The 2014 Jaguar XJR: What the critics say

Edmunds.com

The folks who are masterminding Jaguar’s resurgence have just rolled out “one of the finest ultra-sedans ever created.” This performance version of the automaker’s flagship XJ sedan packs 550 horsepower in its supercharged V-8 engine yet “rips through back roads” like a much smaller car. Drivers who cherish a plush ride above all else should look in rival showrooms—or at a lower-priced XJ. But the luxe interior of this sportiest model enables the XJR to play the role of limo gracefully when asked.

Autoblog.com

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“Like only the most provocative little black dresses can,” the XJR’s sinuous exterior “offers just subtle hints at what lies beneath.” Start the car up, though, and “bystanders will know by the burble of the exhaust that something wicked lives underhood.” Inside the “gorgeous” interior, that engine note becomes “a contented purr.” Tall passengers may note “a distinct lack of headroom” in the rear, but will love the long-wheelbase version of the XJR for its 5 extra inches of floor space.

Bloomberg.com

Take this “Lear jet” of a luxury car to a racetrack, and it “happily does things a big sedan simply shouldn’t be able to do.” James Bond might want to rethink his tribal loyalty to Aston Martin, that other British marque. “If I were 007, I’d want the new Jaguar XJR.”