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"         If there&amp;#039;s one word that captures the spirit of new Super V8 model, it&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;elegant.&amp;quot; Elegant in a sense that it&amp;#039;s no stretch to imagine a royal stepping out of this drippingly luxurious sedan to attend a charitable performance at, say, Royal Albert Hall.   And speaking of stretches, that&amp;#039;s precisely what makes this new version of the aluminum-chassis XJ8 so elegant-it rides on a body and a wheelbase that have been stretched by 5 inches. The benefits are twofold. First, it makes this XJ8-the longest Jaguar ever produced-more graceful, more in character with the leaping-cat hood ornament. Second-owing to the body being stretched aft of the B-pillars and a rear roofline raised by a quarter-inch-the back seat is now positively spacious. It&amp;#039;s so roomy, in fact, that with the front seat all the way rearward, there&amp;#039;s enough space in back for somebody 6-ft.-4 to sit there quite comfortably. The same can&amp;#039;t be said of a standard-wheelbase XJ8.   Three long-wheelbase XJ8s arrive this fall: the normally aspirated XJ8L and Vanden Plas models, plus the supercharged Super V8 we drove. The Super V8, which rides on 5-spoke alloy wheels shod with 255/40ZR-19 tires, is the hot-rod of the bunch, powered by the XJR&amp;#039;s supercharged 4.2-liter V-8, an aluminum-block powerplant that produces a substantial 390 bhp at 6100 rpm and 399 lb.-ft. of torque at 3500 rpm. This makes for a ferociously quick sedan (0-60 mph takes just a tick over 5 seconds), thanks in part to the lengthened cars being only 53 lb. heavier than their respective short-wheelbase models.   Further setting the Super V8 apart from other long-wheelbase XJ8s are large Brembo brakes at each corner, a bright mesh grille, adaptive cruise control and an electrically adjustable rear bench seat augmented by picnic trays and an almost-decadent multimedia rear DVD entertainment system that has large screens integrated into the back of each front headrest.   Get the idea this is Jaguar&amp;#039;s flagship? It is. And you&amp;#039;ll pay approximately $90,000 for the pleasure of owning a Super V8, which is more than amply equipped with items such as lamb&amp;#039;s wool rugs, walnut burled veneers (with Peruvian boxwood inlays), electric sun blinds, DVD navigation and a gorgeous leather interior with contrasting seat piping.   Not surprisingly, the Super V8 shines on the road, tight of structure and effectively hiding its added length the harder it&amp;#039;s driven. Acceleration is excellent, almost hydraulic in nature, with the shifts of the ZF 6-speed automatic having a computer-managed smoothness. Power is on tap at seemingly any speed, and the thrust from 60 mph up to triple digits is a rush. For a car measuring 205.3 in., the agility is excellent, kept in check at the high limits by Dynamic Stability Control.   What&amp;#039;s more, the ride delivered by the adaptive self-leveling double-wishbone air suspension is pillow-smooth, and with the adaptive cruise control automatically maintaining the distance to the car in front of you, the miles sail by with an uncanny ease. If there&amp;#039;s one complaint, it&amp;#039;s that the front suspension is a touch too soft, as the Super V8 tended to go down on its nose when driving through dips at intersections or during hard braking. Note to Jaguar: Fit the R sport suspension on the long-wheelbase XJ8. Or better yet, simply make a long-wheelbase .           Nevertheless, it&amp;#039;s easy to find a comfortable driving position in the Super V8, thanks in part to the wood-trimmed steering wheel that tilts and telescopes. From the heated driver&amp;#039;s seat the Super V8 shows itself to be a quiet car, with just enough supercharger growl under hard acceleration to tell you there&amp;#039;s something special under the hood. And though it indeed is powerful, the relatively light 4059-lb. Super V8 (it&amp;#039;s longer but lighter than an or a ) gets an impressive 17/24 mpg rating in the EPA city/highway mileage test, which helps it avoid the gas-guzzler tax.   After spending an evening with the elegant XJ8 Super V8, one editor succinctly summed up the new Jag: &amp;quot;Just when I thought we should eat the rich, I drive a car like this and want to become one....&amp;quot; Does praise come any higher? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a10372/2005-jaguar-xj8-super-v8/>