Admittedly, the features that primarily set the 2005 Jaguar XJ Super V8 apart from other models in the lineup are found in the rear seat, but that supercharged engine definitely warrants some attention.

Holy smokes. Literally. When driving home from the office on a sunny afternoon, one editor decided to deactivate the traction control system before pulling away from a stop sign. Upon takeoff, the Super V8 proved to be breathtakingly quick, so much so that the editor was a bit bummed that, even with the road-grabbing system turned off, this Jag wouldn’t smoke. That was until he looked in the mirror. Left at that stop sign was a blue cloud of what used to be the outer layers of beefy 19-inch tires. Those big grippers do a great job of keeping the 4,000-lb. Super V8 glued in the corners, but the extended wheelbase makes this cat feel a whisker too long. Imagine what it would be like to keep track of a limo’s rear end in some tight twisties – take a fraction of that sensation and you understand what it’s like to pilot a two-ton British sedan over curvy mountain roads.

With all of that weight, we were happy to discover impressive braking with good pedal feel, precise steering, and a seamlessly-shifting transmission. Our staff remains mixed on that J-gate shifter – some liking the placement of the manual mode closer to the driver, others preferring a more traditional setup. Regardless, in any driving situation, the 2005 Jaguar XJ Super V8 offers seemingly endless amounts of power and a ride that is comfortable but a bit too stiff for a $90,000 luxury car.

In addition to the taut suspension, the rear seat, while offering an immense amount of leg and foot room and sufficient headroom, is quite firm and has a low hip-point, making it hard to get in and out of the bucketed outboard seats. We did appreciate the power action of the seat, which allowed us to find the best possible position, yet found the back cushioning to be too hard. The various controls in the center armrest are handy, but the placement of the cupholders infringes on the usefulness of the armrest.

Elsewhere, the interior exhibited the over-the-top luxury expected of a premium Jag. High-quality leather was almost everywhere, yet where there was plastic, it felt substantial and durable. Our only complaints, inside and out, focused on a slightly misaligned dash, pillar covers that popped off easily, and excessive brake dust.