New cars: 2011 Jaguar XJ

Motor Trend

Most large sedans made by sports-car companies simply “remind you what a task it is to make an elephant dance.” The Jaguar XJ, however, handles remarkably well—taking curves “with something approaching glee,” especially in Sport Auto mode, which nearly predicts the wish to shift. A supercharged version can zoom from zero to 60 mph in under five seconds.

Edmunds Inside Line

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This “futuristically and arrestingly different” Jag looks nothing like its predecessors, thanks to the “tapering rake of its coupe-like rear windshield.” But Jaguar never gets too radical in its designs, and the long, all-aluminum XJ actually borrows its frame, suspension, and 5.0-liter V8 from the shorter XF. The resulting ride is far from unpleasant. The XJ offers “greater connectedness” to the road than its forebears, though it feels far less cushy.

Automobile

“Fast enough to elicit a string of four-letter words from a nun,” the XJ should eventually win over traditional Jag devotees. The “enormous” interior—more cabin than cockpit—features an impressive 1,200-watt Bowers + Wilkins stereo and digital gauges. But the slow touch screen lacks customization options and requires “fingertips the size of an embroidery needle.”