The new Jaguar XJ is one gourmet meal on wheels, but it’s not the slick exterior that’s got us salivating. Inside the shell is one of the most hi-tech cockpits we’ve ever clapped eyes on, and that includes the Tesla S‘s stunning touchscreen dash. Is this the gadget motor of the gods? Read on for all the pics and see for yourself!
Let’s quench petrol-heads’ thirst first: under the bonnet, the new Jaguar XJ ‘s packing a 275bhp turbo diesel engine capable of 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds, while the chassis is equally stunning, with a roof that’s half made of glass.
Sated? Good. Now, gadget fans listen up: the new Jaguar XJ ticks off every box on your wishlist, and then adds a few more. Let’s start with the dash. That there panel is a dual-view HD touchscreen, which will show the driver the way with navigation maps while playing a movie for the passenger to watch. It’s got speech recognition, Freeview and DAB radio built in, as well as stereo Bluetooth for mobile streaming, USB slots and iPod connectivity. Oh, and whack a CD in it and it’ll rip it to lossless digital format and store it on the car’s own hard drive..
On the driver’s side of the new Jaguar XJ, the instrument cluster’s gone the way of Woolworths, replaced with a 12.3-inch display that shows your speed and regular details, along with warning messages popping up on the fly. It even ties in with the satnav, showing you a detailed view of upcoming turns within its own ‘dial’, so you can keep looking straight ahead.
The sound system on board the new Jaguar XJ meanwhile is a Bowers & Wilkins rig that blasts out 7.1 surround sound from no fewer than 20 speakers. If the kids in the back want to listen to something different, they can pop on one of three pairs of wireless infrared headphones which can each stream a different audio track – that’s if they’ve got bored of the rear seat TVs with wireless touchscreen remotes which play back media off the car’s hard drive.
It doesn’t stop there though: even the new Jaguar XJ’s glove compartment’s lashed up to the leccy. There’s a proximity sensor, so a nearby wave of your finger will pop it right open! The seats meanwhile are heated (or cooled if you prefer), and the front two even have a massage system built in, making it even more essential to call shotgun.
Other than a unicorn stable, we can’t think of anything else Jaguar could have squeezed inside the new Jaguar XJ. We see what Geoff Cousins, MD of Jaguar UK, meant when he told us: “We’re not in the transportation business. We’re in the entertainment business.”
Now, brace yourself. The sweetest mobile entertainment system in the world starts from £52,500. A lot of money, yes, but you can’t put a price on owning something guaranteed to transform you from a scrub to a superstar. We’re off to find a backstreet organ donor to flog a kidney or two to right now to raise the cash for a new Jaguar XJ of our own.
Out Now | £from 52,500 | Jaguar
