2011 Jaguar XJ L–AutoMedia
The incredible new Jaguar XJ, in long-wheelbase L model form. A new standard in supreme luxury. Presented by Chris Moran from AutoMedia. Above all things, Jaguar desires to be different. That’s why the new 2011 XJ flagship has the flamboyant lines of an Italian torpedo and the driving manners of a German autobahn cruiser and is tuned for Buckingham Palace fleet duty. Cultures collide in spectacular ways in this luxury limo. The XJ is a cab-rearward design and is incredibly riveting to stare at as it sits back on its haunches with as much cool as James Bond lighting a Chesterfield. In black, with the big-dish 20-inch wheels, the car is sinister enough to warrant its own RICO investigation. Jaguar Cars managing director Mike O’Driscoll, who’s peddled more than his share of schlock over a 35-year career with the company, is smiling more lately. He says the mission was to recapture the uniqueness of the original 1968 XJ but in a modern form. They looked at the class stalwarts—the Mercedes-Benz S-class, the BMW 7-series, and the Audi A8—and the more driver-oriented oddballs, including the Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera, and decided to shoot for a middle ground. Passion—but with typical British reserve. If you focus on those front three-quarter shots, you’ll wrongly dismiss the 2011 XJ as just an XF with a pituitary run amok. Skip down to the side and rear profiles to capture the XJ’s more exotic stance. The beltline is pulled way up, the side glass is pinched …
