2011 Jaguar XJL – First Drive

201  jaguar xjl

This has been the car review month for us at Secret Entourage, it seems like we keep getting invited to car premieres and test drives that we simply never expected to occur all in the same month; nonetheless the cars are quite stunning and deserve a review. This car is no exception to the rule as this was probably our favorite drive between the Rolls Royce Ghost and Bentley Mulsanne which were nice but 4 times the money but not 4 times the car. This unexpected masterpiece came to us from the dying Jaguar who needed such a car to make its come back. Packed with state of the art technology, beautiful craftsmanship throughout and an engine that will leave sports cars behind at every traffic stop, we present you the newest and baddest jaguar yet, the XJL.

jaguar xjl front

jaguar xjl rear

Our particular car was this striking color that Jaguar calls Ivory Blue, which is a stunning but mature baby blue and came with a blue dash, tan seats with blue piping, all options and the 20″ sport wheels which are a must if you ask us. From the exterior, the car is simply striking and much different than its predecessor which has a classic older Jaguar look. It is obvious that Jaguar is going after the Mercedes S Class market in full force and is also making its lines more appealing to the 30 year old+ crowd which have now been known to be a serious buying power in the car world. The coolest features of the car include the black pano roof, the wide body appearance, sexy head and tail lights and signature Jaguar grille.

jaguar xjl dash

The main highlight of this car however lies within the car’s superb interior coupled with state of the art technology that takes the cool entirely out of Mercedes and puts it right back in Jaguar’s court. The car’s first design feature that is unique and beautiful is its surround dash that incorporates wood all over with no discontinuation between panels creating a true 360 degree surround of beauty, coupled with hand stitching and piping that bring out the seats similar to the new Maserati Quattroporte. The very futuristic vents and middle console also give a young hip feel to a car and brand that much needed it.

jaguar xjl interior

The wood and suede headliner follow you all the way to the back where you find lots of leg room, coupled with beautiful wooden tables that resembles the Bentley Mulsanne. The center can also be outfitted with a media center and of course all 4 seats in the car are heated, cooled and massaging. You heard me say earlier that state of the art technology was present in this car and it is only when you choose to turn it on that you know what I mean. With an amazing and one of kind digital LED instrument cluster, and navigation system, you feel like you have an iPad to control your car with, which is not too far from the truth as your iPhone can now sync with your Jaguar courtesy of the Jaguar App. You can now close and open doors as well as turn on your car or control its stereo from your phone. Simply stunning! The command center and instrument clusters have more configurations than any other cars we have ever seen and the integration is flawless. The fun factor was a 10/10!

jaguar xjl grille

The new Jaguar XJL is available in 3 formats and no longer offers an “R” version but instead is now either base, Supercharged or Super Sport. The base model comes with 385 HP which rivals last year’s R model while the Super Sport takes that to 500+ and delivers blistering Viper power for a price. The car we drove felt very smooth for 385HP and also felt like plenty of power for such a heavy sedan. We were very impressed by the transmission, engine and drive train that seemed rock solid and a major improvement over the ride quality of the previous generations.

2011 jaguar xjl supercharged

Jaguar is not known for its most reliable track record and despite being ranked as one of the best in overall quality by JD for a few years now, the car’s extremely expensive parts and usual depreciation values will keep a few BMW and Mercedes fans in their comfort zone. The reality is that this has changed and we commend Jaguar for the huge improvement this new generation XJ has had over last and proves that American built automobiles are starting to bring value to Americans again. This is highly noticed by the reasonable depreciation values the current XJ is experiencing having been around 2 years now. The best part about this car is that it comes with Signature Edition coverage for 5 years or 100K miles, which means you pay nothing other than tires while your car is still under warranty.

jaguar emblem

Secret Entourage was honored to be part of the launch of the best jaguar yet and we are proud to say that we endorse this car as a best buy in the luxury car market because its styling, technology and overall feel. The base model hits home right under 90K, while the super sport can go up to $110,000 which might seem expansive but is a bargain compared to the S63 and S65 that Mercedes sells. We hope you enjoyed this quick review of this incredible car and a big thank you to our friends at Rosenthal Jaguar in Chantilly, VA for inviting us on a test drive but also for being the only ones to carry the car weeks before its release.

jaguar xjl side

Make sure to call Eric @ 703 989 4153 @ Rosenthal Jaguar/ Land Rover and make sure to let him know that Secret Entourage sent you for the best possible deals on your next jaguar or Land rover.

But yet…Keep in mind that there is always a way to “Drive a Luxury Car for FREE” That’s the real Secret to Success.