APART from tin cans and food wrappers, aluminium has found a new home, the automotive industry. Audi for example has been banking into this technology for quite sometime. Lightweight, non corrosive and recycle friendly, this alloy has also attracted Jaguar.
The XJ Series which is now the bread and butter car for our local Jaguar dealer is the first aluminium bodied car to come out from Abbey Road.
Sticking to its traditonal design, you do not need to look at the badge to know what car this is. Long and flat boot, circular lights and small glass area spells out Jaguar very well.
Jaguar is all about stateliness. It gives you the feeling of sitting inside something created not by robots, but by artisans. For instance, the pull-type door handle feels very assuring, and will send you back in the golden years of motoring where cars are built to be as solid as a tank. It even emits the right "click" sound, which sounds very metallic and very assuring. reminds me of a bank's vault actually.
Then there is the dashboard. Keeping inline with its tradition, the only LCD panel we have here will be for the stereo and the controls for the HVAC (Heating, ventilation, Air-con and Cooling), which also looks very eighties.
But again, this is what Jaguar is all about, keeping in with the tradition. If you want something modern and funky, go for the German makes.
The foot pedals can be adjusted via electric motor to suit your driving position. This I am happy with as it customises to my driving position better. In fact I wonder why most German cars don't come with this feature.
The famous J-gate gear is there, more for the looks since I think the gate makes it quite notchy to shift about. If one decides to race this car against a Proton Wiralution, which I very much doubt, just press that big S button which sits next to the gear lever. The gear stays longer and that makes the engine growl (really sexy) louder.
The XJ is not over-endowed with gadgets. A lot of things are missing, like reclining rear seats, DVD player or even a multimedia screen. What you get is a seat covered with smooth supple leather, huge legroom and a very English ambiance. The latter is what many want, but I think since we are all gung-ho about being English here, Jaguar might as well make a small table to place a cup of English tea for the boss at the back.
Unlike the hi-tech bodyshell, the engine is very plain. It makes do with a Ford sourced 3.0-litre V6 engine that gives you enough grunt to get the cat pouncing.
The 6-speed gearbox from ZF that shifts via electro-hydraulic mechanism which I think is really smooth but slow if you force it manually (no thanks to again, the J gate).
The suspension is Jaguar's air suspension system (CATS - Computer Active Technology Suspension). It lowers automatically when you start cruising and it stiffens up a bit when there is extra load or when the road starts to zig-zag. Being a revised version, this works marvelously compared to the previous XJ.
You know Dr Who who has a telephone booth that expands into a huge lab once you step inside it? Well, this Jaguar has the same magic, except it is reversed. Though this is a long car, it shrinks once you start driving it. Why? It must be that aluminium skin which makes the car 40 per cent lighter than a steel bodied version, and this spells out agility.
Agility is later translated into the century dash performance in 8.1 seconds and a good fuel economy, despite that old tech Ford engine inside.
How about handling? Can this cat beats the Bangleised cookie cutters from Bavaria?
No, and I believe the owners will not mind either. It is set more for comfort rather than a Lotus Elise kind of performance. I had a good back-seat time when I got the car and I believe Jaguar engineers have sublty put some attention to the VIPs who will be seated there.
Though there are no reclining or massaging seat, it is still a very comfortable place to sit in. Soft leather and plush cushion, I was snoring in a ten minutes, or perhaps five if the car comes with more air-con vents to the rear area and also more HVAC control.
To golfers, the boot will swallow two golf bags rather easily. To the rest of the normal human beings, the boot is enough for at least four duffle bags and a few kampits of Beras Siam Wangi Gred A. For my friend Mr JO, you can stuff in two dead alsations and a few chihuahas.
The local Jaguar fellas now might be in a stiff as DaimlerChyrsler has decided to price their Pekan-assembled S- Class at a lower price, which might make the S-Class as popular as the Kancil or the Avanza.
I think there is still hope though. If you want to be different from the Joneses and make a grand entrance at the hotel lobby, the XJ is the answer.
Since Jaguar will retain the shape of the XJ for a long time, your XJ will not be obsolete even after ten years.
By Hazman Hamzah
Specifications
Make and model: Jaguar XJ6 3.0L V6 LWB
Engine: V6 2,967cc 24V
Max power: 240hp @ 6,800rpm
Max torque: 300Nm @ 4,100rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Safety features: Jaguars Adaptive Restraint Technology System (ARTS), ABS, EBA, front and side airbags.
Just take a look at that picture. Isn't that one hell of an agressive looking car? It makes a Civic look almost apologetic, while an Altis or a Focus is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Based on looks alone, this Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 GT will sell by the container load. But are these people making a wise move? That depends.
But there are some major problems. Leave that CVT gearbox in auto and the car sounds like an industrial sized blender mated to a vacuum cleaner so you need to really get used to the gearbox to remain sane. On top of that, there is the interior quality. I'm sorry Mitsubishi, but I expect more than Proton Saga plastic quality and panel fit. Any Honda, Toyota or Nissan has better quality interior and from what I hear, the new Proton Pesona is a million times better.
