Jaguar XJ Officially Launched In Malaysia

The new-generation Jaguar XJ has been officially launched by Jaguar's sole distributor for Malaysia, Sisma Auto Sdn Bhd. Fully imported from the U.K., the XJ, available only in Premium Luxury LWB trim, has not yet been officially priced, although a finalised pricing of around RM 1 million is expected to be announced within a month or two. For a start, Sisma Auto is importing ten units of the Jaguar flagship, most of which have been booked by rich Malaysians.

Described as “the most emphatic statement yet of Jaguar's new design direction” by company design director Ian Callum, the all-new XJ is easily the company's most daring sedan in almost 40 years, continuing a design theme seen on the XF mid-size luxury sedan and representing a stark contrast to the tired-looking previous-generation XJ.

The modern cabin design is complemented by innovative features like the virtual instrumentation panel, which displays virtual dials and highlights the most important information, and the Jaguar Sense, which allows for touch or proximity control. Cabins of German rivals are more sober and conventional by comparison.

Benefiting from all-aluminium construction, the all-new XJ is lighter than key rivals Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series. This weight advantage would contribute to aspects of handling as well as performance, the latter of which derives from a 5.0-litre V8 engine, capable of unleashing 380 bhp at 6500 rpm and 515 Nm at 3500 rpm. The generated power goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed ZF-sourced automatic transmission with a paddle-shift manual over-riding system.

Other notable features include the air suspension, Active Differential Control, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), a host of airbags, the aforementioned virtual instrument panel and Jaguar Sense, 20-speaker 1200W Bowers & Wilkins sound system, navigation system with hard-disk storage, four-zone automatic climate control and panoramic glass roof.