1999 Jaguar XJ8 review from North America
"Beautiful, fast, but still very far from perfect"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Excessive wind noise above 60 m.p.h.
Interior and exterior trim parts loose and rattling.
Drive train harmonic vibration at 55 m.p.h.
Chassis shake at 75 m.p.h.
Erratic and jerky transmission shifts.
General comments?
The car is beautiful inside and out, with excellent materials used in construction, particularly the interior.
The cockpit is low and cramped, difficult to get in and out of if you are 6 feet tall and not much leg room in back.
Far too much wind noise for a car of this caliber.
Excellent, smooth V8 engine with amazing acceleration and reasonable fuel consumption.
Poor automatic transmission which is reluctant to downshift and quite jerky and erratic in operation for a car of this class.
I had several problems with this car at delivery and annoying ones like the chassis/drive train vibration are difficult to pinpoint and correct.
Recommended reviews
| Beautiful, but trash |
|
| Dangerous |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 4 liter V8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 18000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 25000 miles |
| Previous car | Chrysler Sebring Convertible |
| Date of Entry | 16th May, 2002 |