I'm not yet an owner, and there are a few things which I cannot verify until I own one, it seems.

The XJ Super V8 has my curiosity piqued, but there are a few things of which I'm unsure. One is, how is the cruise control actuated? Is it vacuum, like auto manufacturers have been using, lazily, for decades, or is it electrical, like on W124/126 Daimler cars and on the Freightliner XC truck chassis?

I've never been a fan of CC because it's not smooth. This is due to the vacuum actuation. 'Cause on my W124, which is electrical (I mean control of the throttle), I freakin' love it! I use it multiple times per day, actually. The Freightliner-based motorhome remembers the last setting, even if the batteries are disconnected and it sits for six months!

The last vehicle I had with vacuum CC, I used it once when I bought it, new...and it turns out I wasn't over-doing it, checking to make certain everything worked on that brand-new car...and immediately before I put it up for sale.

The electric actuator does not surge with terrain changes like vacuum-actuated does. That's what I hope Jaguar put in the supercharged XJ series.

BTW, I'm still working on convincing my wife I should, neigh, NEED to go from a $3K, 16 year old Mercedes (which is a much better-than-average car), to a 5-6 year old near-$100K-when-new Super V8.

I've not espoused about how ultra-desirable the Portfolio edition is. I'll keep that to myself....

 

I'm pretty sure the cruise is electronic.. Mine does not surge when headed up hill.

Keep in mind the Super V8 and the XJR both have adaptive cruise control that senses vehicle in front of you and activates the brakes to keep you from running into them. On long haul trips with little traffic its fine but its aggravating at times when cars pass too close and the Jag slams on the brakes.

 

I agree. The cruise is quite smooth. The adaptive will thrill you when someone cuts in front of you. The shortest gap setting is just broad enough to let a car slide in on you.

 

As most cars these days are drive-by-wire, they don't use vacuum actuation anymore.