2008 Jaguar XJ Quality Review

The 2008 Jaguar XJ upholds Jaguar’s reputation as a manufacturer of posh automobiles.

Kelley Blue Book states that, inside the 2008 Jaguar’s cabin, “wide front seats provide excellent lower thigh and back support and include a four-way power lumbar support. In the rear, you'll find a vastly larger passenger space than in previous XJs, with ample head and legroom for six-footers." Cars.com goes a step further, saying that in long-wheelbase XJs, there's "legroom in the rear seat for NBA players," and Edmunds says that, with its ”multiadjustable, climate-controlled front seats" and other accoutrements, the interior of a Jaguar XJ would "make the Fifth Duke of Wellington feel at home."  However, Edmunds says of the front seats, "Some larger folks may find that those fancy seats just don't fit them.”

With 16.4 cubic feet of storage capacity, the 2008 Jaguar has “plenty of usable trunk space” and the lid “opens wide on nonintruding hinges and has assisted soft-touch close” reports ConsumerGuide. But Edmunds notes that “trunk space could be deeper,” which might be a consequence of the full-size spare tire’s location beneath it.

The Jaguar XJ is the marquee's flagship sedan, and the 2008 Jaguar contains all of the burl wood trim, luxurious leather, and gleaming chrome accents one would expect, along with the usual quirks that make it quintessentially British to some and endear it to fans of the marquee. However, to those less familiar with Jaguar, some of these quirks can be merely annoying. For example, Kelley Blue Book, in its mostly positive review, notes that "the dash-mounted ignition slot is placed fairly low, allowing dangling keys to brush annoyingly atop the driver's right leg." Edmunds praises the abundant wood, leather, and chrome, as well as "acoustic laminated glass,” but gives higher praise to form than function, adding, “In contrast to all the plush surroundings, some of the Jag's controls are confusing and have a cheap feel to their operation." ConsumerGuide notes, "Rear-entertainment-system controls are not intuitive, and DVDs load via an inconvenient trunk-mounted changer and only with the ignition engaged."

Despite those drawbacks, Edmunds says, "Operating in virtual silence...the Jaguar XJ-Series sedans have a personality unique among high-end luxury sedans." Consumer Guide adds, "the cabin is impressively free of mechanical noise, but our testers did notice some wind rush and road rumble at highway speeds."