Tested on 21.8.84
Halving the number of cylinders under the hood of the sleek Jaguar XJS made it one of our favorite mid-1980s grand tourers.
Different wheels and badging and a bigger power bulge set the 3.6 apart from its V12 HE big brother. The new all-alloy AJ6 straight-six was wonderfully springy, pulling very low revs in fifth, and was only marginally slower than the XJS V12 between 50mph and 90mph.
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However, the five-speed manual gearbox was heavy and cogged, with a finicky clutch, while the transmission shunt irritated and the otherwise subdued engine went thrashy at high revs.
The sophistication of the cruise was impressive, however. The steering was pleasingly quicker than in the V12 model but wanted a feel. Powerslides were possible in the wet, although understeer was the default position. Although prone to buoyancy at times, the ride was wonderfully smooth on all surfaces and the brakes were responsive and resilient.
Inside the walnut-trimmed cabin, the leather seats could perhaps have provided a bit more lateral support and adjustability up front, and headroom was particularly limited in the rear seats. The interior, however, had many compartments and a spacious trunk.
For: Ride quality, performance, flexibility, refinement
Versus: Lackluster shifting, inappropriate seats
What happened next…
Introduced alongside the 3.6-litre engine, the Targa-style XJS convertible was replaced by a full convertible in 1988. An optional four-speed automatic was fitted to the six-cylinder XJS in 1987, and the engine increased to 4.0 liters in 1991. But the beefiest model was the 1993 6.0-liter V12, with 306 hp. The XJS was replaced by the XK8 V8 only in 1996.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-11 04:01:23
