Jaguar XJ Supersport
Quick Spin
What we liked
>> Nimble for a big beast
>> 375kW/600Nm – it goes!
>> Not just another big German
Not so much
>> Misses out on some of the S-Class' techno features
>> Boot is small for class of car
>> No full-size spare
The $378,000 Jaguar Supersport is truly something to behold. It's brash, confident and overstated, but in a unique and audaciously British kind of way.
Indeed, Jaguar's latest flagship is designed to appeal to the top end of town... Titled gentry, entrepreneurs made good and captains of industry... So who better to taste test it than Carsales' own captain of industry, CEO Greg Roebuck
We'll let him takeover, from here...
My current daily driver is a C63... It's probably no surprise, then that I'm not looking for a car of this size. I had the same issue with the S63. The S-Class a great car, but too big for my current driving needs. That said, it could be a class of car I am likely to look at in the future. Would I have considered the Jag before driving the Supersport? Definitely not. But after driving it I can say it's definitely on the list.
It's a great looking car, and its rareness adds to its appeal. It gets a lot more "looks" than the S-Class.
With 375kW/625Nm it's got enough grunt to keep you smiling plus it's surprisingly nimble, given its bulk. There was no obvious 'whine' from the supercharger [Greg's previous wheels was a W211 Series E55], which is nice. I'd rather the note of the V8 than the note of supercharger pulleys! In fact it sounds great for a luxury cruiser, but only when you give it some stick. Otherwise it's quiet and refined – as it should be – when cruising around.
Comfort levels are up there. It misses out on some of the high-end technical features of the S-Class, but both my front and rear seat passengers were pleased with their accommodation. I loved the dual-view front screen. I could see the sat nav while the others could watch television. What a great feature!
There are some niggles though. The stop/start button shouldn't need to be held to work. Push it, it either starts or stops -- like the 'Benz. I also felt the boot was a small, for a big car, and for this much money I'd have expected a full-size spare.
Adaptive cruise control. If it had it, I couldn't find it. And if it didn't, then it should have at this sort of money. Also, I found that giving control of the audio/visual system to the rear seat passengers was not easy to make happen. Admittedly I didn't read the manual, but I haven't had to read the manual on any other car I've driven... It should be more intuitive...
For more drive impressions of the XJ SuperSport check out our Nurburgring launch drive.
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