I WAS CHATTING to a retired Jaguar quality engineer recently and talk turned to the X350 generation of XJ saloon launched in 2002. Among other fascinating revelations from the Ford era was that the car was launched with no small degree of pride that here finally was a Jaguar for which no excuses needed to be made –a product which could be credibly compared not only to the contemporary BMW and Mercedes but also to the peerless quality and refinement of Lexus.
“Lexus probably had us on refinement,” admitted our Jaguar man, “but we definitely had the edge on ride and handling.” As for the Germans, as he points out the BMW V8 lacked the low-end torque of the Jaguar AJ-V8 which made the Bavarian machine harder to drive briskly and less refined.
Indeed, the AJ-V8 was state of the art at the time thanks to the financial muscle of Ford Motor Company, which also provided the resources for the ambitious aluminium technology employed for the car’s construction – something which would go on to become a Jaguar signature.
Opinions vary as to the car’s retro styling, but whatever your own take on it, the X350 is a neat piece of
