I am a long time owner of the X308 and keep driving it because I like the old school Jaguar styling, the size of the car vs. the gargantuan dimensions of the X351, and the visibility. However, if my car ever died, I would still consider the X351 as a replacement. I would be interested in hearing from people who have owned both of these cars regarding all of their thoughts from drivability, driving enjoyment, visibility, etc.

 

The same as when my shiny W140 MB showed up to replace my aging W126 ... on paper the W140 did it all ... missed my W126.

We have a early example that I never drive ... better half takes it.

 

Probably better luck posting in the 351 forum, but please link back to that post or keep us updated on what is said.

 

I agree. Owners with experience of both models are more likely to be current X351 owners.

I've moved the thread from X308 to X351 forum with a permanent redirect left in X308 forum.

Graham

 

I am an X351 owner and never owned but have been in an X308. I'll say I somewhat regret not getting a really nice used x308 and forgoing the X351. The X308 design is timeless and unique. The X351 is more of a modern, typical car for the era. In 20 years you could take the top 10 big sedans from today, remove the badging, line them up and you'd have problems picking out the X351. You'll never have that issue with the X308. Not to mention the myriad of problems with the X351 that at some point will necessitate dumping it in a junkyard. It has no staying power.

 

Sorry, but I completely disagree. Nothing looks like an X351 on the road.

 

Weird - in the pic above the X351's rear wheel looks a lot smaller than the front one.

 

The photo of the two cars side by side shows how large the X351 is. Having said that, I drove one around for 4 days recently, (dealer courtesy car !!), and didn't have any problems, but I wouldn't want to take the car down English country lanes like we have around here.

 

Having owned both. The 2001 XJR x308 was great but really low and may still have owned it as I gave it to my son and it got wrecked. It too, as the X351 had some failures, but was a great car and that leather aroma never left. The X351 is a superb automobile and I rank with my Citroen SM for true luxury, comfort and ride. Then there was my Ferrari that was fun to drive, cost a lot to maintain, and OH!! that sound. But in the end the X351 is sporty, luxurious, super fast, great ride, comfortable, unbelievable audio system, and a truly great automobile. Think I'll keep her for a long time.

 

I previously owned the '01 XJ8 for 13 years and I miss it. The current '14 XJ I have now owned for 8 months. Here are some comparisons I have noted:
The x308 had significantly more headroom. The x308 rode significantly smoother/softer than the relatively sporty or stiff ride of the x351 on it's softest setting. That I'm sure is not only owing to the stiffer suspension but the 19" low profile tires. I think the seats were more comfortable in the old x308 because the lumbar support was in the right place for me but that's a personal thing. The road handling for the 308 was a nice balanced combination of comfort and sportiness even for a sedan. I think my age has something to do with my preferring the classic looks of the old x308. I liked the wood in the x308. There was more of it.
I find the touch screen menu driven controls of the x351 to be a significant distraction and perhaps a safety compromising design. Man machine interface needed to be done by a pilot rather than a computer geek.
The mileage of the x308 is significantly more, of course, with the necessity to adhere to CAFE standards. Acceleration for the standard base models is also no comparison. I don't care whether its the x351 V8 or V6, they are fast off the line.
For me, experience on maintenance and reliability is still to be determined on the x351. Early water pump failure posts give me anxiety. The x308 never broke the bank for me and was reasonable (provided you pay attention to changing those timing chain tensioners at 100k miles otherwise it's $4K when the valves get bent). I'll be waiting to see how all the high tech gadgetry holds up. Too much to go wrong is one man's opinion.

 

hmmm....

 

Not even close.