2016 Jaguar XJ arrives to take on the new BMW 7 Series & Mercedes S-Class

2016 Jaguar XJ arrives – available autumn 2015

Jaguar has revamped the XJ for 2016 with a range of styling updates, new models, more luxury and improved efficiency to tackle the 7 Series and S-Class.

The Jaguar XJ is now getting a bit long in the tooth, but Jaguar are doing what they can to fight back against the impressive Mercedes S-Class and the new BMW 7 Series with a range of tweaks for the XJ for the 2016 model year.

The usual cosmetic tweaks for a facelift model include new grill, added chrome, full LED headlights with double J-Blade running lights and gloss black insert in the back bumper. You can also add a Black Pack for more cosmetic tweaks.

Jaguar has tweaked the interior of the new XJ too, with the arrival of the new InControl Touch Pro Infotainment – a big improvement on the Atari-esque system the XJ has had to live with – which is slicker and better looking and can be controlled more easily too.

The 12.3″ digital instrument screen can now also be more cleverly configured – including full-screen Sat Nav – there’s a new rear seat entertainment package available with big 10.2″ screens, and a new optional 1300W Meridian Sound system with 26 speakers.

There’s plenty of technology of offer too, with adaptive cruise, Queue Assist, traffic sign recognition, semi-autonomous Park Assist, closing vehicle detection and reverse traffic detection. There’s also Jaguar’s new All-Surface Progress Control, which we hope will make the big Jag behave better in slippery stuff; an XJ in snow is a bit of a pain.

Engine options for the new XJ include an improved 3.0 litre diesel with 296bhp and 516lb/ft of torque and official economy of 49.6mpg, a 335bhp 3.0 litre supercharged V6 petrol and the 5.0 litre V8 supercharged engine with either 503bhp or 542bhp.

The new XJ range includes the familiar XJ Luxury (from £58,950), XJ Premium Luxury (from £62,690), XJ Portfolio (from £69,725) and XJR (from £92,405), but Jaguar has added the LWB XJ Autobiography (from £80,250) and the XJ R-Sport – which gives you the looks of the XJR but without the 542bhp Supercharged V8.

The 2016 Jaguar XJ range will start to arrive in autumn 2015.