Greetings fellow x351 owners! I didn't expect to posting over in this subforum for a few years, but circumstances have accelerated my ownership of this 2011 XJ. I wanted to say hello and to give you my first impressions of the car in direct comparison of my former 2005 SuperV8. But first, here is a couple dealer pics of her. I won't have my own photos of the car ready until I make a few modifications and do a through detailing of the exterior. This paint job is suffering from lots of fine scratches and some bird dropping damage. Its going to take more than several hours of buffing to get the Ebony paint surface perfect.



I drove 1035 miles from North Carolina back to Texas, so I had over 15 hours to get to know the new cat. Here's what I observed, and mostly these comments are in comparison to my 2005 that was recently deemed a total loss by my insurance company.

Likes

• I really like interior design of the cabin. Just enough wood and the dash materials are soft, yet the stiching makes it look classy. Compared to other cars of this age, the XJ doesn't have a flood of blacks and chrome...and it certainly doesn't feel stale and boring.

• I'm digging the suede headliner!

• I got a SWB car, even though there were more LWB versions out on the used market. As most of you know, the SuperV8 is a LWB, and the back seat has miles of legroom. However, even the SWB version of this 2011 has a spacious back seat, and even with my driver's seat set in position, I was able to climb into the back seat behind the driver and I didn't feel cramped at all. I've been in the backseat of many 4-door cars, and I hate feeling too close to the backs of those front seats. In the XJ, I didn't get that feeling at all.

• The X350 has wimpy seat heaters in the front. Me, and others have often referred to it's output as similar to hamster's breath. I'm so glad to finally have a seat heater that makes a noticeable difference.

• The ventilated and massaging seats....Aaaahhhh, love them! The bolster adjustment is also a newly added feature that makes seat comfort easier to achieve.

• Navigation popup that shows in the Left side of the digital instrument display is really nice. I also love the fact you can now enter verbal destination addresses and POI searches while the car is in motion. No more stopping just to make a navigation entry.

• The stereo quality is actually very good, and I didn't even get the B&W system in this car. I'm actually very impressed. I may not even mess with the bass in this XJ like I did with my old one.

• No more spilling drinks with cupholders...of different sizes are perfect!

• Surprisingly good gas mileage - I averaged 26.7 mpg over 800 miles on the highway only. My car's computer had me thinking it was 29.5 as well Anyway, the EPA gas mileage rating is only 23 mph on the highway, so I extremely happy in this regard. My SuperV8, although it was supercharged, managed to get about 27 or 28 mpg cruising on the highway.

Dislikes

• I do miss my sunglass holder in my SuperV8. There isn't a dedicated glass compartment here.

• I found that the USB file structure only allows for 254 files per folder.

• The Door handles feel like plastic that you can break easily. In fact, I saw an XJ on a car lot that DID have a broken door handle. I better be gentle.

• The navigation system 'time to destination' accuracy is crazy wrong. My phone navigation, which was much more accurate to the true driving time, estimated the time 1 hour, 45 minutes less than the Jag. The X350 had an input screen in the navigation program that allowed you to input predetermined MPH data for highways, major roads, and minor streets to help calculate the travel time. There isn't one in the X351.

• Can the smart key be any larger, or heavier!?!

• I'm disappointed that the USB, radio, CD, bluetooth, and every other source uses the same sound setting (Bass, Treble, Subwoofer). In the X350, it saved the settings differently for each source.

• Unlike my SuperV8, this XJ doesn't have adaptive cruise...and to be honest, I didn't really miss it on the long drive home.

• This new XJ has coilovers in the front and air suspension in the rear. I did notice this setup gave a little firmer ride and I felt more of the road imperfections that I normally would have experienced if driving the X350 ... utilizing air shocks on all four corners.

• My cruise control was deactivated three or four times when going over large cracks or rough patches of highway. Strange...and one symptom that I hope doesn't lead to anything more than an infrequent nuisance.

So, now that I've gotten her back home, I have some plans to make her a little more unique...more personal. Without giving away details that may spoil the surprise of a future thread I intend to author, here's what I have planned:

1. Mina rear spoiler
2. Leather trimmed rotary shifter from Jag
3. Wheels, also OEM, but I haven't seen this particular combination tried on the XJ
4. Tint; the lightest shade I can find, but with good heat rejection properties
5. Paint the background of the grille badge read, and add red wheel caps
6. I'm going to install the 'video in motion' module found on ebay to allow video file play while driving.

To Be Continued

 

We are a small community here but if theres anything to be done to the X351, many have done or (tried) it. We are indeed the pioneers of this car.

Welcome, and please continue to contribute and don't be afraid to think outside the box as you'll find many Jag owners to be quite conservative.

Our imaginations have fostered many a great idea here!

 

Thanks for the welcome, polar! I did notice, that during my pre-purchase research around here, that this subforum didn't have a whole lot of activity. I know it will grow as more x351s become available on the used market, depreciation continues, and people like me (middle class) can afford to enjoy them.

Have no fear about me posting information and asking some questions. :} I love getting 'intimate' with my cars and doing any work on them myself, if possible. Most of the time, I do a writeup to share with the forum readers, unless its been done already and there isn't anything new to add.

First thing I need to do is get my SDD with mongoose clone hooked up to reset the service light. The lexus dealer who sold me the car did an oil change as part of their reconditioning process. Those swirl marks are driving me crazy, I need to start buffing!

 

Congrats Matt, nice looking car although I'm sure it will be much nicer by the time you've finished if past vehicles / posts are anything to go by.


Sorry to hear about your beloved X350, long live the X351

 

Good write-up on the likes and dis-likes. Looking for more In-depth information to grow regarding the X351 to aid when I decide to trade up in the future.

 

Nice report on your initial impressions. Thanks! The Jaguar GPS navigation system sucks, even after you update it. Don't bother. Get a Garmin and be happy!

 

I discovered that the digital instrument display changes from blue highlights to red upon activating the dynamic mode. Just another 'cool' touch to the car. For those who haven't seen the new XJs dash in person (Lem), I made a little video clip for ya.

 

Welcome to the forum mate...excellent choice with the car!

 

I have the VIM module and wifey loves it. Word of caution and make sure you have the right tools to prevent marring the beautiful leather dash.

 

H20 - Looks like we are from the same area, and like you, although, I'm a first time Jag owner, I flew in and drove back 1,300 miles with my new one. Really gave me a chance to get acquainted with the vehicle. Picked up a 2012 XJL with only 3,600 miles on it for thousands less than I could find one for in the DFW area and have yet to find a 2012 anywhere with that low of mileage on it. Curious about the video in motion, if you have installed yet, and who/what brand you went with?

 

Welcome to X351 ownership. I too have noticed that the "ETA" calculation in the satnav sucks hard.

 

Congrats Cork: I too was fortunate to get a 2012 XJL in November and it had only 7300 miles on the clock. These are great automobiles--enjoy yours.

 

Matt Im surprised you didnt mention how much quieter the car is over your old one. Maybe enjoying the stereo too much. compared to the new XJ series I still think theres a window cracked open in my 04VDP, and I know theres a window open in the 95 VDP
yeah I love the new suede so much Im in the middle of recovering my headliner and trim posts with new the fabric.
I dont think Ive seen a nav system that beats Google maps yet. I dont know why they just dont put tablets in for touch screens

 

@ Cork - I haven't installed the VIM module yet. It's still in transit from Portugal, I think. The brand is the same one you see on Ebay and other internet sites. I purchased mine through Ebay. Your 2012 looks minty...we need to get together and compare cars sometime this spring/summer! Tell me yours didn't come with lighted door sills.

@ LaCapital - I will be EXTRA careful, and take my time with the head unit R&R!

@ Brutal - you know, my 05 was REALLY quiet on highways at speed, and I couldn't tell any difference driving this '11. I did tend to turn up the volume in the 05 with its new speakers, add-on signal processor, amps and sub. Oh dear, I sure miss that car.

 

H2O - No lighted door sills (I wish!!) - Car was mint when I picked it up - back seat had never been sat in (still had plastic wrap on the grab handles) - but on the way home, TXDOT was chewing up the asphalt on I20 and I wasn't paying attention when an 18 wheeler changed lanes and pebbled me with rocks resulting in about 6 chips in the hood. Time to looks for touch up paint. You have any experiences with Autobahn there on White Settlement? Took mine in on Monday and so far am not impressed with them.

 

Cork, yikes! sorry to hear about the pebble-spray. That just hurts thinking about it. I'm trying the Dr. Color Chip system, and I'll let you know if it works on the Ebony paint.

Autobahn used to be a GREAT service provider a few years ago before they lost all of their really good service advisors (the guys up front). The techs are still good, though, I've had the same one for over 7 years on my xk8. You just need to get past the 'kids' greeting you and trying to coordinate everything. Oh, but you can't beat the parts guy, Clarence, he's been there forever and will hook you up from time to time.

 

update on the video in motion... parcel was lost in transit. Stupid USPS! I'm jumping through ebay seller hoops trying to get a replacement.

 

H2Oboy,

I've already been there, done that (except #6), so here's what you can expect:

Mina rear spoiler:


My rotary shifter mod:


Stock wheels, red center caps and dark tint (before spoiler):


And my red painted growler:




Another mod to consider - Pedal covers and footrest


Stuart

 

Stuart -

I especially like your rotary shift knob with the leaper insignia. Is it leather wrapped, and if so does it make the knob any easier to manipulate after being parked exposed to the sun? The stock knob becomes almost too hot to handle.
Care to share where you sourced this?
Thanks in advance.

John

 

John,

I have the stock rotary shift knob with the knurled circumference. Here's what it looked like before I added the leaper:


It is not leather wrapped and never gets hot to the touch because I always use a reflective sunshade which, together with the dark tint windows, keeps my interior from getting too hot. I bought the OEM Jaguar XJ accessory sunshade mainly to protect the leather dash from shrinking.

Microthin metal Jaguar Leaper logo stickers are available in 2 sizes from modSticker: Jaguar Metal Logo Sticker - modSticker.com. Small is $1.99 and medium is $2.99 plus S&H.


I bought the small size and simply cut the word JAGUAR off, although it will fit with it on if that's what you prefer. I just prefer the leaper by itself. The leaper fits perfectly across the rotary shifter. It is a sticker, and has a clear plastic top layer that you peel off after you stick it on. Because it is microthin metal, it is very fragile and you need to be careful handling it. Once the clear plastic top layer is removed, all you have left is the outline of the leaper, with nothing inside. I make a conscious effort to keep my hand off that logo so I don't mess it up.

I also put it on the shift knob of my 2009 XKR:


If this was helpful, please click at the bottom right of this post.

Stuart