Jaguar's diesel future

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media bulletin – Jaguar

Jaguar's diesel future

23 May 2006

A Jaguar XJ twin turbo diesel engined saloon recently completed what many thought would be impossible; to drive from John O'Groats, Scotland to Lands End, Cornwall, a distance of 843.2 miles (1350 kms) on one tank of fuel.

And, better than that, at journey's end, which was accomplished at an average consumption of 53.5 miles per gallon (5.3 litres/100 kms) there was enough diesel left in the XJ TDVi for the car to turn around and reach the 1000 mile mark before the tank finally ran dry!

After setting off from John O'Groats in Scotland, having topped the XJ's 18.7 gallon (85-litre) tank to the brim, the team never returned an average fuel consumption figure of less than 50.6mpg (5.6 litres/100 kms). The 18 hour journey had an average speed of 43 mph (69 km/h).

With well over 17,000 miles (27,200 kms) on the clock at the start of the journey, the XJ TDVi used for the trip was certainly well run in, but it was completely standard in every respect and was even a fully equipped model complete with sat-nav, CD auto-changer, Premium Sound and rear DVD screens.

Rolling road tests before the challenge revealed that a cruising speed of 60mph (100km/h), where possible, gave the best balance of fuel economy.

When the XJ's 2.7-litre V6 twin-turbo engine sipped its last drop of diesel and finally stopped running, the trip meter showed an incredible 1000.2 miles (1600 kms).

The same engine will arrive in New Zealand before the end of the year, powering the first locally available diesel engined Jaguar, an S-Type sedan model.

The engine's specifications make for impressive reading. The four-cam, 24-valve, twin-turbo V6 features second-generation common-rail direct injection and super-fast piezo-electric injector operation.

Maximum power from the 2.7-litre engine is 153kW. Torque peaks at a heady 435Nm, which is actually higher than that of Jaguar's naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 petrol engine. Yet the diesel has 47 percent better fuel consumption. More crucially still, 80 percent of this torque is available from just 1500rpm through to 4000rpm.

The twin turbo V6 diesel is also environmentally friendly, passing the latest Euro IV emission control regulations.

And the same motor in the Jaguar XJ has received the Best Luxury Car award in the 2006 Fleet World Awards. The Jaguar XJ has won this award for the third consecutive year however the 2006 award is specifically for the Jaguar XJ TDVi with twin turbo 2.7-litre V6 diesel engine.

The awards are judged by a panel of experts representing the leasing industry, fleet managers, motoring journalists, residual value guides and Fleet World's own editorial team. The judges consider several key factors including residual values, maintenance costs, reliability, driver appeal and manufacturer back-up.

Jaguar XJ sales climbed by almost 40 percent on the previous year in the UK, and 55 percent of those were diesel sales. Jaguar New Zealand Brand Manager Daile Lambert commented that, “New Zealand is trying to source the new XJ Diesel for the anticipated demand from fuel conscious customers who wish to purchase at the luxury end of the market.”

ENDS

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