Vehicle
Jaguar XJS
Jaguar's grand tourer for twenty-one years, and the last car built around the 5.3 and 6.0 V12 — an engine whose ignition, fuel and, above all, cooling systems decide whether one survives: it runs hot by design, the header tank and radiator are marginal when new, and an overheat takes the heads. The six-cylinder AJ6 and AJ16 cars are far more ordinary. Later facelift cars (1991 onward) have substantially revised electrics and a different rear suspension bush arrangement, so the year matters more than the badge suggests.
Generations
-
Pre-facelift 1975–1991
The original body. V12 throughout until the AJ6 straight-six joined in 1983.
- Body styles
- Coupé · Convertible
- Platform
- Jaguar XJ
- Engines
-
- 5.3 V12 — petrol · 182–220 kW (244–295 hp)
- 3.6 straight-six — AJ6 · petrol · 168 kW (225 hp)
- Transmissions
- 4-speed manual · 3-speed BorgWarner automatic · 3-speed GM TH400 automatic · 5-speed Getrag 265 manual · 4-speed ZF automatic
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive
-
Facelift 1991–1996
Revised body, wiring and rear suspension. The 6.0 V12 and the 4.0 AJ16 six are the final engines.
- Body styles
- Coupé · Convertible
- Platform
- Jaguar XJ
- Engines
-
- 4.0 straight-six — AJ16 · petrol · 166–180 kW (223–241 hp)
- 6.0 V12 — petrol · 224–248 kW (301–333 hp) · 479 Nm (353 lb-ft)
- 4.0 straight-six — AJ6 · petrol
- 5.3 V12 — petrol
- Transmissions
- 5-speed manual · 4-speed ZF 4HP24E automatic · 3-speed GM TH400 automatic · 4-speed GM 4L80E automatic
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive
Information, not instruction
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