Am closing in choosing an XJL-
I find the acceleration in the nonSC quite nice, the salesman suggests for the small monthly increment to take the SC which has 20" wheels, active diff and BW stereo already included.
The XJL nonSC I tested had a smoother ride than my XF. Many reviews of the SC XJL mention a harsher ride- I wasn't able to do a comparison test drive- Is it much harsher? Is the handling crisper? in the XF I think the suspension is active only with the SC but I note for the XJ it is active rear for all trim levels

thanks all for the input,
AJ

 

Finally I got to test drive the XJL-SC.
It is a very different feel to me than the XJL non-SC.
Coming from a 2009 XF premium luxury, and never having had a full on sports car, I found the non-SC XJL to have more of a luxury car ride, while also handling even better than the XF.
The XJL-Supercharged on the other hand seemed a bit on the choppy side to me. Probably much more capable but not a luxury sedan type of ride, more of a sports sedan ride. The other really distracting thing to me were the fine wires in the windshield- apparently they equipped this Florida XJL-SC with heated windshield.
I'm still attracted to the near supercar performance specs of the XJL-SC but it is clearly a distinct flavor compared to the non-SC.
Anyone else conclude that for them perhaps less is more?

 

I only briefly drove a base XJL on some boring smooth roads before purchasing my XJ SC, so I didn't really notice any ride difference, only an acceleration difference. But then, I personally like a firmer, sportier ride in a sedan--I like to feel the road. Just a personal preference. Getting the SC was a no-brainer for me--I have a need for speed!

Yes, many have complained about the visible wires in the heated windshields--have never seen one myself because the dealers don't order them in my neck of the woods for the Houston climate. Why on earth is there one in Florida?

 

THanks HouTex,
I went ahead and bought the XJL-SC- I too fell under the spell of the SC power. Pictures to follow---
Saying goodbye to my Azure Blue XF next week unless I can convince my wife to keep it.

 

Sweet! Congratz man. What color combo did you pick? Brand new or used?

 

Congrats. Can't wait to see the pics.

 

Enjoy the ride. You won't regret it. As they say

 

Get the SC, u won't regret it. I drive the dealer's loaner base XJ when my SC is in the shop, and I have to put it on S mode with Dynamic to get it to run 'cause it just feels like a HOG! My Acura TL 6MT feels faster than the base XJ in regular mode. I don't floor my SC from every light, but the base version just feels like it has no juice. Not sure if it's the dealer ride that got beat up by customers, but only has 3500 miles when I was driving it so that can't be the issue. Never bothered to test drive a non-sc version brand new so I can't say if the loaner is worse than usual but it sure needs a little helping of HP to get rolling.

 

Thanks all,
the car is embarrassingly good looking and the dealer sweetened the deal with chrome mirror covers. Its a brand spanking new silver XJL-SC with black interior. It has the heated windshield so I hesitated, but glad I pulled the trigger. It is brutally fast, I'm afraid to gun it- I checked to see if there is a break-in recommendation in the manual but I didn't find one.
Also can't believe the first oil change is not till 15,000 miles. I think I'm going to pay for one after about 1000 miles.

I'm going to get the windows lightly tinted on the sides and dark in the back- can't believe a car this big drives so well.

I'll repost a picture after my tints are in:
(my first time posting pics, hope this works- and yes, the weather here was glorious)

 

I was told there was no break-in period as well. And I am not sure if that had anything to do with my engine blowing up but on my second engine I definitely broke it in for the 1st 1000Km and I am going this week for them to make sure this engine is ok and change the oil. I would like to hear from some of the techs because from my understanding thing with moving metal to metal parts needs a break-in period followed by an oil change to get the like minute metal particles out.

 

Boy you guys got me thinking....... When I had both my Merc's they had you come in at around 1500 miles for an initial check and now I'm wondering if that is what is was for. Well I'm picking my car up tomorrow from getting (hopefully) the latest greatest popping fix and just called them to change the oil. They only charge $75. Not bad.

 

Very nice!

 

Beautiful car. Drive it like you stole it!

 

The regular version is no slouch either. I also drove the XF with the regular normally aspirated engine. It just is....we are so used to our power in the SC that anything slower feels....well really slow. You can get used to power so fast. There is never enough.
The SC is just really great. I wonder if there is a chip tuning out yet to get it remapped to the Supersport Spec which provides higher charger pressure resulting in the 510 HP. I checked some tuners and still haven't found one. Should be around by now.

 

Is that all there is to it to get the extra 40HP? I know you get a few more bells and whistles on the Supersport, but I thought a lot of the extra cost was for the more powerful engine.

 

It's all in the tune. I paid 2K for a tune and pulley kit from a tuner in Calif and gained around 55HP to the rear wheels on my 2010 XFR.

 

I would be very interested in this too!

 

Its pretty pricey because its in euro. I would suggest waiting for some American tuning company comes out with something.

Arden Leistungssteigerung S1 für XKR und XF 5,0l SC

 

I have been away from this forum for a while (life goes on), but I am coming up on my one year anniversary with my 2011 XJ SC. I have to say that overall I could not be happier. I love to drive it, have figured out the interior electronics and it looks great. To this day, I get preferred treatment at valets and random people (men and women) comment on how great it looks! My only complaint is the gas mileage, but I knew this from day one of course and fuel economy was not part of my buying process.