If It Ain't Broke...
by David Finlay (08 May 07)

If you already like the XJ, you'll be pleased to hear that Jaguar has barely tampered with it at all for the 2008 model year revision. If you've never been able to see what the fuss is about, there's little chance that you will be persuaded to buy one now.

There isn't much to report. This is a very simple mid-life upgrade which barely qualifies for the term "facelift". A little judicious nipping and tucking, more like. It's as if Jaguar made what changes there are merely to give existing XJ owners a reason to trade in their current car for a new one.

The most obvious alterations are to the styling, and even they are only a couple of stages above minimal. The front end has been freshened up, there are new air vents just behind the front wheels, the door mirrors have been restyled, and at the back there's a new bumper, revised exhaust tailpipe finishers and what must be the tiniest possible boot spoiler.

There are more colour options than before, plus a choice of three new 19" alloy wheel designs. The overall effect of all this is that the XJ looks sportier than it used to (particularly at the front end, where the new bumper and radiator grilles make quite a difference), but perhaps also a little fussier.

Inside, the front seats are new - "for improved comfort and support", according to Jaguar. I haven't tried them for long, but from the experience gained so far I imagine they would keep me happy for hundreds of miles at a time. They come with heaters as standard on all models, and you can also specify seat cooling as an option. This, I can confidently report, is very effective. A colleague and I put the cooling up to full blast, and found that the effect on our fundamental parts was almost immediate. I'll spare you the details, but trust me - this system works, and then some.

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