25 YEARS OF THE X308

When I look at the three beautiful cars gathered here – which include a 1998 4.0 Sovereign, a 2002 XJR and a 1998 Daimler Super V8 – the X308’s popularity both then and now is understandable. A handsome, compact yet muscular saloon, its heritage is clear but without being too much of a cliché like some of Jaguar’s later models from its 15-year-long retro phase. Yet that was the point of the car, or rather its predecessor, the X300-generation of XJ, which had debuted the exterior design three years earlier.

The design’s origins go back to the late Eighties when Jaguar’s design team started the XJ90 project which was a comprehensive reskin of the XJ40. Even then there was a feeling that the next generation of XJ should do away with the 40’s hard, angular lines and return to the soft, voluptuous curves of the evergreen XJ Series 3. Although Ford cancelled the XJ90 not long after it bought Jaguar in 1989 due to its high development costs, the concept still influenced the XJ40’s eventual replacement, internally known as the X300.

Work started on the car in 1991 and as a cost-saving exercise it utilised all of the XJ40’s centre section, including the doors and glass. As one Jaguar executive said at the time, revising the XJ40 was, “the only game in town.”

The X300’s design manager was Jaguar production facilities at its Castle Bromwich and Browns Lane assembly plants.

The result was a handsome, elegant and well-proportioned car that clearly paid homage to its heritage, but with 16in alloys (17 for the supercharged XJR) and a modern colour palette showed it wasn’t stuck in the past.

When Autocar magazine compared an X300 with mainstream rivals from Ford and Vauxhall in its 12 October 1994 issue,

World columnist, Keith Helfet, who from the outset knew what was needed. “I wanted to go back to the traditional round lamps for all models and fluted bonnet,” he said in the April 2014 issue [p25]. “In other words, a modern take on the Series 3.”

The X300 was a major programme for Jaguar and, funded by Ford, cost £200m. In a bid to improve reliability, which had always been the XJ40’s Achilles heel, most of the budget went on modernising the

it described the car as, “bursting with elegance and good breeding in a manner which the Sunday-lunch-at-the-localHarvester Scorpio could never understand.”

Despite only having the option of the revised straight-six – the AJ16 – in either of the 3.2- or 4.0-litre guises (the latter was also supercharged for the in-house developed XJR) plus the 6.0-litre V12, the X300 became a strong seller. In just three years, a healthy 92,038 were produced.

Despite this success, the X300 was always supposed to be a short-lived stopgap until Jaguar’s all-new V8 was ready which would replace both the AJ16 and V12 engines. The first car to be available with the new motor was the X100 XK8 from 1996, but Jaguar’s engineers had also developed a V8-engined XJ (codenamed the X308) which arrived a year later. With strong sales showing the design was popular, it was a no-brainer to reuse the same exterior as the X300. The only external updates were a restyled grille, larger front and rear bumpers that incorporated elliptical front flashers, clear-lens headlamps, crystallook rear light clusters and a broader

numberplate finisher, while 17in rims were now standard on the entry models.

Yet it was all change under the skin. The front of the engine frame was stiffened, the B-post reinforced and 30 percent of the car’s underbody was changed. The amount of high-strength steel in the body was also doubled. The central bearing of the divided propshaft was repositioned while to sharpen the car’s handling, the same front suspension as the XK8’s was added, albeit with a revised kingpin angle.

Since the V8 was more compact than the AJ16 and V12, it enabled a second bulkhead in the engine bay which not only ovided an ext a b rrier a ainst nois

From the outset, the obviously named XJ8 was available with 3.2 or 4.0 litres (producing 240 and 290bhp respectively) plus there was a supercharged version of the latter for the XJR which developed a meaty 370bhp.

“Describing the XJR as a strong performer fails to capture its essence,” said Autocar magazine in its 17 September 1997 issue. “Titanic is more like it.”

Yet amazingly and like the rest of the X308 range, the R was remarkably good value; at £50,675 it was a whopping £11,500 cheaper than the Audi S8. At the other end of the scale, by being priced at £34,475 the entry 3.2 Sport made it a rival to more mainstream models.

Admittedly, at over £62k, the top-of-therange Daimler Super V8 was the reserve of the landed gentry or lottery winners only by having the same supercharged 4.0 V8 as the XJR, so it was just as fast. Plus, the interior boasted a higher grade of materials which meant in terms of opulence, it could rival a £200,000 Bentley Continental.

Put all of this together and it’s small wonder the X308 became one of the bestselling generations of XJ by yearly average; with 123,230 produced between late 1997 and 2002, the resultant 24,646 was a better yearly average than the XJ40’s despite it selling 208,733. Only the original Series 1 and the X300 beat it by a small margin.

Yet the X308’s impact on Jaguar is greater than just sales figures since it obviously influenced later models. These include the 2001 X-TYPE that’s clearly a small X308 plus its own replacement, the X350, which arrived a year later. Although they shared many of the same familiar characteristics – mainly quad headlights and a broad grille – they were very different

cars. Whereas the X308 was compact with elegant proportions, the newer car was longer, taller and nowhere near as graceful. It may have been a better performer due to being constructed from aluminium, but the X350 was never as popular as its predecessor with only 83,500 produced. A quarter of a century and three generations of XJ after the X308’s debut, the characteristics that made the car so successful haven’t changed, it remaining as classically handsome as ever yet still offering a sharp performance that would put some modern cars to shame.

Apart from the 3.2-litre, that is. Underpowered and breathless, it takes a yawning-chasm-like 8.1 seconds to reach 60mph, so in our opinion best avoided in favour of the 4.0 especially since values of both variants are around the same, between £2,000 and £8,000.

When I climb into the silver 4.0 Sovereign, I’m greeted by the largest aesthetical difference between the X300 and X308: the interior. Whereas due to cost reasons the older car had to use the same dashboard as the XJ40, the XJ8 was given a brand-new layout. Similar to the XK8’s, it’s dominated by a wide stretch of veneer with three holes for the main dials directly in front of the driver. The result is a classier and more memorable interior than the X300’s or any of the car’s rivals of the era for that matter.

“My view from the beginning was that I wanted to get some flowing shapes back into the interior because the X300’s really was a design from the Eighties,” explained Keith Helfet (who was again the car’s design manager) in our January 2016 issue [p27]. “I also wanted the main dials mounted into a proper dashboard rather than a separate binnacle as per the XJ40/X300. I was inspired from classic Jaguars such as the 420G and Mk 2 when the wood was structural rather than a piece of veneer for decoration.”

Not only does it arguably look better than its predecessor but thanks to continuing investment in Jaguar’s production techniques, it feels better, too. Stronger and better put together, the quality of the material used throughout are also of a higher standard than the X300’s. These three examples might be two decades old but none of them feel it.

Another reason why the X308 was so popular was how Jaguar was able to give the different models their own distinct characters. Take the XJR for example; its 19in five-spoke alloy wheels and mesh grille clearly says this is the sportier one of the three while the increased chrome and famed fluted radiator surround of the Daimler makes it appear statelier than either of the other two.

The Sovereign has the normally aspirated 4.0-litre plus a ZF-sourced automatic fivespeed gearbox (the X308 was the first XJ

not to have the option of a manual). When I press the throttle pedal hard, the ‘box kicks-down instantly rewarding me with a surprisingly hard surge of power, reaching 60mph in under seven seconds. Yet the car isn’t just about performance since the ride is calm and supple, ironing out the worst the often pockmarked roads have to offer.

With 370bhp, the supercharged V8 has so much power the ZF transmission wasn’t strong enough to handle it and so Jaguar needed to find a substitute gearbox. After contacting several other manufacturers, only Mercedes-Benz was willing to supply its own five-speed gearbox for a 4.0-litre version of both the XJR and XKR.

The beauty of the XJR is its seemingly never-ending power which, thanks to the Eaton M112 supercharger always being spooled up and ready for action, is easy to access. When I squeeze the throttle, the acceleration is instant, hard and brutal, the experience further heightened by the everpresent whine of the supercharger.

Although steel-bodied and therefore weighing a hefty 1,775kg (3,913lb), due to all XJRs (and Super V8s) coming with Jaguar’s Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) as standard (that constantly monitors the driving style of the driver plus the road conditions and instantly adjusts the dampers accordingly), the car feels smaller and lighter than its size might suggest. Yet it’s more than just a sports saloon since the clever suspension is still supple enough to soak up rough road surfaces.

With its perfect mix of performance and luxury it’s hard to believe XJRs are today only worth between £3,000 and £15,000.

Where the X308 shows its age is in its poor internal packaging, resulting in a lack of space, especially in the rear but thankfully the long-wheelbase model solves this. Available with both the Jaguar and Daimler models, it’s illustrated here by the red Super V8 (which is wearing an incorrect set of ‘Double 5’ style of wheels from an XKR). The X308’s perfect proportions are able to hide the extra length and it remains as elegant as the shorter models.

As mentioned earlier, the Daimler features a more sumptuously upholstered interior than the Jaguar’s and although the layout is the same, the thicker carpets, pleated leather seats and higher grade of veneer really do make it feel a notch better. The luxury of this red car is further enhanced by having the optional two separate and electrically controlled seats in the rear rather than a bench which offers the kind of room you’d expect in a private jet. This car might have been produced when grunge was still in fashion, but luxury like this never goes out of style.

The Daimler’s length and opulent interior might make it feel like I’m driving Blenheim Palace, yet don’t let its size or image deceive you. Powered by the supercharged 4.0 V8, the Super V8 has the same ballistic urge and sharp handling as the XJR making this limousine a wolf in a businessman’s clothing.

Yet despite their luxury and comparative rarity – a mere 2,387 LWB Super V8s were produced – the Daimler’s current values aren’t that different to the XJR’s.

Keith Helfet often tells me just as the Series 3 was the best developed of the original XJ, the X308 is the best of the XJ40 family. But I’d go further than that. By having the same old-world charm as most classic saloons yet a performance that’s close to a modern one, it makes the X308 arguably the best from the entire nine-model XJ range.

As that 2000 brochure also said, “XJ Series. Everything you want from a high performance luxury saloon, and more.” PW

Thanks to: Stuart Derry (Sovereign), Andy Cheffins (XJR) & Stuart Robertson (Super V8) 0e479381-0069-45af-b2a9-c0a37e1e14de 0e479381-0069-45af-b2a9-c0a37e1e14de

Being 25 years old, the X308 obviously isn’t without itss ts issues. We look at the car’s most common ailmentss ts

Being steel-bodied, rust will be a problem for a lot of cars, the most common areas being the sills, front wings, all the wheelarches and the windscreen pillars. The bumper mounts are made from aluminium which can corrode and break off. Other harderto-spot areas include corrosion of the chassis legs and inside the inner wings.

The car can also be heavy on suspension bushes and a knocking noise can be down to worn anti-roll bar mounts and drop-links. The X308 has a rear A-frame that houses a lower arm and a damper inside a coil spring that can start to corrode along the seams.

The V8 can suffer from timing chain failure caused by the fitting of plastic timing chain tensioners (two upper and two lower) and four guides. These should already have been replaced with an adapted version of the 4.2 V8 timing chain kit with aluminium guides. If not, it will cost around £1,000 by an experienced specialist.

Cylinder bore wear resulting in excessive oil consumption and engine failure seems to be the biggest problem. The cause has often been blamed on the Nikasil lining of the cylinder bores that wears quickly due to high sulphur content in petrol in the late Nineties. Many engines were replaced under warranty at the time and today’s petrol has less sulphur. However, some specialists blame short engine runs and stop-start driving. The cylinder bores become flooded and washed with fuel, leading to excessive engine wear due to a lack of lubrication.

Other V8 problems include water pump failure while the original plastic thermostat housing can crack and leak.

The normally aspirated models use a five-speed gearbox by ZF which can fail. The supercharged cars have a Mercedes-Benz ‘box which is known to leak a little fluid on to the electrical connector which can result in gearboxrelated fault codes. This can often be fixed with a new electrical pack.

Although as mentioned earlier the interior is better built than earlier XJs, a sagging headlining cloth is a common issue. Elsewhere look for general wear and tear such as along the driver’s seat bolster and, scratches on the door cappings and gear knob, and marks around the steering wheel.