Hey everyone,

I was wondering how good the X351 is in the snow? I want to suggest a used XJ to my dad, which he is used to 4wd in the winter, but am a bit hesitant to tell him to get a car with RWD. How bad is driving in the snow? Would he need winter tires?

Thanks for any input,
Mike

 

Just my opinion, but I would not suggest going from AWD to RWD with the Jaguar 5.0 if it was my father. I know they have TC and you can get snow tires but Jaguar came out with AWD on the XF (I'm not sure about the XJ) for a reason. It was because they wanted more of the market in the northern U.S.

 

The XJ does come in AWD. Granted, from what I remember, it will only come with the 3.0L engine. But, for most driver's, that will be more than enough power to get them down the road. Then with the AWD, getting through the snow should not be a problem.

 

Where does he live. I drove my 2011 XJL 5.0 SC in the terrible Virginia winter of 13/14 and it was pretty good. No, its not AWD or 4WD good, but just as good as any FWD Sedan I've had.

It's a very heavy car and that helps.

The 3.0 AWD maybe a good choice if you plan on Chicago level snow.

Best,
dsd

 

Just to throw in my two cents, my MY 2009 XF RWD in 'winter driving mode' and with a set of true winter tires (not all seasons) impressed the heck out of me driving in the last two Pennsylvania winters. I'm assuming the RWD XJ will also have a 'winter driving mode' button but I think equally important is a set of snow tires. Based on my experience with the XF, I would think the XJ could do just as well. Just my opinion.

 

I drove both an Audi TT (AWD) and my SS last winter in Toronto (brutal winter). And while the AWD TT did see more road time, the Jag wearing 20" Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II tires on it and Winter mode selected was very sure footed.

Next winter, the TT will no longer be an option, but I'm certainly not dreading the prospect of driving the XJL daily on snowy/icy roads one bit.

 

Tough call. Four wheel drive cars provide superior acceleration traction, but no additional braking, or turning capabilities in the snow, and therefore instill artificial confidence in their drivers. In fact most 4 wheel drive vehicles in this country are pick-up trucks and SUV s or mini-vans which have higher centers of gravity than conventional sedans like the Jaguar, and they are the ones which end up off the road, on their sides and up side down. Front wheel drive vehicles also provide superior traction since most cars have sixty percent of their weight over the front wheels. Unfortunately, when braking, their engine braking also is applied to the front wheels, rather than the rear wheels, which locks up their front wheels, regardless of anti-lock braking, causing them to plow straight ahead into trees, bridge structures and other cars, since they are unable to steer around such obstacles. The Jaguar XJ, especially the XJL, has nearly perfect front to rear weight distribution, which provides superior traction than most rear wheel drive cars, as well as superior turning and braking capabilities. However, tires are all important on any vehicle when it comes to driving in the snow. At a minimum have all season tires on your car anywhere in the country where the temperature gets below 45 degrees F., snow or not, and mount snow tires on all four wheels if you intend to venture fourth through any more than three or at most four inches of snow. Winter driving mode only aids acceleration; nothing else, and most accidents are related to inability to stop or turn, not to accelerate.

 

I'm normally on the Ftype R section as that is my current Jaguar.. however, I thought I would share my experience with winter driving with my XKR that I just sold.
I live in central Ontario Canada and bought a set of Yokohama winter tires (much better than Pirelli in my experience), they have the ground walnut shells in the compound for ice as well and decent tread depth. The car had 20 in. wheels, so I bought a set of Coventry wheels at 19 in. which fit over the brakes fine and the tires are cheaper at this size as well as providing more tire depth for potholes.
The jaguar was actually quite good with 'winter mode' switched on up to about 4 or maybe 5 full inches of soft snow.. on dry snow it would handle a bit more, but ultimately you end up plowing and going over the snow until the car ends up 'high centered' with wheels off the ground.. and you are stuck, as the car is quite low. One of the reasons SUV's are good in the snow is simply ground clearance.
We can have snow measured in feet, so I also have a Jeep for the deeper snow days.
Lawrence.