Anyone here got an aluminium bodied saloon?
Discussion
X350, thanks 
We test drove an LWB XJ8 X350 at Creamers in Kensington a while back and whilst it was lovely (it really was a joy to drive) we were put off by the p/ex offer for our X type estate.
Which was a shame 'cos we'd have had it for the sake of another £500 but they wouldn't budge.
Happy with the X308 for now but I'm the sort of chap that always has an eye to the future, much to my wifes chagrin
We test drove an LWB XJ8 X350 at Creamers in Kensington a while back and whilst it was lovely (it really was a joy to drive) we were put off by the p/ex offer for our X type estate.
Which was a shame 'cos we'd have had it for the sake of another £500 but they wouldn't budge.
Happy with the X308 for now but I'm the sort of chap that always has an eye to the future, much to my wifes chagrin
I'm tempted to buy one and have driven two 3.0 XJ6 models. Both were priced at under £10k and had done 50 and 60000 miles.
Very impressed with the performance - the car feels very light and agile and mid range pull is noticably better than my 3.2 V8 and the 6 speed 'box is lovely. The V6 is not quite as refined as my V8 when pushed as you might expect but is inaudable when cruising.
One of the two cars I looked at had rather poor paint quality, it was quite orange peeley on vertical surfaces and I have noticed this on one or two of the other early models I've more casually looked at as well. Otherwise build quality feels good.
I'm not so sure about the air suspension ride quality though. I took one of the two cars out for over an hour on mixed road surfaces and thought it felt quite detatched - not in the nice wafty Jaguar way either but more of a bouncy, squirmy, tracking is out feel. The tyres looked ok so I'm guessing the geometry was about right. When I left the garage I drove my own car along exactly the same route which confirmed the difference in feel. I'd had this impression about about the other one too.
Have to have a go in a V8 and perhaps look at a slightly newer one...
... they are real bargins IMO
Very impressed with the performance - the car feels very light and agile and mid range pull is noticably better than my 3.2 V8 and the 6 speed 'box is lovely. The V6 is not quite as refined as my V8 when pushed as you might expect but is inaudable when cruising.
One of the two cars I looked at had rather poor paint quality, it was quite orange peeley on vertical surfaces and I have noticed this on one or two of the other early models I've more casually looked at as well. Otherwise build quality feels good.
I'm not so sure about the air suspension ride quality though. I took one of the two cars out for over an hour on mixed road surfaces and thought it felt quite detatched - not in the nice wafty Jaguar way either but more of a bouncy, squirmy, tracking is out feel. The tyres looked ok so I'm guessing the geometry was about right. When I left the garage I drove my own car along exactly the same route which confirmed the difference in feel. I'd had this impression about about the other one too.
Have to have a go in a V8 and perhaps look at a slightly newer one...
... they are real bargins IMOI've driven a couple of X350s
I had an early one as a rental in the US. Drove it from SF to Sacramento. The freeway is the typical US freeway made of rough finished concrete and is badly pockmarked. I've driven quite a free cars that way. The ride in the X350 was almost unnervingly good. You could see the pot wholes in the road in front and behind, but you just didn't feel many of them. I know they are there, I've felt them before and since. I usually used to get an old shape XK8 convertible which rides better than the US fair I've driven that route in, but the X350 was in a different league.
As others have noted, the X350 is much bigger. It has head room, whereas the X300/X308 are really 4 door coupes.
On the downside, I prefer the looks of the older ones.
I found the car a rather less involving than my X300. I find the X300 very intimate to drive, I feel very connected to it, whereas the X350 was much more remote. Sometimes that is good, as I said the ride is the best thing I've tried this side of a 60s S-Type.
I've also driven a XJR Portfolio in the UK, I found this felt less remote. It was also seriously quick. Perhaps not quite as fast as the XKR I'd just climbed out of, but stunningly quick for such a big luxo barge.
I had an early one as a rental in the US. Drove it from SF to Sacramento. The freeway is the typical US freeway made of rough finished concrete and is badly pockmarked. I've driven quite a free cars that way. The ride in the X350 was almost unnervingly good. You could see the pot wholes in the road in front and behind, but you just didn't feel many of them. I know they are there, I've felt them before and since. I usually used to get an old shape XK8 convertible which rides better than the US fair I've driven that route in, but the X350 was in a different league.
As others have noted, the X350 is much bigger. It has head room, whereas the X300/X308 are really 4 door coupes.
On the downside, I prefer the looks of the older ones.
I found the car a rather less involving than my X300. I find the X300 very intimate to drive, I feel very connected to it, whereas the X350 was much more remote. Sometimes that is good, as I said the ride is the best thing I've tried this side of a 60s S-Type.
I've also driven a XJR Portfolio in the UK, I found this felt less remote. It was also seriously quick. Perhaps not quite as fast as the XKR I'd just climbed out of, but stunningly quick for such a big luxo barge.
It is a lovely lovely car. I had an '04 XJR, which was smooth and very fast. And surprisingly quite economical. The car was like a magic carpet, while the air suspension was fantastically smooth, the car seemed to sense when you wanted to push on, it would firm up in the bends, and when you put your foot down you go into warp factor. It pays to pamper them.
I have an x350 xjr
fabulous cars, i struggle to come up with anything i don't like, will do the effortless glide when you want to relax, but is shockingly rapid when you want to have fun
i can't think of anything i'd replace it with, the only thing i would consider is a newer x350 xjr
with the company i've driven the s class, e class, c class, 7 series, 5 series none of them come close, everyone who travels in it loves it
the xj is always s
gged off for looking the same, well i can't tell the various bmws or mercedes apart, i think this is the british disease of us rubbishing our own products
fabulous cars, i struggle to come up with anything i don't like, will do the effortless glide when you want to relax, but is shockingly rapid when you want to have fun
i can't think of anything i'd replace it with, the only thing i would consider is a newer x350 xjr
with the company i've driven the s class, e class, c class, 7 series, 5 series none of them come close, everyone who travels in it loves it
the xj is always s
gged off for looking the same, well i can't tell the various bmws or mercedes apart, i think this is the british disease of us rubbishing our own productspiquet said:
I have an x350 xjr
fabulous cars, i struggle to come up with anything i don't like, will do the effortless glide when you want to relax, but is shockingly rapid when you want to have fun
i can't think of anything i'd replace it with, the only thing i would consider is a newer x350 xjr
with the company i've driven the s class, e class, c class, 7 series, 5 series none of them come close, everyone who travels in it loves it
the xj is always sgged off for looking the same, well i can't tell the various bmws or mercedes apart, i think this is the british disease of us rubbishing our own products
+1. fabulous cars, i struggle to come up with anything i don't like, will do the effortless glide when you want to relax, but is shockingly rapid when you want to have fun
i can't think of anything i'd replace it with, the only thing i would consider is a newer x350 xjr
with the company i've driven the s class, e class, c class, 7 series, 5 series none of them come close, everyone who travels in it loves it
the xj is always s
gged off for looking the same, well i can't tell the various bmws or mercedes apart, i think this is the british disease of us rubbishing our own productsHave a 2003 X350 XJR, fabulous car and nicely described above!
restoremgb said:
Running gear on the x350 is almost the same as S type r with the addition of air dampers.
Indeed, but the S-type R weighs more becuase it doesn't have the aluminum body of the XJ.Does the S-type have the self levelling air suspension which lowers the car above 90mph ?
Triple7 said:
No, S-Type doesn't have air suspension. Nor does the new XF. I wonder if Jaguar will ever make the XF of ali?
G
No. The original intention was to do so, but they decided on cost grounds not to develop an all new ali structure, but to develop on the steel structure of the S-Type. To produce the same care in ali would require ground-up re-engineering.G
groomi said:
Triple7 said:
No, S-Type doesn't have air suspension. Nor does the new XF. I wonder if Jaguar will ever make the XF of ali?
G
No. The original intention was to do so, but they decided on cost grounds not to develop an all new ali structure, but to develop on the steel structure of the S-Type. To produce the same care in ali would require ground-up re-engineering.G
Was getting very, very tempted at the end of last year by a X350, but going to have to put that idea on hold now in the current climate
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