Jaguar XJ Saloon (03-09) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 04 February 2009
The XJ has been a success in the UK, but its traditional styling has struggled to win Jaguar new customers. The paradox of the XJ - a very modern car with traditional styling - has been tempered slightly with changes in 2007. While the revised exterior styling doesn't spectacularly transform the appearance of the car, it does seem to make it a little more imposing at the front. The modifications are light in terms of engineering changes, but they do offer improved comfort with redesigned seats and improved rear leg room. Only one diesel is available, but it's an excellent 2.7-litre V6 that is also used in the S-Type and XF.
4 out of 5

Other Jaguar reviews

2 out of 5

Running costs

Luxury saloons of this size are never cheap to run and the Jaguar is no exception. You'll pay top money for servicing at Jaguar dealers, although you should expect impeccable standards, while parts and tyres are not cheap either. The diesel engine is the best option if you intend to cover high mileages and want to keep costs reasonable - it returns a respectable (if not especially frugal) 36mpg.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£2,273 - £2,668 *

Diesel

£1,831 - £1,831 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

10,000 miles.

Warranty

Three years/unlimited mileage.

Road tax (12 months)

£270.00 - £475.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    209
  • L
  • M
    299

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The XJ is a polluting model, due to the thirsty V6 and V8 petrol engines in the line-up. It's no surprise that the 2.7-litre diesel is the greenest model - it emits 209g/km of CO2 and returns 36mpg. That's poor compared to small family car, but competitive with other large saloons from Mercedes and BMW.

Find the exact engine and CO2