That said though, some manufacturers still offer large sedans and most of them offer high performance versions of said vehicles. Mercedes-AMG has the S63 and BMW offers its supercar killing M760Li xDrive.
Jaguar is no stranger to offering fast luxury barges in the form of the XJ, and their latest offering could be the maddest one yet. It’s called the XJR 575 and I spent some time with it recently.
So what is an XJR 575?
The XJ is Jaguars flagship luxury sedan and offers the best in terms of luxury and technology that the brand has to offer. Unfortunately, the current generation has been around for a number of years now with some slight enhancements being added along the way.
Whereas its rivals from Germany and Japan have all released newer models over the last few years, Jaguar has instead opted for the special edition model route to move stock in readiness for a new model.
Enter the 575 which is a essentially a reworked version of the standard XJR and comes with visual add-ons such as sportier bumpers, 20-inch gloss-black Farallon alloy wheels, red brake calipers, twin bonnet vents and quad exhaust outlets.
Inside, Jaguar has added carbon-fibre inserts on the dashboard, and door panels, an Alcantara roofliner, diamond quilted leather seats with 575 embroidered headrests and a good helping of 575 badges.
Close the door, and you are instantly cocooned in luxury and comfort thanks to those plush seats and swaths of wood. Press the pulsating Start button though, and the peace and calm vanishes with a roar, literally.
The same says it all
You see, the 575 stands for nothing else besides horsepower, which by a reworked version of Jaguar-Land Rover’s familiar 5.0-litre supercharged V8. Doing a quick conversion, those horses translates to 423kW and an equally rear tyre troubling 700Nm. On the move, one quickly realises that the big cat is somewhat of a brute and can quickly become a hand full on the road, especially when 100km/h is reached in a claimed 4.4 seconds.
It is however not the speed that makes your palms sweaty, it’s the fact that the engine completely owns the rear wheels despite them being very wide. It only takes the slightest throttle input when turning at an intersection to light up the rear tyres and create a plume of smoke whether you like it or not.
When you do decide to choose Dynamic mode and switch the rotary dial for the eight-speed automatic gearbox to Sport mode, you best be very awake because even with the traction control on, it still takes a lot of skill to rein all of those British ponies in.
After I familiarised myself with the 575, I found the experience less terrifying, partly because it comes over as a giant giggle given its size, power, comfort and perceived notion as a dignified luxury vehicle.
With some careful driving, I managed to bring the fuel consumption down to 10.9-litres/100km, but it sure that many an owner won’t mind this much in taking the 575 beyond commuting. There is however a snag and it comes down to the Jag’s sticker price.
Verdict
For all its power and luxury, the XJR 575 is compromised in that it simply does not know what it is. On the one hand, it wears a posh suit and wants to be dignified, but adds those black wheels and extra grunt in an attempt to be sporty, which is limited by its dated underpinnings.
In addition, despite its extra interior fittings, the cabin feels dated in the less-than perfect infotainment system and even the digital instrument cluster when compared to a S-class or 7-series. I also found the facia to be cluttered and despite that massive V8 front, there is hardly any audible noise to invoke a satisfying smile when you press on
As much I enjoyed the XJR 575, I couldn’t help but wonder about a car that I drove a year or so ago, the Range Rover SVR, which has the same engine and levels of comfort, albeit with newer tech in addition to being an SUV. Factor in the SVR’s asking price, R2 281 335 versus the 575’s R2 637 100, the big Jag’ is simply outclassed in world where the SUV reigns supreme.
