Jaguar XJR

Fast Facts

• Best model: Anything cherished
• Worst model: Anything abused
• Budget buy: No chance
• OK for unleaded?: Yes
• Will it fit in the garage? (mm): mm L5024 x W2074
• Spares situation: Good
• DIY ease?: Not for DIYers
• Club support: Okay
• Appreciating asset?: Not really
• Good buy or good-bye?: Cut price Coombs?

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Can’t afford that iconic Mk2? Then try this modern alternative that ticks all the right boxes

As fuel prices climb inexorably towards the two quid a litre mark, buying a big, thirsty, powerful saloon may be the last thing on your mind. But the supersaloons of a decade ago now represent spectacular value. Fast, capable, spacious, beautifully built and luxuriously appointed, if you want to cross continents in a hurry or just enjoy some seriously effortless luxury every now and then, few sports saloons do the job as well as a Jaguar XJR.

Introduced in 1997, the third-generation XJR was introduced to compete directly with the Audi S8, BMW M5, Maserati Quattroporte and Mercedes E55 AMG. With a softer edge to it than those supposedly more driver-focused cars, the XJR’s body control was still superb – and especially impressive when the car’s relatively supple ride was taken into account. Despite its seemingly limitless talents, as is typical with such large cars, depreciation has taken its toll on the XJR to the point where it’s now nothing less than spectacular value. But predictably, you need to buy with your eyes open if you’re not to buy a beautiful fast feline four-door that’s an equally rapid money pit.

History

This edition of the XJR wasn’t the first to come from Jaguar; the X300-based model that came before as well as the XJ40 before that were both available in XJR form. While the fi rst of the breed, introduced in 1988, had been fi tted with a 3.6-litre six-pot that was barely different from the one found in the standard XJ6 3.6, the powerplant in the X300 (actually dubbed the X306) edition that debuted in 1994 was a much more enticing beast by far.

Fitted with a supercharger – the first time Jaguar had ever offered such technology in its cars and the basis of the Aston DB7 powerplant – the second take on the XJR theme was a seriously big hitter. At last, here was a performance saloon that could take on the best from Germany, while offering more comfort mixed with olde worlde charm. Of course this counted against it for many would-be buyers, who wanted something scalpelsharp to drive and didn’t look like it had just driven straight out of the 1960s.

That first supercharged XJR featured a blown 4-litre straight-six that put out a mighty 321bhp and 378lbft of torque, care of an Eaton M90 supercharger set at 10psi boost – enough to take the car to a limited top speed of 155mph, covering 0-60mph along the way in just fi ve seconds. To put it in context, the XJR was more powerful and faster than the hallowed V12 Jaguar XJs and yet could still manage more than 20mpg fairly easily and that’s important in these times!

While that initial blown XJR was a joy to drive and own, the model that followed in September 1997 was even better. More modern, even smoother thanks to the fi tment of a V8 in place of a straight-six, and even more luxuriously appointed, the X308 edition of the XJR was a pure masterpiece.

Costing over £50,000 when new, this XJR was the most powerful car Jaguar had ever offered – and also one of the most technically advanced. Effectively a saloon version of the XK8 – at least mechanically – the XJR used the same AJ-V8 powerplant as its coupe and convertible siblings.

However, when the XJR made its debut, there was no XKR then available, which meant that this unassuming saloon packed a healthy 80bhp more than the XK8 – making it much faster.

As soon as it appeared the X308 was feted as a masterpiece. More comfortable than its German rivals, its interior was also more cossetting, even if it was rather old-fashioned. But it was also better value, and for those who wanted something more modern, there were various packages offered that reduced the amount of traditional Browns Lane wood and chrome.

The ultimate edition of the X308 XJR was the 100 special edition, which arrived in August 2001. Fitted as standard with a DVD-based navigation system, Brembo brakes, nine-spoke BBS alloy wheels and black leather trim were standard along with metallic black paintwork. You’ll be doing well to fi nd one of these editions on the general used market, but that’s no big deal. When the standard product is as accomplished as this, you don’t need to go any further.

Finally there’s an XJR that you may not know about – the slightly more dignifi ed Daimler Super V8. It’s essentially the same scalded cat but with even more luxury and a more restrained appearance. Less than 4000 were made the vast bulk being the far roomier LWB models.

Driving

This was Jaguar’s first ever production car with a V8 – and straight out of the box the engineers got it right. With silky smooth power delivery, oodles of low-down torque and a delicious willingness to rev, the V8 is fabulously fl exible. Capable of taking the XJR up to around 170mph, Jaguar opted to fi t a limiter to stop the fun at 155mph – they reckoned that was plenty quick enough to keep owners happy!

Thanks to the fitment of a supercharger rather than a turbo, the XJR’s power delivery is linear and seemingly unending – on tap there’s a seriously enticing 370bhp along with 387lbft of torque @ 3050 rpm. With numbers like these, it’s no surprise that there’s ample shove on offer at any speed and in any gear. On that note, the standard fi ve-speed automatic is creamy smooth and works brilliantly, which is just as well because there was never any manual option.

From a standing start the Jag could hit 60mph in just 5.3 seconds; keeping your foot buried in the carpet would see 100mph showing in just 12.8 seconds. Kickdown at 30mph to overtake and after just 4.7 seconds you’d be travelling at 70mph – that’s proper supercar territory. Indeed, there was so much torque on offer that the standard transmission couldn’t cope, so Jaguar had to use the same unit fitted to Mercedes’ V12-powered S600.

It’s not just about the car’s power and pace though, because while it would be easy to think of the XJR as a one-trick pony, the depth of this car’s talents is much greater than that, as there’s ample space for four, or five if those in the back get on well with each other.

The key thing though is that a well-sorted XJR is just so good to drive. Despite its 1754kg kerb weight, the XJR pulls up without fuss even on standard brakes; those who wanted to regularly exercise their Jag could opt for a Brembo option that’s even more accomplished. However, while it’s worth having, it does cost signifi cantly more to maintain, thanks to higher pad and disc costs.

It’s a price worth paying though; why have a car as capable as this, then settle for anything less than the best anchors you can buy?

Based upon the top trim, the XJR naturally had the level of ambience and comfort that you’d expect from a Jaguar – it really is a special place to travel in even if rear seat room is barely good enough for adults and the boot space no more than acceptable for the XJ’s considerable size.

Improvements

Perhaps the best improvement you can make is to convert to LPG, for which you’d need to budget around £1500-1800? While you’ll have to do a fair few miles to get your money back, running on LPG should reduce fuel bills by around 40 per cent, so your costs will be recouped faster than you might think. Not only that, but if you decide to sell the car on at any point, you’ll be able to get more for it than it the conversion hadn’t been made – although you’re unlikely to get back the whole of the cost of the conversion. Improvements to the engine’s breathing are available, as are superior stainless exhausts while a smaller puller on the engine will allow the blower to spin faster for more speed but speak to a specialist fi rst on this.

Prices

This is where things get really silly, because a quick scan of the classifieds throws up highmileage early XJRs for little more than £2500. You can’t expect too much for that kind of money – you’re better off spending from £5000 on something that hasn’t been to the moon and back and which has a decent amount of history. However, anything priced at this level will still have covered at least 100,000 miles – which isn’t necessarily a problem as these cars aren’t as fragile as earlier XJs. Low-mileage XJRs are hard to fi nd, but those out there can still command up to £10,000; not an insignifi cant sum, but you’re still getting a huge amount of car for the money. The Daimler models should be similarly priced.

The thing about the XJR is that even without options it’s exceptionally well equipped. Standard kit included cruise control, adaptive suspension, leather trim with electrically adjustable front seats, air-con, anti-lock brakes, traction control, alloy wheels and a fi ve-speed automatic gearbox. As a result, there’s no need to worry too much about fi nding a car that’s dripping with options. As is usual with a classic of any age, condition is generally more important than specifi cation. 

Three Of A Kind

Alpina B10

We’d never steer you away from a BMW M5, but if you want a less obvious Q car the Alpina B10 might suit. Introduced in 1997 and costing £64,000, the 540i-based B10 packed a 340bhp 4.6-litre V8 that gave a 175mph top speed. Beautifully built, luxuriously equipped but rather hard to fi nd, the B10 is sublime but can be costly to run. You’ll need at least £5000 to buy anything worthwhile, and more like £8000 for something nice.

BMW M5

BMW’s seminal super-saloon is much easier to fi nd than the Alpina, and every bit as good to drive – allthough it’s also quite different too. It’s the E39 version that’s up against the XJR – expect to pay from £7000 for something not too leggy, although you’ll need at least £10,000 to buy something really nice. As with any of these cars, you need to check for non-functioning kit, poor crash repairs and thrashed mechanicals that’ll need replacing soon.

Mercedes E55 AMG

When it comes to Q cars, few are as discreet as the E55 – it looks barely different from the cooking diesel editions. Just £4000 secures one of these 354bhp leviathans, with really nice cars still worth double this. Introduced in 1998, these big Mercs can rust badly; check the doors, roof, wheelarches and sills. Engines can overheat and steering pumps fail, while the brakes, suspension and tyres will need overhauling on high-mileage or thrashed cars.