The Jaguar XJ delivers a great driving experience because of its strong performance, low noise levels and agile handling, and it even outshines rivals such as Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series in some areas.
But as Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder noted in his recent review, we still have concerns about Jaguar's reliability. It doesn't help that Jaguar has had a Jekyll-and-Hyde record in recent quality surveys.
For example, Jaguar as a brand scored well below the industry average in the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, which measures problems in the first 90 days of ownership. In the 2012 IQS, Jaguar made a big leap to tie Porsche for second place behind Lexus for having the fewest problems.
In J.D. Power's 2012 Vehicle Dependability Study, which measures problems in the third year of ownership, Jaguar ranked near the bottom — 28th out of 32 brands — and had the most problems of any luxury brand. That was a steep fall from the previous year, when it was the third most dependable brand behind Lincoln and Lexus. In the J.D. Power's 2012 Vehicle Dependability Study, Jaguar ranked 27th of 32 brands.
In comparison, Lexus, Porsche, Cadillac, Acura and Mercedes-Benz all had fewer problems than the industry average in both surveys and in both years.
The base price on the 2013 XJ is $73,200, and when spending that much we would want it to be more like a blue-chip investment than a roll of the dice.
Learn more
- Expert Review: 2013 Jaguar XJ (Cars.com)
- 2013 Jaguar XJ Pricing and Research (Cars.com)
- Find the Right New Luxury Car (Cars.com)
