I would appreciate any insight from other XJ owners on how the XJ handles the winter. In about two days the DC area is expected to get blasted and since my XJ is my only car now, I will find out shortly how it likes or hates snow. My previous Jaguar, an S-Type handled it OK due to the DSC but there were limits.

 

I would recommend fitment of winter tyres. Temperatures and snowfall is much worse than here in the UK, where most people manage with the same tyres winter and summer. However, it would be better for your peace of mind if you were able to buy what we in England call "an old banger" and run that instead in winter. Of course on a cleared and salted road the Jaguar will be OK, but it's not good for corrosion.

 

This will be my first winter with an XJR as well, but as we only average about two weeks of snow of the entire season, I don't feel that I'm going to need to do much, if anything to mine. so< i'm interested to see what replies you get. In the VA Beach area, we get ice more than snow...I spin a bit on damp roads as it and that's not even including the cold aspect of it. I have mt Durango, and I foresee some miles being added to her a bit more than these past few months! lol

 

Hmm can't say for sure with any certainty, its my first foray into RWD so coming to terms with that.

I personally find it really squirelly in the wet / damp / bends etc and to that end have just fitted new all season tyres ( not winters )

I have to say it is much much better, but I'd bet my bottom dollar it'll be a pig in the snow / ice and won't be keen to risk it myself.

 

Well Jim, you still have the Audi for the nasty stuff so you can park the XJ until the roads clear up. My current work situation is that if the federal government shuts down, I stay home since the shuttle service and Metro trains won't run.

 

I'm in DC too and have had an XJ for many years. I drive it all winter and just stay off the roads when we get the occasional "big dump." It's the XK that's a big baby and gets stowed for the winter.

Before the XJ, I had an X-Type and actually looked forward to ice and snow because that car was so good in inclement weather. People would be standing in their driveways, shovel in hand with endless fields of foot-deep snow in every direction and I'd go zipping by in the X-Type like it was a summer holiday at the beach. In contrast, I just won't take the XJ out if there's snow on the road. Why take the chance?

 

I've had the XJR on black ice that we get in north texas. With a very light trottle the Traction control actually worked! And of course using the J gate to slow down when needed. I run cooper zeons all seasons.

 

You might look at some threads on this forum. In particular on tires, traction control, or limited-slip differentials which Jags do not have. IMHO not having a limited-slip differential on a XJR is asinine.

I am in a Detroit suburb. I consider traction control zero to one notch above useless in the snow. But slightly better on ice or cold and wet. Unfortunately I have tires, Bridgestone Pole Position, that are terrible in the winter.

If I still worked for a living I would a) have a four-wheel drive Benz, or b) have a limited-slip differential with winter tires like my 4500 lb. Q45 of eons ago.

 

Well, I got my answer this morning. Kittys no likee snow. I was able to get to the Vienna Metro but I lit up the traction control light several times. At least it's better than a two wheel drive Silverado. I got caught behind the unfortunate driver as he/she spent three traffic light signals trying to make a right hand turn up a hill. I managed to get around the Silverado by going straight until I got a clear patch and then made the right turn. To be fair, the roads were pretty slick and there were a fair number of cars slithering about.

 

Mike,

I kept my XJ in the garage today (Chantilly). 4" of snow is enough to make DC drivers crazy, as evidenced by the slipping sliding silverado you mentioned above. I feel confident of my own ability to get through snow (have lived in NYC, Boston, Rochester) but it's the "other" driver I worry about.

If I absolutely had to get somewhere today, I'd take the bus to the metro.

Rich.

 

Yesterday was real interesting. A bunch of schools decided after twelve bus accidents that maybe closing was a good idea. In DC, 13th and K streets were like a skating rink. Buses couldn't get up the hill on 13th street and blocked traffic. Also, my manager reported two fights on the Redline Metro.

 

winter is what my x-type is for.

 

I saw a BRGreen X-Type yesterday at the grocery store, it drove right by me about 2 feet away and I admired it as it traversed the entire path from right to left. The guy had kept it in great shape and it shone without a spot of dirt to be seen. As the car went by, the well dressed lady sitting in the passenger seat glanced at me out the corner of her eye and was probably wondering why the grungy guy on the sidewalk was staring at them.

Little did they know how much I was admiring their car. That car is just ideal. It's sporty and it handles wonderfully in all circumstances, including snow. It has almost all (mine did) the same luxury features as the XJ even though it cost half as much and it still retains the Jaguar grace and elegance.

My wife would shoot me if I bought another car.

 

Yes The X type with AWD ......What a great car for winter, had one and it was superb!!

The XJ in a little snow......not so much!

We had a little snow a few days ago, I mean a little, probably only around an inch or so.

I intentionally went out to test the XJ's RWD and just to get a feel for her in these very light wintry conditions.
Downright scary is a word that springs to mind....lol

Compared to the sure footed ability of the Audi in much much worse conditions, this was a driving experience for sure. The trip was only around 6 miles max there and back on 40mph limit roads, with a roundabout or two and a few bends thrown in along with a medium sized hill.

Suffice to say it's not an experience I'd want to repeat too often.

 

If one doesn't opt for snow tyres, he would certainly want to keep a good set of tyres on the vehicle during the winter months.

On my 2005 Jaguar XJ8L, I have a nice set of 'W' rated Bridgestones. During heavy snowfall, I simply won't take the Jag out of the driveway. Other than that, it handles the snow quite well for a rear wheel drive, and it 'might' be better on the ice than the front wheel drives.

 

I've been trying forever to get an X-Type wagon, but they are really hard to find. I checked out Autotrader.com and there were five for sale in the entire US. The closest one was about 500 miles away.

 

Alas, there will come a day in the not too distant future when we'll all be relegated to driving FWD cars and this conversation will be moot, at least here in the U.S.. The EPA will see to it soon enough. The performance and acceleration we enjoy during the three remaining seasons, will be a distant memory.

I digress again. RWD full size luxury cars are pigs in the snow. All of them, no matter the brand.

Growing up in Minnesota, I had a 69 Olds Delta 88 (her name was Delta Dawn and yep, I'm that old). 20 feet long and two tons heavy, all 4 tires were re-treads, which was the most common option for us poor lads back then. It's about as close in size as my Super V8 today.
Fortunately, back then, car ownership came with many perks, including all the friends you never knew you had. And my ole gunboat could seat 8 if we had to. That's 7 additional passengers chipping in for gas, fellas.

So we never let snow get in the way. And if the old retreads couldn't keep the beast on the road, 7 teens could rock that beast back out of the ditch 9 out of 10 times.

That was then, this is now. Aluminum body repair costs + ridiculous depreciation = the following winter driving solution.... for me

 

Occasionally, when winters get to be really bad in the US, our English television news has a feature on it, like the recent 10' of snow in Buffalo. This is when I forgive the English climate its horrible fickleness, and the damp winters and summers that seem everlasting !!

Anyway, when one thinks of the cost of repairs to these all-aluminium saloons, I think the best thing is to leave the Jaguar at home and use the Missus's car like I do. Her VW New Beetle has front wheel drive, and also plastic "spring-back" wings that laugh-off dings and dents. Really, if you can afford to run a Jaguar, you can afford to run an Old Banger for use in winter. If it gets written off, you don't cry your eyes out for a month, you just go out and buy another one !

 

Today I put my XJ8 in the garage until Spring. We have been enjoying a brief spell of snowless weather in the past week here in Illinois, but after noticing that the Jag could not make it up a mildly icy hill two blocks from my house (a hill where I sledded as a child many years ago), I parked her in the garage today. Just not worth the trouble, and besides, I was tracking in a lot of slush on the floor mats. Will drive a rather drab front-wheel drive minivan until the meadowlarks return.

 

The big XJ, with its fat tyres, is perfectly safe in snow and ice provided you use the correct gears.







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