1996 Jaguar XJ-Series Review

New Jaguar owners are asked why they bought their car. The sensuous Jag is something you get simply because you want it for its grace and style. Never mind that dozens of cars costing less would serve nearly as well.

I recently drove a restored 1952 Jaguar XK-120 sports car and was surprised at how comfortable and glamorous the little bullet still is.

With their slinky lines and wood-and-leather interiors, Jaguars always have been sexy. But for decades, Jag sedans have been notorious for having tight interiors especially in the rear-seat area.

Not so with the longer 1996 Vanden Plas version of the Ford-owned, British automaker's XJ6 sedan. The artfully sculpted new Vanden Plas, which I've tested in prototype form, is lots more utilitarian than previous Jag four-door models.

The new six-cylinder Vanden Plas sedan and similar 12-cylinder 1996 Jaguar XJ12 model go on sale Oct. 4 as the longest Jaguars ever built. Their wheelbase the distance between front and rear wheels has been extended 4.9 inches behind the body's center post. It has been increased from the standard, less-posh Jag XJ6 sedan's 113-inch-wheelbase to 117.9 inches for vastly improved rear passenger comfort and space.

Also, the new Vanden Plas and XJ12 models are 4.9 inches longer overall, breaking the 200-inch barrier at 202.7 inches.

The added lengths increase rear leg room by 4.5 inches, allowing tall adults to stretch for the first time in the rear of a modern Jaguar sedan. And longer rear doors provide improved access to the bench rear seat.

Rear passengers may electrically adjust the position of the front passenger seat, further enhancing legroom and comfort via control switches on the inboard side of the front passenger seatback.

You can even order an optional heated rear seat, although its price and prices of these two longer 1996 Jaguars_haven't been released. The 1995 Vanden Plas costs $62,200 and the current XJ12 lists at $77,250. Jaguar Cars president Michael Dale says the automaker "intends to continue its value-for-money pricing strategy" with the extended-wheelbase sedans.

Adding icing to the cake, the curvature of the new Vanden Plas and XJ12 roof has been modified to provide a half-inch more headroom for both front- and rear-seat pasengers, while retaining the lovely proportions of the XJ6 sedan. The easily loaded trunk has a flat floor, but cargo room hasn't been increased for the longer models and isn't impressive.

The 1995 Jaguar sedans were given more-classic styling, with items such as shapely front fenders that curve down into four round headlights to provide the front end with a distinctive "traditional Jaguar" look.

All 1995 Jag sedans have the same styling, but the extra wheelbase and length of the 1996 Vanden Plas and XJ12 give the two new models a sleeker, richer-looking appearance.

Surprisingly, despite the added roominess, acceleration and fuel economy of the 1996 Vanden Plas is the same as that of the 1995 model because the new model weighs only 25 pounds more.

The car's 4-liter, double-overhead-camshaft, 24-valve six-cylinder remains rated at 245 horsepower. But it has more torque for 1996 thanks to such things as different valve timing, which also makes the engine smoother.

"Smoothness" is a key word in describing the new Vanden Plas. The silent, beautifully built car has a made-in-heaven ride and does 0-60 m.p.h. in a quick 7.8 seconds. It would safely cruise all day at 90 m.p.h., if the law allowed.

Most performance sedans have their top speed electronically limited, but the Vanden Plas lets it all hang out, with no electronic limiter, at 141.1 m.p.h.

Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 17 m.p.g. in the city. A nifty shifting, electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission helps enable the 4,130-pound car to deliver 23 m.p.g. on highways. Fuel economy is not high on the priority list of Jag buyers.

The Vanden Plas feels much lighter on its feet than one might suspect. The communicative power rack-and-pinion steering lets you put the car precisely where you want it on the road, and the cleverly calibrated, all-independent suspension allows a driver to maintain a brisk pace on all types of roads.

Some ancillary controls are blocked by the steering wheel, but the comfortable front seats are supportive and gauges are easily read.

The thoroughly revamped 1995 Jaguar sedan was the best ever, but it assuredly is topped by the longer-wheelbase 1996 Vanden Plas and XJ12.