I just pulled the trigger on a 2006 XJ8 L. This was a bit of a change from my 2005 S-Type. While both cars were really nice, I did notice a distinct character difference between the two. The S-Type was a fairly hard-edge sports sedan while the XJ was more of a luxury sedan. The Xj8 L seems to be real suited to long distance touring and has a lot of creature comforts lacking in the S-type I had. They are really two different cars based on my experience. The S-Type is a cutting edge sports sedan while the XJ8 is a more refined luxury sedan.

 

Hi carelm
Hope you enjoy "the car that thinks it's an aircraft". Yes it's all aluminium with very little steel in the car. The construction technology uses aerospace techniques to join panels using rivets and glue. Hope I'm not telling you something you already know !!

Although the car has air suspension, most of the actual suspension components like bushes, wishbones, etc are the same as the S-type as you'll find if you look for parts on the internet. You will find that the car feels much lighter and more handleable that you would expect of such a large car, (large to an Englishman !!). That is due to the aluminium construction, the car weighs about the same as your old S-type.

 

Thanks Fraser, I didn't know about the glue but I did know about the XJ being largely aluminium. Supposedly you can also use the S-Type's shocks and springs (with a little work). There is another thread on this topic. It caught me out a bit when I first test-drove as it really took off the first time I gassed it. Right now, the score for Jags is XJ 3, S-Type 1. I had a 1990 XJ and a 1996 XJ. This is my first Jaguar that is not some shade of blue.