Jaguar World Magazine XK-R 4.2 Owners Guide March 2010 Back Issue

As the physical process of building cars is
something I fi nd quite fascinating, I’ve
always jumped at any opportunity that’s
come my way to visit a production line to
witness things fi rst hand, the most recent of these
being an invitation to see the new XJ being built.
Given the importance of this car for Jaguar –
completing as it will the thorough overhaul of the
marque’s range in little more than four years – my
visit to Castle Bromwich in January had particular
signifi cance, and the day didn’t disappoint. From
start to fi nish, that is the press shop through to
trim and fi nal, the tour provided a valuable insight
as to the complexities of building an advanced
contemporary luxury saloon. The technical
presentation that followed also revealed more about
the development of the car itself, a process that is
equally complex, plus some previously undisclosed
engineering nuggets.
Amongst others, Andy Dobson, XJ chief
programme engineer, Michelle O’Connor, vehicle
integrity, Tim Clark, technical specialist driving
attributes, Garry Dunne, technical specialist
powertrain sound quality and Peter Davis, technical
manager vehicle dynamics, related how their
respective areas of expertise had been used to
‘tune’ the new XJ’s character, and how that character
has been designed to provide an optimal blend of
refi nement and power. Juggling those
two diff erent and opposing
attributes – essentially
luxury vs sporting
character – is clearly
no simple task, but
if they’ve got it right
the new XJ should
be more engaging
to drive hard than
its predecessor when
conditions allow, yet more
cosseting when it‘s time to cruise.
As for how that will be achieved, we knew about
the new XJ’s adoption of the continually variable
adaptive damping system and passive springs at
the front (air suspension remains at the rear), but
what was also revealed is that the front subframe
is now solid-mounted to the bodyshell.