I should be quite happy with my 94 XJ6-it has treated me well with no problems in the last 3 years, but the eyes start wandering and soon I'm test driving 05 XJ8s. The first drive in an 05 with 95000 miles ended once I felt the trans doing the shudder/stumble shift issue. Granted a trans service or reprogram may fix the problem but I didn't want to chance it. Second test drive in an 05 with 105000 miles was better but this one had alot of front end noise.Almost like a hub bearing going bad or bad tires.So on a 04/05 XJ8 should the ride and road noise level be similiar to the 94 or has the air ride system stiffened up the ride to a more sport level? Am I comparing apples and oranges? Cary

 

I don't know because I've never driven a '94, but your XJ40 is "old Jaguar", so will have the boulevard ride its predecessor had, as does the X300 series. My old XJ Series 3 had it, but my current XJ6 (X350 series), doesn't.

The air sprung cars are OK, but the boulevard ride has been lost, mainly due to the use of low profile tyres. In addition, the XJRs have "Sport" air springs plus really low profile tyres so can be a bit harsh if you're not use to it.

 

My previous Jaguar XJ was a 98 XJ8 VDP (X308) and based on the same suspension as your XJ40. My current car, an 06 XJ8L (X350) and in my case the X350 rides substantially better than the X308. I am not sure if that's attributable to the air suspension, the stiffer structure of the aluminum monocoque, which is about 60% stiffer, or some combination of the two. I also had an 87' XJ-S which had an amazing ride, but was not substantially in the lead where comparisons are made. In fact, the current car reminds me of the XJ-S ride in many ways. It's often a matter of preference. I don't mind giving back a little "softness" in order to have a more responsive experience, but I felt that my X308 tended to crash over bumps with the front end, and my X350 is better ant not transmitting bumps and road imperfections through the body shell. Again, It is often one of preference. I think the X350 overall is a better balance of handling vs. ride comfort. YMMV!

 

Thats what I need to decide if I want to lose some of the ride characteristics of the xj40 in exchange for the sportier ride and other benefits of the x350. I do like the way the x350 looks and the acceleration is much better than my car.Hopefully a few more test drives will make it easier to decide which car to go with.