2003 JAGUAR XJR 4.2L V8 S/C 6AT (400 HP)

Vehicle Overview

After a few difficult years, Jaguar finally ended-up in Ford portfolio along with Aston-Martin, Volvo, and Land Rover. But the struggles just began.

When the XJR V8 was introduced in 1997, the British engineers placed their bets on the newly developed 4.0-liter supercharged unit. After Ford purchased the company in 1999, the luxury company went through different transformations, which dictate them to replace the older XJ generation with a new model in 2003.

From the outside, the visual identity remained strong. The four-round headlights were kept in place. At a glance, some could say that it was just a facelift, but it was more than that. The cabin was slightly higher to allow taller people to fit inside. The wheelbase was longer, and the aluminum panels were extensively used to make the car lighter.

Inside, Ford started to put its Fiesta and Mondeo buttons everywhere. They didn’t have the same premium look as before. It kept the same J-pattern for the automatic gearbox selector, and the luxurious feeling was there to impress its occupants. Moreover, the XJR was able to impress its driver as well.

Under the hood, there was a new, 4.2-liter V8, which was based on the previous 4.0-liter unit from the 1997 Jaguar lineup. The increased displacement, along with other tweaks in the car’s electronics, provided almost 40 hp more than on its predecessor. The old, 5-speed automatic gearbox was dropped in favor of a new, 6-speed unit. And the driver was impressed.