Overview

The Jaguar XJR is aimed at those who want a large slice of performance with their luxury motoring.

It’s the British company’s take on the upmarket limo class where it marks itself out with a distinct contemporary design while trumpeting a ‘Made in Britain’ marketing message.

The range consists of a standard or long-wheelbase XJ powered by either a 3-litre V6 or a 5-litre supercharged V8, while the top halo model is this, the XJR.

All about performance

The XJR is powered by the same 5.0-litre V8 supercharged engine as in the standard XJ but it has been tweaked to deliver more power (up from 503bhp to 542bhp) and more torque (up from 625Nm to 680Nm).

Just in case drivers feel that a top speed of 155mph is not quick enough, Jaguar has reprogrammed the restrictor to enable a top speed of 174mph.

That may sound impressive compared to the standard 5-litre XJ but in terms of acceleration there is little in it. The non-tweaked version will go from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds the R version will do it in 4.6 seconds – not a huge difference.

Luxury interior

As this is the range-topper the specification is very impressive and the interior feels very upmarket. There’s a huge amount leather inside the cabin and it can be specified in a range of colours.

There’s a neat touch sensitive release for the glovebox and overhead light controls, while the ambient lighting is something straight out of a modern, five star hotel – soothing and high class.