The Jaguar XJ has been around since 1968 and has been Jaguar’s prized flagship for the last 47 years. Over the years, it has seen three generational shifts, if you don’t count the various series’ produced within each generation. The current and fourth generation has been around since 2009, so it’s getting a little long in the tooth. It still looks good, though, and is fairly modern, with an update taking place for 2017 that brought some new technology, a revised exterior look, and a number of new trim levels to choose from. Jaguar has chosen to forgo the generational shift just yet, but for 2018, the XJ does get a new update in the form of a brand new trim level that brings a 5.0-liter V-8 that’s good for 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet – enough to get the new XJR575 up to its top speed of 186 mph in just 44 seconds while the sprint to 60 mph takes just 4.4 seconds, making the XJR575 the fasted and most powerful road-going production Jaguar to date.

Along with the new trim level, the XJ line also gets some new intelligent safety features and technology that includes a 10-inch touchscreen display, new infotainment operating system, forward traffic detection, lane keep assist, autonomous emergency braking, and drive condition monitoring. That seems like a lot of new stuff to infuse into a model that’s creeping up on 10 years old, but you’ve got to hand it to Jaguar for designing a model that’s capable of lasting this long and upgradeable enough to remain relevant in a constantly evolving market. So, with that said, let’s dive on in and take a good look and Jaguar’s newest, fastest, and best XJ model to date.

Update 9/6/2017: Jaguar has decided to offer the XJR575 here in the U.S. and it starts out at $122,400. But, there’s quite a few options to choose from and some decisions to make, so check out the pricing section below to learn all about those and see what a fully-speced XJR575 will cost you outside of a divorce, of course.

2018 Jaguar XJR575

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2018 Jaguar XJR575
  • Engine/Motor: V8
  • Horsepower: 567 @ 6250
  • Torque: 516 @ 3500
  • Transmission: ZF 8HP70 8-speed automatic
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

Looking at the exterior of the XJR575, it’s pretty clear that there aren’t any real exterior enhancements setting it apart aside from some black trim paint. The grille, air dam, and corner vent mesh all get coated in black, as do the trim that surrounds them. Otherwise, the front it is nearly identical, save for the vents in the hood, that reside on either side of the central body lines. There’s also a special badge on the radiator grille to help denote this as the XJR575. And, while it may not be that different up front, that’s okay. The update that came for the 2017 model year brought about a nice exterior look that is fresh and modern, with the most attractive part of the design being the way the lines flow almost infinitely from panel to panel. Notice how the hood body lines transition into the nose of the front fascia, or how about how the curvature of the fenders curve down and transition into the lights and the fascia? That’s an elegant style that only Jag can pull off, it the brand does it well with its flagship saloon.

Move over to the side profile, and there’s really nothing special to write home about. The same side skirts and mirrors carry over from the lesser trims, but the mirrors get a healthy dose of contrasting black as does the window trim, the wheels, and the fender vents. It’s actually quite attractive with the gray exterior finish. Those wheels, by the way, are 20-inch Farallon gloss-black wheels. Behind those wheels sit brake calipers that are finished in red, further contrasting the rest of the exterior package. The model here is showcased in Satin Corris Grey, but Velocity blue is also available as an exterior color and is the only other exterior color option.

Move around to the rear, and you won’t find anything spectacular over the lesser models. The XJR575 rocks the same rear fascia, same rear taillights, and even the same exhaust outlets. Like the lesser models, the exhaust outlets are integrated into the lip of the fascia, while the taillights even have the same matrix layout. One would think that Jaguar would change a little bit back here, but the only differences in place are the little spoiler on the decklid getting finished in gloss black and the badge on the right side of the decklid. After seeing all these pictures, though, I have to say blacked out windows would look quite sexy when accompanied by the Satin Grey finish and black trim accents.

Exterior Dimensions

Length (Inches)

201.96

Width inc/excl mirrors (Inches)

82.87

Height (Inches)

57.48

Wheelbase (Inches)

119.37

Track front/ rear (Inches)

64.01/63.14


Interior

The interior of the XJR575is pretty much identical to that of the lesser trims. If you’re expecting a flat-bottom steering wheel or anything of that nature, you’re going to be out of luck, but when you consider how upscale the XJ already is, it’s kind of hard to build on that perfection. What you do get, however, is a new 10-inch touchscreen with updated software. The screen is visibly clearer, and the operating system mimics that of a smartphone, making user input that much easier. Unfortunately, the HVAC controls are still bulky and stick out like a sore thumb below that new display. Makes me wish Jag had gone all out and put a larger display that’s vertically oriented and controls all of those features, but that’s a bit of a reach.

What you will notice inside, however, are the little subtleties that make the XJR575 that much better than its siblings. To start, there’s gloss black trim everywhere, including the door handles, window switch bezels, center console trim, and HVAC vents. The pedals ahead of the driver are aluminum, while the diamond quilting of the seats is borrowed from the last range-topping trim. The thick trim at the top of the door skins and the curved trim ahead of the dash get a black mesh of sorts while that curved trim also gets a red “575” badge to remind you just how much power sits ahead of you. Other features of the interior include embossed tread plates to go with 575 intaglio and diamond-quilted seats. The upholstery can be had in jet/jet or ivory/jet while the 575 branding is actually optional and will likely come at a small charge (think $250 to $500, perhaps.) A 4G internet connection with hotspot capability comes standard and allows up to eight devices to be connected at once.

Drivetrain

So the engine that’s stashed under that long, manly hood isn’t exactly new. The 5.0-liter has been available in the XJ in two different variants for a while now. The lesser of the three is the XJ and XJR, which get the same all-aluminum engine construction, but only deliver 470 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 424 pound-feet of torque as low as 2,000 rpm. The withstanding XJR came with the same engine but was tuned to deliver 550 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 502 pound-feet at 2,000 rpm. But, right when you think Jag had maxed things out, it comes at us with the XJR575. It gets an increase of 17 horsepower (25PS) over the previous range-topping XJR. Torque figures come out to be 516 pound-feet of pavement chewing goodness, which computes to an increase of 16 pound-feet over the standard XJR.

But there’s one thing you can’t argue with, and that’s the sheer performance of the XJR575. All told, it can get you from a dead stop to 62 mph in just 4.4 seconds. Keep the pedal to the floor, and you’ll top out at 186 mph in just 44 seconds from start to finish! Of course, it should be noted that the standard XJR hits 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, so the 575 isn’t that much faster in such a short sprint, but it does offer up an extra 12 mph of top speed, and getting there in 44 seconds isn’t exactly something to sneeze at.

Unfortunately, there haven’t been any Nürburgring attempts yet, and there’s no telling what kind of quarter-mile times we’re looking at, but I’m sure the XJR575 won’t disappoint. Besides, you can see it make that crazy sprint to 186 mph here:

It’s not all about performance, though, as the XJR575 is every bit a driver’s car as the lesser trim levels that came before it, and it lives up to the legacy that started nearly 50 years ago with the original Series 1. Of course, it does so in a more modern way, but that’s how it works, right? Prior to 2018, the XJR came with some driver assist systems that included electric power steering, all-surface progress control (think traction control,) adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, closing vehicle sensing, park assist, and reverse traffic detection. For 2018, Jaguar ups the ante even more by introducing forward traffic detection, lane keep assist, driver condition monitor, and autonomous emergency braking.

Most of these systems work as they do in any other car from most manufacturers, but the driver condition monitor looks for specific driver inputs to determine if a driver is fatigued. It does so based on periods of little steering input followed by sudden or excessive inputs, as in if you’re correcting your driving line because you started to nod off. When this is detected, there is a multi-stage warning system to alert you that it’s time for a break. Meanwhile, the autonomous emergency braking operations between 3 and 37 mph (5 to 60 kph) and makes use of a forward-facing stereo digital camera. When the risk of a collision is detected, the brakes are automatically applied, lowering the brunt of the impact or avoiding the collision altogether.

Drivetrain Specifications

Engine capacity (cc)

5,000

Cylinders

V8 Supercharged

Valves per cylinder

4; DOHC, variable inlet and exhaust cam timing

Bore/stroke (mm)

92.5/ 93.0

Compression ratio

9.6:1

Fuel injection

150bar direct injection

Boosting system

Twin-Vortex supercharger

Power

567 HP @ 6,250-6,500 RPM

Torque

516 LB-FT @ 3,500-4,500 RPM

Transmission

ZF 8HP70 8-speed automatic

0-60 mph (sec)

4.2

Top speed mph

186


Pricing

When the XJR575 first hit dealers in the U.K. – the market that inspired this range-topping model – there was no word as to whether or not it would come to the U.S. And, to be honest, we really didn’t expect it to. But, all of that has changed, and the 575 is making its way to U.S. Jaguar dealers in time for Christmas 2017. Pricing starts out at $122,400 and includes things like 20-inch five-spoke wheels, 825-watt sound system, full LED headlights, sports exhaust, and even aluminum paddle shifters for those who pay attention to the little details. But, I know how you guys think, and you’ll go for at least one option. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that there are plenty, but for $385 you can get a heated front windshield with timer function. If you want adaptive cruise control you can pony up an extra $1,625 or, if you want a surround camera system, you can add an extra $815 to the sticker price. Finally, for those of you who suck on cancer sticks and for some reason want to smoke inside a $120,000+ vehicle, you can get a front ashtray and lighter for no charge.

As far as other customization options go, there are a few to talk about. There are a total of 14 exterior colors to choose from, most of which are free of charge. But, if you decide to select from the SVO Premium Palette, you’ll find two options: Satin Corris Grey, which comes with at a price of $7,345 or Velocity Blue which will set you back by $4,080. There are only two wheel options to choose from – the standard Style 5044 wheels, which come stock in gloss black or can be optioned with Technical Grey for a bump in price of $1,530. Finally, there are a few interior options, but they all come free of charge. So, if you don’t like the gloss black veneers, you can opt for carbon fiber for free. You can also choose to go with the optional grey headliner or Ivory seats with Ebony stitching, which also gives the dash a contrasting appearance with Ebony up top and Ivory down below. This choice is also free of charge. So, all told, there are a total of $11,700 in options, more than half of which is spent on the Satin Corris Grey. All told, a fully-specced XJR575 will set you back $135,095, including the $995 destination fee.

Over on the other side of the pond, pricing is quite similar, with the XJR575 starting out at £93,710, which converts to just about $122,000 – that’s right, Jaguar isn’t like the rest of the luxury car companies that like to overcharge for vehicles over in Europe. Pretty nice, huh? For what it’s worth the XJR575 comes in at less than $5,000 more than the base XJR, so that’s not too bad of a premium at all considering what you get and the number of no-cost options available for your choosing.

Competition

BMW 7 Series

One of the XJ’s primary competition comes in the form of the German-made BMW 7 Series. In its most basic form, it competes with the lesser models quite well, but to compete with the XJR, you need to go pretty high in the trim range. To be more specific, you need to go with either the 750i or the M760i. The 750 can be had in rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, while the M760 comes with AWD as standard equipment.

The 750 delivers a cool 445 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque from a 4.4-liter V-8. It can hit 60 mph in 4.3 seconds but tops out at an electronically limited speed of just 155 mph. Meanwhile, the M760 is actually a little bit out of the XJR575’s league, but if you like power, it’s worth considering. It comes with a 6.6-liter V-12 that delivers a gut-churning 601 ponies and 590 pound-feet of torque. It makes the 60-mph sprint in 3.6 seconds but, unfortunately, is also electronically limited to 155 mph.

Pricing for the 7 Series starts out at $83,100 while the 750i will set you back by $96,400 or $99,500 with AWD. The M760 comes in at a staggering $156,700, making it insanely hard to choose over the XJR575 unless you’re really concerned with power output.

Read our full review on the BMW 7 Series.

Mercedes S-Class

The Mercedes S-Class is another German competitor that the XJR575 has to deal with on its mission to become the supreme offering out there, but it won’t be easy. The S-Class starts out in S550 form, which includes a 4.7-liter V-8 with a rather potent output of 449 horsepower and 516 pound-feet. IT can hit the 60 mph sprint in just 4.8 seconds. It can be had in rear-wheel drive or AWD for $96,600 and $99,600 respectively.

The next trim level in line is the S600, and while its 6.0-liter V-12 delivers 523 horsepower and 612 pound-feet, it still falls inferior with a 4.5-second sprint to 60 mph, and you’ll be forced to cut a larger check with it starting out at $170,750. To beat out the XJR575, you need to go with the Mercedes AMG S63, which includes a 5.5-liter V-8 that’s good for 577 ponies and 664 pound-feet. It makes the 60 mph sprint in 3.9 seconds, which is enough to beat out the 575, but you’ll also pony up at least $144,700 to get one. Whether or not that extra 0.5 second is worth that much to you, however, is a decision you really have to make.

Of course, you could go for the 621-horsepower and 738 pound-foot S65 with its 6.0-liter V-12. It makes the same sprint in 4.2 seconds, but you’ll want to talk to the wife first – you’ll have to cut a check for $226,900. Something tells me, she’d rather you buy two XJR575s and let her drive one.

Find out more about the Mercedes S-Class.

Conclusion

In all honesty, I had my reservations as first when it came to the XJR575. It seemed like the typical “let’s paint a few things, tune the engine, and charge an extra arm and a leg” philosophy. Fortunately, however, that’s not the case at all, as the price tag is actually pretty attractive when you consider what you get over the standard XJR for that extra $4,000. So, when you add in the extra power, that powerful and quick sprint to 186 mph, the new infotainment display, the minor enhancements inside and out, and the new safety features, this baby is the cream of the crop and priced to compete in a strong way. What do you think, though? Did you expect more or less? Could Jag have done something different? What about the price point? Feed us your thoughts in the comments section below.