Jaguar XJ: History can offer as many millstones as milestones. In the motoring world, it can create enviable loyalty to a brand and turn a tonne of metal into an icon.
It can also cast in stone the expectation and image of a brand that's hard to shake.
To invoke change and vitality whilst preserving the very characteristics upon which the brand is revered can be a daunting task. Every industry in every country in the world has such a brand. Jaguar exemplifies the dilemma.
It has been a victim of its own past success, in particular the success of the ever-active heritage clubs that have beavered away in car parks and garden fêtes across the globe.
While they celebrate the success of the big cat, both on the racetrack and off, they somehow seem to cast further shackles on attempts to move the brand forward. As much as film and TV product placements such as Inspector Morse feeds the heritage and traditional image of the brand, what it desperately needs is a few futuristic car chases. It needs to associate itself more with Sony Playstations than Songs of Praise.
Jaguar has long been a motoring icon, particularly of the 1950s and 1960s in Britain. Youthful debonair types - the Roger Moores of their time - aspired to the E-Type while the older aspiring gents and corporate types sought the elegance of the Mark X.
Yet, just as it was the car to drive during those decades, the company has, to a certain extent, been trying to shake off that era ever since. To potential buyers that was still a time when the world was black and white. Can the past and future live together in harmony? The question really comes down to what buyers look for in the brand.
Some may certainly be influenced by the advances in technology, the racing pedigree - an expensive spell in Formula One aside - while others admire it for engineering advances that have seen Jaguar at the forefront of aluminium use in car bodies.
However, if the home of its current parents, Ford, is anything to go by, then these factors are relatively minor. Americans don't buy Jaguars for the engineering; they buy them because of the heritage. Ask an American to describe the Jaguar image and the term large saloon is mixed with mentions of tweed and country estates. It's the essence of 'olde England.'
So what?, you might argue. The Americans also have a rather quaint image of Ireland to boot. That's fine across the pond, but to succeed in Europe, Jaguar needs to spread the word that it is catering to a much wider audience than anglophiles.
Wander around any Jaguar dealership and you can plainly see that the company has been at pains to provide a full model range. There's the X-Type for the premium entrant; the S-Type for the mid-range executive and the XK for the sports car set.
Pride of place, of course, remains with what has become the icon of the brand, the XJ. With its lofty position comes perhaps the greatest resistance to change. Revolution is not in the design lexicon at Jaguar when it comes to the flagship model. Neither is the word 'flash', thank goodness.
That in itself may be both a blessing and a curse for the brand. While the traditionalists will remain loyal, it dances to a different tune than to the likes of the Germans. Sadly, the end result has been less than thunderous sales.
That's not to say the British brand has been averse to the march of technology. It has never slouched from including the latest technology in its cars, albeit cloaked in a traditional veneer.
On paper, the move to introduce a diesel engine to the range would seem entirely sensible, if a little behind the times. Yet in such a culture of carefully crafted image, the move to add a diesel to the range could be described as brave.
It's a dilemma that Jaguar will continue to face for years to come. As conservative as one might consider the average Mercedes S-Class owner to be, they are not averse to new technology or even radical design. The Jaguar XJ owner on the other hand seems keen to pass on an image of being much more than merely moneyed. They want some of that class to rub off as well.
Jaguar may be late to Europe's diesel party, but it did have to manage all these historic factors as well. With that in mind, they've done a credible job.
For those who predicted an outcry from purists, there seems to have been no such revolt. There's no sound of spinning gentry from the well-tended graveyards of rural England, no Jaguar executive has been assaulted by cravat-wearing vigilantes. Not even a crumpet has been thrown in anger.
So enough of the nonsense, down to business: the new engine is a 2.7 litre twin-turbo V6 engine developed by Ford in conjunction with PSA Peugeot Citroen.
Offering 204bhp and with a top speed of 205km/h, there's no slouching, despite the fact it's smaller than its competitors offerings. Yet that's only one of the criteria for an XJ. The key for many is luxury ride - even glide, something that long-time XJ owners will not normally associate with diesel.
The greatest fear was that the Jaguar purr would be replaced by the pitter-patter of diesel.
The good news for these folks is that if a simple spectator like myself could foresee this concern, so did the designers and engineers.
Jaguar developed special electronic engine mounts to filter out the usual diesel vibrations, and all XJ models now have a double bulkhead between the engine and the passenger cabin. This is as part of an all-round upgrade to the range, which includes upgraded brakes, Bluetooth phone connectivity and a tyre pressure monitor. There is of course the odd diesel note when you kick down or when you start from cold, but there's a celestial silence during regular cruising.
The engine offers less power than that which features in rival models, such as the BMW 730d. However, the Jaguar is a crucial 200kg lighter than the German model, thanks to its all-aluminium construction.
If there is one complaint it is with the six-speed automatic transmission, which features a noticeable hesitation in response to kicking down on the accelerator that may annoy those that prefer to press on. However, while this was apparent at the international launch when we got to put the car through more vigorous testing, here at home, our time spent in the XJ was more about fighting with city traffic and gliding along with a more sedate approach, the way the majority of luxury car owners will spend their time. After all, if they really want more potent power, they clearly have the money to buy something a little more sporting.
As expected in a luxury flagship the ride remains serene, the steering light but precise and overall it's surprisingly compliant for a car of its size.
The relatively low set form of the car lends itself to a feeling of ease in tight spaces when parking that's somewhat lacking in its competitors. Of the all-important fuel consumption, you can expect to get about 8.1 L/100km (35mpg), which is respectable for its size, though not as good as some of its competitor's claims.
Jaguar has an incredibly strong pedigree, something its owners are never shy to speak of. On paper at least, the range seems to be heading in the right direction, if not quite as innovative at entry level as it needs to be. Yet somehow the financial figures keep coming out red and parent Ford has to keep injecting it with cash.
The XJ diesel can hold its head up high. It's no second rate XJ and offers the brand far greater potential on the European stage. If your bank manager is a friendly sort, then the XJ should be on your shortlist. In the bigger picture, we can only hope the brand can get its house in order.
ENGINE: A 2,722cc V6 twin-turbo diesel offering 204bhp @ 4,000rpm and 435Nm of torque @ 1,900rpm
PERFORMANCE: A top speed of 225km/h and 0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds.
SPECIFICATION: Front side and thorax airbags; dynamic stability control; climate control; 12-speaker radio/CD; cruise control standard.
MPG: Urban: 26.0 ex-urban: 43.7 combined: 35.0 L/100km Urban: 10.8 ex-urban: 6.5 combined: 8.1 CO2 emissions: 214g/km
PRICE: €89,000
