2014 Jaguar XJ,details, review,

                                            2014 Jaguar XJ

For 2014, Jaguar XJ gets a number of upgrades. Long-wheelbase models get new reclining airline-style rear seats complete with a fold-down tray in back of the front seat, a new rear center armrest, and a massage feature for both front and rear seats. Jaguar XJL long-wheelbase models also ride on a revised rear suspension aimed at delivering a more comfortable ride.

Jaguar's Adaptive Dynamics suspension system helps control roll and pitch with its dampers that adjust at up to 500 times per second, based on driver inputs and road conditions. Engaging Dynamic Mode automatically dials the system toward the firmer end of its range.

Dynamic performance is built into every XJ engine ensuring outstanding performance and handling. All three engines feature 8-speed automatic transmission for responsive, whisper-smooth gear changes, and fuel economy. The range extends from our superb 3.0 litre V6 275PS Turbocharged diesel engine to the 3.0 litre V6 340PS Supercharged petrol and the 5.0 litre V8 510PS and 550PS Supercharged petrol engines found in XJ Supersport and XJR.

Its superior rigidity offers safer, more precise handling and absorbs greater impact forces than steel. It can also help achieve better fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions, too. That’s not all — 50 percent of the aluminium used is from recycled sources.

The cabin is trimmed with the supple leathers and top-quality materials one would expect of a Jaguar while also featuring modern touches like the so-called "surprise and delight" air-conditioning vents, which present a flush dashboard surface until the ignition is switched on, at which point they rotate to the open position. Also lying dormant until the car is switched on is the unusual rotary shifter, which motors up and can be rotated to select from park, reverse, neutral, drive, and sequential modes.

However, the XJ is saddled with a relatively cramped 37.2 inches of rear headroom, which is less than all three German rivals. This forces taller rear seat occupants to sprawl out when sitting in the back The trunk is also on the small side at only 15.2 cubic feet; all the extra space gained from the stretched chassis clearly went into the back seats.

The XJ comes standard with soft-closing doors, heated front and rear seats, a power trunk lid, front and rear parking sensors, a backup camera, a blind spot monitoring system, navigation, a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, a USB port, Bluetooth, satellite and HD Radio and an 8-inch touch-screen display. Options and features available on higher trims include adaptive cruise control, four-zone automatic climate control, ventilated front and rear seats, reclining rear seats with massage, a rear-seat entertainment system and an upgraded stereo system.

Standard safety equipment is respectable, with six airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction and stability control; there's also a blind-spot alert system built into each XJ, and adaptive cruise control is optional. But items like lane-keep systems, head-up displays, and night-vision systems optional on the German flagship models aren't anywhere to be seen here.