As they say, "Go big or go home." Not really feeling like going home, I went big. Cadillac XTS and Jaguar XJL big. In days past, Cadillac and Jaguar both represented the pinnacle of big luxury sedans for their respective countries of origin. Driving a 1960s Cadillac Sedan de Ville meant something. It meant luxury. It meant quality. It meant you were driving the Cadillac of cars. On the other side of the pond, driving a Jaguar Mark IX meant much the same, only with more tea.
Then came the dark times. Beginning in the mid-to-late seventies, the quality, reliability, beauty and desirability of both car makers tanked. High gas prices, new safety and environmental regulations and all-around poor design haunted the once lauded luxury sedans. It wasn't until just recently that both brands turned themselves around. Both Jaguar's and Cadillac's resurrections were signaled, first and foremost, by major design changes. Cadillac adopted the "Art and Science" design strategy, and Jaguar thew out everything but the leaping cat hood ornament in favor of modern sleek designs. Cutting edge technology, a mile-long wish list of newfangled options and standard-setting performance followed soon after.
Having been a fan of both Jag and Caddy for as long as I can remember, I was very excited when the opportunity to drive the 2013 Jaguar XJL and the 2013 Jaguar XTS nearly back-to-back presented itself. How are they? Rest assured, the glory days of Cadillac and Jaguar are just beginning. Which is better? You'll just have to keep reading to find out...
2013 Jaguar XJL Supercharged
Those familiar with the Jaguar XJs of yore will remember a traditional design with quad headlights, a long relatively flat hood, a tall greenhouse and lots of wood and leather inside. A few years ago, all that changed. The ye olde XJ was killed off with the introduction of an all new, sleeker, edgier and modern XJ. At first, I was a bit unsure of the new design direction. But, over time, my opinion changed.
For 2013, Jaguar offers a cavalcade of trim levels and engine options for the XJ, ranging from the base XJ at $73,200 all the way to the (move over Rolls Royce Ghost) XJ Ultimate for $155,000. Engines include a 3.0 liter supercharged V6 good for 340 horse, a 5.0 liter naturally aspirated V8 with 385 horse, a 5.0 liter supercharged V8 at 470 horse and the top dog 5.0 liter supercharged V8 with a whopping 510 horse. Jaguar is releasing a 550 horse XJR for 2014, but for the sake of today's article, we're ignoring that one.
Our tester was a RWD Jaguar XJL Supercharged with the 470 horse supercharged 5.0 liter V8 and nearly every conceivable option. Like I said, go big or go home, right? Base price on the XJL Supercharged is $92,600 but ours priced out at $105,250. What do you get for over $105k? A lot:
