1999 Jaguar XJ8 Sovereign review from UK and Ireland

Electronic boot lock failed just after I bought it: fixed in about 15 minutes minutes under warranty.

Instrument panel bulb failed: fixed in less than an hour under warranty.

This is the car I've always promised myself and I haven't been disappointed so far. Apart from being (to my eye) just the most beautiful big saloon produced in recent years, it is more than adequately fast, extremely comfortable and just a pleasure to drive - the huge bonnet makes placing it on the road a doddle and the reversing aid (vital - but you should be able to haggle the dealer into fitting it if it's not already there) makes parking this car simple even though it's nearly 17 feet long.

This isn't a car that's built for chucking round corners: it'll do it if you insist, but it won't be a pleasurable experience for either of you. If you want to do that, try the XJR. The Sovereign is the quintessential stately limousine of the XJ8 stable.

The wood and leather interior is either ridiculously old-fashioned or classic depending on your viewpoint -personally I think it gives a charm and style to which BMW/Audi/Mercedes just can't aspire.

Important warning - if you want to carry adult passengers in the back, make sure you go for the long wheelbase version (which means either the Sovereign or the even more luxurious Daimler - sold as Vanden Plas in the US, I believe). I tried both and it's truly amazing what difference the extra 5" makes to the rear accommodation. The standard short wheelbase is just too cramped for this class of car.

The long wheelbase unfortunately does nothing to improve the boot space, which is barely adequate, especially if a full-sized spare wheel is fitted.

Don't expect to run this thing on a shoe-string. I get about 21 mpg on mixed town country and motorway driving: but what do you expect with 290 bhp propelling the best part of two tons of car at speed? And expect to pay £160 apiece for tyres. But servicing costs are surprisingly modest if you avoid main dealers. There are plenty of good independent Jaguar specialists - my local one, where I bought the car, quotes around £200 for the annual/10,000 mile service). I've bought an extended warranty to protect me from horrendous bills for major repairs (about £1,000 for three years/unlimited mileage). I was also surprised at how reasonable the insurance was (esure quoted me £550 with full no-claims - I'm a 46-year old accountant in the South-East of England). So running costs are not cheap, but they're not silly either.

This is the sort of car that you test-drive and instantly decide that it's the only car for you. If it doesn't strike you that way, walk away - you're just not a Jaguar man!