WELL IT'S HOME

[robv12]

after biting the bullet last week, when bought a 2006 55 plate XJR, I drove it home from Hull today, how do you describe the thing, errrmmm, WOW!!, try again, HOLY COW!!!, I've had all tyes of XJR before, XJ40, X300 autos and my two current manuals (which are still the most involving car to drive), XJRV8's, Daimler Super V8's, but this thing takes it to another level, refinement, level of spec, this has everything except TV and DVD pack, most have cost an arm and a leg when new, and for what we gave for it, just so much bang for you buck

Slate Grey, with Red and Black leather and no wood, just the brushed alloy pack, not everyones cup of tea, but we LOVE it, and it will keep the flat cap at bay for a year or two yet!!

I loved our 3.0 Sport 350, which is leaving is for shores new at the end of the month, but this is XJR is just astonishing, so time to shut up, here's a few pics and a pb link to an album of pics from today







http://s478.photobucket.com/albums/rr14 ... 350%20XJR/

[Montana5]

Very nice Rob, plenty of toys to play with, like that colour of Grey.
All the best to own and drive.

Doug.

[robv12]

cheers Doug, as I said just lovin' it, the interior is growing in me each time I see it, been through the car today, we knew it needed a 70K service and two, but to be safe three tyres, and the biggest problem was the bonnet would not open, a common 350 failing, a snapped cable. I worked on the assumption there was a service stamp at 60K, a test drive showed no leaks and no untoward noises and no warnings on the dash, therefore we should be ok for the run home, if not the AA will help out, then start to sort the car out, it has stood for 5 months we reckon since the owner left the UK, all these things were taken into consideration and taken directly off the purchase price

sourced some tyres today at sensible money, ordered plugs, filters, wiper blades, bonnet cable and security switch from my local main dealer, due here monday, HOWEVER, on investigation the bonnet cable, which is a 4 hour job to open the bonnet from underneath and replace the cable, turns out to have popped off inside the cabin at the handle end, reattched it and bnigo , job done!! result for the day

[Tramami]

Hi Rob, thanks for the reply, very nice spec, not seen an XJR like this one before, your right about the cap, does not fit your car at all, i agree about the value, what a lot of car, i wonder how many XJR's were made as i have not seen another one as yet, all the very best Alan

[robv12]

i do not have full production figures on 350 XJR cars

but what i do have is the following XJR production

2002 187 cars
2003 3192 cars
2004 1700 cars

can anyone confirm these figures or add too them?

[barrywi]

Hi Rob...welcome to the 350 club again. I am so pleased you like the car....I have not ridden in an R yet so when you get time it would be interesting to make the comparison. My diesel is fast enough for me so I bet it is very impressive. The only figures I have are for the total numbers built( around 7000) but I assume that includes USA numbers. I got it from Nigel's book so it must be correct!!
The interior of your car is not to my grumpy old man taste( it would be a sad world if we all liked the same thing) I prefer the wood and leather feel myself( no comment!) and if you half close your eyes in my car, the cream leather and elm wood( a light colour) give an ambience of a French Tarts's Boudoir after several quality Brandys which actually I quite like( no comment again). I just feel it is an "event" to drive rather than a day to day thing.
What tyres did you fit? I thought plugs only need changing at very high mileages? Just a precaution I suppose. A gearbox oil change may not go amiss even though Jaguar say it should last the life of the car.
Enjoy and feedback any gripes

[robv12]

thanks Barry, tyres sourced are Pirelli 255 x 40 x19 assimetricos (think that is how you spell it), need three to be sure, found two so far, plugs and filters are for my reassurance, I then know it has been done, the last stamp is 60K, now sits at 70K and no evidneve of a recent service, so it has to be due, gearbox in truth I will live with for now, although I intend to get the cat to my old mate Neville at NE jag to have it reflashed and any codes cleared while it is on his IDS

I do know that the car sat for some time as the owner had left the UK, it had clearly not run for some time, as the discs were red, on first start up, she popped and banged a tad on big throttle openings, this soon cleared, the other issue ws the old 350 favourite , a non opening bonnet, luckily fixed at no cost, the cable had come adrift in the cabin so a ten minute job, but the upside was that i got the cost of a cable and four hours at David Marks labour rates knocked off the price, the vendor heard my convesation with Mr M on the day of purchase, so he knew what a pig of a job it was likely to be, but hey the car was priced to sell, so I bought it!!!, I can sort the odd niggle out myself, no need for big main dealer bills

[robv12]

slowly but surely getting into this car now, another good check over, 100 mile trip all seems well, however I am puzzled by one thing, so all you X350 guru's can you help and of course if I get my thoughts wrong below, please correct me as I am new to these wonderful cars

this car was advertised as an XJR, bought as an XJR, badged as an XJR, but it does not seem that clear cut

history, is like this and easy, on 308, you could buy two supercharged models XJR SWB and Daimler Super V8 , all LWB bar a few cars, fully loaded and few options, power wash headlights was about it on the last cars

which brings us to the 350, NO DAIMLER at first as we know, but a SWB XJR and a Super 8 in place of the Daimler, that is is until late 2005/ early 2006 from what I can see from various sources when the Daimler Super eight came in, and the final 2007/2008 facelifted Daimlers, only 8 of these built, can that be correct??

I digress, back to my car, I thought all Super 8's were LWB?? and were fully specced, am I wrong??

why then does my car have Super 8 s/c auto on the V5 AND the dealer direct warranty (DDW) sheets I have with the spec of the car, when it was built there was no Daimler option, so it is an XJR or a Super V8, but which, it seems to have some spec of both but not all of one!!

is there an identifier in the vin number as per 40, 300 and 308 to tell us exactly what it is

my thoughts are it is an XJR with just a nice bit of Super 8 spec added in when new, the original owner knew exactly what he wanted and was prepared to pay for it

[barrywi]

I am not sure about this Rob. In Nigel's book production show only two XJR models and one is desribed as a VDP LWB which includes Portfolio models.
Super V8's were available in long and SWB variations
Total production numbers for XJR SWB are 7316 ( including the USA?)
and the LWB VDP/ Portfolio figure is 1277 ( including the USA)
Yours must be the SWB XJR with extras as I understand it, maybe an email to Nigel may shed light on it. I have some original brochures on PDF which I will send to you if they are for the correct year.
Your wheels ( if you didn't know) are 19 inch Sabre wheels fitted as standard to XJR's from 2005

[Montana5]

This might not help much but found this in 'Jaguar World' Magazine January 2011 Test... S Type R vs X350 XJR.
'XJR only ever available as SWB car, but same engine was used in LWB versions of the Super V8'

Doug.

[barrywi]

Hi Doug could you repost the link please as it does not work

[ptjs1]

Rob,

As I understood it:

At launch all cars were SWB. In the UK, all supercharged models were either XJR (SWB) or Super V8 (SWB).

When Jaguar introduced the LWB models in 2004, Super V8s became LWB, but it was still technically possible to specially order an SWB Super V8. I'm not sure how long that was theoretically available for. You really might have an SWB Super V8! You would need to check the spec carefully. or you might have an XJR with lots of extras and a dodgy V5 wording! (After all, Jaguar used about 4 different ways of describing "XJS" on the V5s back in the 80s/ 90s!)

I think I might have the spec sheets for an XJR and Super V8 somewhere at home. From memory, Super V8s always have wood veneer on the roof console, but then special order cars could have anything, I guess!


Barry,

All "Vanden Plas" are US cars and don't have a supercharged engine and could be either SWB or LWB. The equivalent car in the UK is a "Sovereign". Vanden Plas started at launch in the US as a SWB but all from 2005 are LWB cars.

Portfolios are all supercharged, but could be either SWB or LWB dpending on the country! US Portfolios are "Super V8 Portfolio" and are LWB. UK Portfolios are "XJR Portfolio" and are SWB.

"Daimler Super 8" replaced the Super V8 in UK and other non-US markets in 2005. I thought they were all LWB but Rob says you could order an SWB Daimler Super 8.

It does make classifying the exact number of cars produced quite difficult unless you quote every different category!

Of course, I might be wrong on lots of the above, so any further comments welcomed!

Paul

[robv12]

This might not help much but found this in 'Jaguar World' Magazine January 2011 Test... S Type R vs X350 XJR.
'XJR only ever available as SWB car, but same engine was used in LWB versions of the Super V8'

Doug.

yes but!!!!, here is a 2003 Super 8, did the LWB cars come out at launch of 350, I thought it was later than that 2004??

[robv12]

OK, Paul beat me to it, posting at the same time, not a good idea!!

[Tramami]

Before i looked at my XJR along with the other stock cars, the car was coming up as a Super V8, i did not want a lwb, but decided to look at the car before making up my mind, strange that it is a swb and has the XJR boot badge, it has the spec that perhaps a lwb might have, it has full wood, the V5 has just arrived back from the plate change and it states XJR /SC/Auto, iam happy as it checks out, it must be a mistake in the dealers advertising