Spent a few days at NOLA this week for 2016 Jaguar training. Half class and half track (They have a beautiful facility and an extremely smooth F1 track)
We didn't drive the refreshed XJ but had some fantastic training for the coming tech explosion that's about to ignite in all Jaguar products.
Here's some photos of the highlights. All standard bodies will be badged R Sport. The long bodies are all going to be the Portfolio. No crossover between body lengths.
The new technology is pretty wild. The dash can go full Navi display, you have 5 gauge choices, reaction time was instant with zero delay. The sound system was ultra high level, with an optional upper level Meridian that has center speakers in the back of the front seats.
I liked the new LED headlights (talk about bright) but will miss the claw mark tail lights. They've been replaced by a J
More seat controls. The Portfolio features dimond stitching that was gorgeous. New plush cushioned head rest (not pictured) were extremely comfortable with large padded wings.
1 of 5 gauge choices. The white box will show traffic sign speeds it reads though google Earth. Even if there are no signs posting traffic speed limits, this system will tell you.
I wish you had photos of the new tail lights; the claw mark units were so cool, I can't believe they were replaced in exchange for the new gaudy driving lights, and busy front end accents which I'm sure many will wet their pants for.
The tapioca colored seats, with or without 1950's diamond stitching are, well, ugly.
Would love to see the new plush cushioned wrap-around head rests with large wings.
As far as the instrument panel changes are concerned, they still trail far behind those of the Garmin GPS unit I have atop my dash, located near my line of sight when driving which displays not only speed limit, but warnings for school zones, estimated time of arrival, and all kinds of additional information not available on the Jaguar navigation screen which is light years behind, and located too low.
London Tan is a love it or hate it color. I've got a gorgeous white with truffle (dark brown) and Ivory for a customer but he only wants London Tan. Shrug....
The new headrest are really nice. Out of the hundreds of Jag people at this event, someone else must belong to this forum and have photos of them.
Auto companies have it tough, merging design with usability. I think the new laser HUD will address your objection (works with polarized sunglasses as does all the interior screens).
Hard to say with modern D sounding so quiet and all the gas engines having the same fuel injector. These XJ's were all training cars with programs downloaded into them.
Thanks for sharing the pictures. Glad to hear the L wheel base Jaguars will be the Portfolio edition. Really like my L Portfolio.
Sounds interesting and look forward to seeing a full view of the '16 Jaguar.
From Autoweek Magazine, 6/16/2015: "Jaguar, hot on the heels of BMW’s redesigned 7-series sedan, is prepping a freshened XJ sport sedan for 2016.It goes on sale this fall in eight variants: Standard-wheelbase XJ R-Sport, XJ R-Sport AWD, XJ Supercharged and XJR, long-wheelbase XJL Portfolio, XJL Portfolio AWD, XJL Supercharged and XJR LWB.
The exterior features a larger, more upright grille, new LED head- and taillamps, and a new R-Sport model. But there’s quite a bit new and improved inside and under the skin.
The biggest news inside is the new infotainment system Jag calls InControl Touch Pro. It’s designed to be simple and intuitive. The 8-inch screen is the centerpiece and it works like a smartphone, responding to pinch and swipe gestures to scroll between home screens. You can customize the screen with different wallpaper images and additional home pages can be added. The system’s navigation includes door-to-door route planning/guidance and public transportation options.
A new commute mode learns your daily routine and can automatically offer alternative routes to avoid congestion using both historic and real-time traffic information.
Approach mode displays a 360-degree interactive view of your surroundings when you get to within roughly 650 feet of your destination and can direct you to the nearest available parking space.
Rear-wheel-drive models will now be equipped with electronic power steering, saving a smidge of fuel but probably losing a smidge of "feel." AWD models come with Jag's new All-Surface Progress Control, which helps drivers pull away from a slippery spot at low speeds.
The engines carry over for 2016: The 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 develops 340 hp and 332 pounds-feet of toque and is available with rear- or all-wheel drive. The 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 continues with both 470-hp and 550-hp variants. All engines are hooked to ZF’s eight-speed automatic transmission."
Thanks Stuart S -
Certainly a lot of bling on the trunk (boot) of the XJL, quilted seats (so retro), and pop-up TVs for the rear seat passengers (which should appeal to the millennials).
Hey you do what you have to do to stay relevant in today's up-side-down tasteless world.
I like the fact that Surround Sound will be standard equipment in the 2016. The Premium Sound System is not bad but for a car of this caliper , IMO it would have been nice if had been standard equipment a few years ago.
Another nice feature of the 2016 will be the ability to access some features in the car from your cell phone.
I was thinking of trading for a 2016 but I am not in love with the blacked out grill,piping on the seats nor the spoiler on the trunk. I wish they would have just left the XJ like it was.
The LWB is to long for me.
I pulled into a toll booth off the interstate and handed the guy my ticket and money and waited for change. No change came and I heard him yelling to the guy in the next booth about something. Turns out he wanted to know all about the car and wasn't going to give me the change until he and his buddy found out.
at the bottom right.
