Shopping for my first xj8. 2004-05 appears to be my price range They are a used car bargain in my mind. I like the idea of a touchscreen, but since these are older technology I'm wondering if they are a plus or a minus to have. So I'd like to ask touchscreen model owners on there opinion, and any other inputs on buying a xj8. Bob.

 

The NAV itself is "marginal at best", but I wouldn't want an XJ8 without it.

 

The touch screen is convenient, adds resale value and while not the best, is not as bad as some systems out there. If you do not care about the functionality, then don't let it be the deciding factor on what car you end up with.

Also I would recommend sticking with later made 2005 or newer due to various reliability improvements.

Good luck.

 

So far I have had no problems with the touchscreen. The sat-nav is a bit naff, though. I prefer to use the old 'hard-copy' maps, especially the UK Ordance Survey 1:50000 ones 1.25" to the mile. Ocasionally I clean the screen with spectacles cleaner.

 

Thanks for the reply's . So the control functions work ok. Did anybody get a firmware update and get improved results. And for a second question, people don't seem impressed with the Alpine sound system.

 

The touch screen is fine in my '04 VDP but the Nav system sucks since you can't input anything while the car is moving. The touch screen works fine for audio stuff.

 

Agree on the touchscreen. The cabin looks more cluttered without it in my opinion, because there's more hard knobs and multiple LCD displays instead. As mentioned before, the most annoying thing about the Sat Nav is you can't enter addresses on the move, and I'm not suggesting I want to be doing this, but most of the time I have my co-pilot with me so she could type the addresses in

Can't fairly comment on the Alpine audio as I have the Portfolio 15 speaker system, which to my ears sounds amazing.

 

Recently bought an 2004 XJ8 with 43K miles. Had an aftermarket nav & bluetooth unit installed. I'm pretty sure I had a base level Alpine system and liked it. The new unit even sounds better, with great clarity and great bass.

 

The firmware updates don't improve anything you would notice.

The Alpine system is not much to talk about. HOWEVER the premium and portfolio systems are among the better factory systems out there. For the trims priced at over $100K some expect more. I have owned dozens of cars over the years including those with high end Bose multi-channel studio sound, Levinson, Infinity premium, etc and I have been very please with this one's performance.