Great leap forward

By ALASTAIR SLOANE motoring editor

Jaguar wants potential buyers to know that it's new XJ series is a purist's car. Okay, so steel gives way to aluminium in almost the entire body and "self-piercing" rivets and epoxy adhesives replace welds.

So what that it has a multi-media entertainment system, with video screens mounted in the back of the driver and passenger head restraints?

Who cares if the driver wants to speak on the voice-activated in-car phone while one passenger in the back is watching TV and the other playing a video game?

Or that computers control almost every function, including the car's self-levelling air suspension and its more sophisticated stability system.

Or that the "Piano Black" finish on the walnut trim was inspired by the "deep, lustrous sheen of a concert grand piano".

The seventh-generation XJ - and the second built by Jaguar owner Ford - is lighter, stronger, with a better ride/handling mix than the previous model, says the chief programme engineer, David Scholes.

And, anyway, the fancypants electronic gizmos are there to make the driver's job easier.

"Our customers are emphatic in their opposition to gratuitous technology and unwanted features intruding on the driving experience, which fits exactly with the Jaguar philosophy of making technology relevant at all times," says Scholes.

"You don't have to be a computer expert to operate the new XJ."

Ouch! It was a none-too-subtle shot at the iDrive operating system in the new 7-Series BMW, a top-end Jaguar rival. The computer-mouse-like iDrive has received much hate mail. It takes time to learn. It isn't intuitive. Not for those who remember Life with Dexter on the radio anyway.

But BMW reckons it's the bee's knees. It's part of the pledge to deliver the "ultimate driving machine".

Scholes continues: "We chose a lightweight aluminium vehicle architecture for the new XJ, not because it was something new, but because it enabled us to deliver real and significant benefits to our customers."

Ouch! Another shot at iDrive. BMW has ignored the jibes; it has its own philosophy.

The seventh-generation XJ was unveiled at the Paris motor show the other day and will go on sale in New Zealand next year.

It is longer, wider and higher than its predecessor but preserves the look which has been Jaguar's hallmark since the first XJ was introduced in 1968.

Says design director Ian Callum: "The new XJ had to be clearly identifiable as an XJ, capturing the recognised essence and style of the classic lineage ... but it also had to have a modern idiom all of its own.

"The proportions, stance and obvious dynamic quality clearly display that all-important Jaguar DNA and give it real presence on the road."

The main departure from saloon tradition centres on the use of aluminium - which has a significant place in postwar Jaguar history - for the bodyshell.

Jaguar used technology pioneered by Lotus and refined by Ford stablemate Aston Martin to follow the example set by the Audi A8 in 1994.

The result is a car bigger overall but with a shell weighing 40 per cent - about 200kg - less than the previous model. The torsional stiffness of the car is 60 per cent better, too.

The new model will come with four engine options driving the rear wheels through six-speed automatic transmissions.

The most powerful is the supercharged 298kW 4.2-litre V8, which will take full advantage of the new power-to-weight ratio.

Next in the line-up is the naturally aspirated version of the 4.2-litre, producing 224kW. There is a new 195kW 3.5-litre V8 and the introductory model gets a 179kW 3-litre V6.

Scholes has the last word: "A range of modern, powerful engines in an advanced lightweight vehicle is the perfect recipe for a luxury saloon that rewards its driver with outstanding levels of refinement and performance."