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2008 Geneva Auto Show Video - 2009 Jaguar XJ Portfolio

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Driving dynamics have never been a problem for the current Jaguar XJ sedan. Getting noticed by potential customers? Not so easy.
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We've driven XJs with 20-inch wheels before, and the ride quality is still impressively compliant.
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Although there's a choice of V8s, we can't imagine anyone not selecting the supercharged motor.
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An S-Class interior might feel more high-tech, but if vast quantities of leather and wood are your idea of high luxury, we doubt the XJ Portfolio will disappoint.
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We expect the champagne seats will prove much more popular than the navy ones.
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We think these triple-spoke wheels are the loveliest addition to the 2009 Jaguar XJ Portfolio.
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If you bent down and squinted at each of the XJ Portfolio's pretty wheels, this is what you'd see.
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In the studio, the 2009 Jaguar XJ Portfolio looks much more black than green with Celestial Black paint.
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Milled aluminum side vents are one of those me-too styling cues we wish would go out of fashion.
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2009 Jaguar XJ Portfolio

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What is it?
2009 Jaguar XJ Portfolio

What's special about it?
Jaguars aren't supposed to be wallflowers, but that's the role the XJ sedan has fallen into since its last redesign in 2004. With its aluminum frame and body panels, it's the most sophisticated sedan the company has ever built. It also has more passenger space than any of its predecessors. Yet somehow, it doesn't feel as special or distinctive as Jaguar sedans of the past.

Jaguar's limited-production Portfolio series is an attempt to inject some of that old-world presence back into its cars. Unlike the previous 2006 XJ Super V8 Portfolio, the 2009 Jaguar XJ Portfolio sedan will be available with either the normally aspirated, 300-horsepower 4.2-liter V8 or the supercharged 400-hp version of that V8.

As the emphasis is on the kind of unfettered luxury associated with old money, the '09 XJ Portfolio is exclusive to the extended, 124.4-inch wheelbase version of the XJ. Interior color choices are suitably dramatic. You can get champagne leather seats with navy piping, or navy seats with champagne piping. To the relief of car-wash detailers, carpeting is all in navy with either color scheme. Large fillets of oak line the dash and door panels, and the headliner is a synthetic suede Jaguar calls Alston.

All XJ Portfolios will be painted either Astral Gold or Celestial Black, and appropriately the latter exhibits glints of green depending on light conditions. Stunning triple-spoke 20-inch wheels with 8.5-inch rims are mounted at all four corners, and a retro red Jaguar logo is stamped in the center of each one.

Equipment levels on the 2009 Jaguar XJ Portfolio are comparable to the '08 Super V8 sedan. The company's Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) is standard, of course, as are most other amenities, including climate-controlled seats, DVD-based navigation and a rear entertainment system with twin screens mounted in the front headrests.

Jaguar is already taking orders for the 2009 XJ Portfolio, and you'll see them at dealerships by the summer of 2008.

What's Edmunds' take?
A major cash infusion is what Jaguar would really need to get the XJ-Series up to par in the high-end luxury sedan segment. The 2009 Jaguar XJ Portfolio is little more than a trim-and-badges job, but judged within those limitations, it's quite attractive. The fact that it will be built in limited numbers should make it even more desirable. — Erin Riches, Senior Editor