I first posted back in December with looking to join the Jaguar club. Due to various circumstances and now the present one we're all dealing with, I finally got around to driving the car. I was very impressed and I love the car. It's in great shape cosmetically, almost mint, and I had it checked out by a British/European specialist shop a couple of weeks ago. No fluid leaks, air suspension has no issues. The mechanic said the transmission should be serviced, suspension boots are worn but no play detected ,thruster arms a bit worn and should be monitored, wheels need balancing as he detected some vibration at higher speed ( I didn't and got it up to 75) the thermostat has been changed but housing is original and should be replaced, a brake flush is due and the serpentine belt is showing some slight cracking. After driving the car my only hesitation stemmed from a surprising but not severe lack of headroom. It's a 2006 XJ8L and it has a sunroof. I frankly don't care about sunroofs but it is what it is. I'm 6-3, had the seat reclined a decent but comfortable amount and I think I had it at it's lowest setting. I went over a couple of bumps and once my head touched to roof of the car. Any taller Jag owners with opinions would be welcome. Overall what do you guys think? I'll answer any questions of course that any of you might have.

 

Let me add that it has 80k on it, and will be a treat myself purchase. I will drive it only occasionally and have no intent on selling my current daily vehicle.

 

Was told all American bound Jaguars have one, not my cup of tea either.
Why put a hole in the roof of a car, a house, or anything with a roof?
Your just asking for trouble, in my opinion.

 

At 6' 3" you'll probably struggle in Jaguars of this era. The car actually has more headroom than the six previous XJ saloon iterations ! You just have to try getting the seat as low as possible. What might help is to get the seat more rearwards and adjust pedal and steering wheel reach with the electric pedal control, but I suspect you had the seat right back anyway. If its any consolation, you would probably never be able to get into an E-type !

 

Hey I'm 6'4" and on my second xj!
I love these for a great many reasons and personally I don't have issues of headroom in the driver seat of either my SWB XJR or my Super V8. I followed the seat position instructions from Jag too, so my seats aren't in any extreme posture
I do have issues in the rear of both, but more in my super 8 for the very reason that I'm posting:
Have you checked that the headliner is tight and snug against the roof? My super 8 is starting to sag and it was actually hard to tell except that it's not my first Jag ha!
I've done 33000 miles and 143mph in them, and my first was my office and practically my house so I believe my opinion to be of greater than 0 value lol

 

My seat being dropped, & leaned back helps me a lot, but at 6'1" i'm not quite that tall.
They seem to suffer from neglect, more than from abuse.
Except for the super charged models, they seem to suffer the most.
Both of mine suffered the same fate as most everyone else's.
Suspension pretty well shot, trans pan leaking, in need of thermostat with housing.

 

6'3" here and never had headroom issues with my Super V8 when I had her. Sunroof, never open it and you want have problems. The issues I had was the location of the ignition key which met my knee on too many occasions. Also pay attention to the seat bolster and felt trim. Because of my height, as Fraser suggests, seat is in the lowest position. Larger (both obese and Tall) tend to slide their body across the felt/rubber door seal and tear it up. So care is required getting in and out. Suspension boots can be replaced at low cost and you should replace them before they start to effect the joints. They are cheap and plentiful. All other items are standard maintenance. I never hit my head but I also drove it with the seat lowered and the seat back reclined a bit.

 

Thanks for all the input so far. I didn't get the impression the headliner was sagging. I just figured it was the section of the ceiling that comes out from the sides. The sunroof itself has plenty of clearance. I wonder if the lower part of the headliner can be modified? I don't plan on using the sunroof.

 

Don't know if you guys have seen , it works great for me. I believe the rear of my seat is fully lowered but not the front to achieve the proper cockpit position.

 

Great! Thanks for the video.