super-sized performance sedans.
You might think that with such a long wheelbase that the big cat might become a dog in the handling department. Not true. In fact, we used the Jaguar to drive the majority of our Orange Blossom Tour route and took it on some of the really fun roads of the tour and it actually handled very well.
The other impressive feature was the engine and transmission. This car has plenty of power and passing cars on the Florida backroads proved this point. You have options of placing the car in regular, winter or sport mode and of course the sports mode really brings out the wilder side of this cat.
The interior was very well appointed with leather almost a velvet texture trim. The instruments were well arranged and you had the option of having the GPS display right where the driver's gauge cluster resides. this helps a lot with turn by turn directions. The 1,300-watt stereo entertainment system was the best I have ever heard in a car. The fit and finish of the Jaguar was perfect as well with that classic British thunk when you close the doors.
The first of just two minor complaints i had was the information cluster not being very user friendly. There were several features that took a long time to figure out. However, I'm sure that when you purchase a car of this caliber your sales representative will be there to go over the entire vehicle and show you all these features. The second was with the seats. Both my passenger and I got out of the car like a couple of crippled 80-year-olds after driving for the day. I am not sure that should be the case in luxury car of this type.
So would I buy it? Well I have driven the Lexus LS400, Hyundai Genesis and the Cadillac CTS-V and of course this beauty. While I loved my week with the Jaguar, my favorite out of this performance luxury car class would have to the the Cadillac and that is only for the value and of course, the power and handling.
Did this have the paddle shifters?
Am I the only one that always wants about a dozen more photos every time GRM posts something?
I like the looks and specs of the current Jaguar lineup, and I'm curious to see how these hold up long-term.
Wow! That's a big cat! Does it get 30 mpg? 
I've seen the F-type in the wild. Gorgeous car. Jaguar styling is hitting on all cylinders!
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