Jaguar XJ Supersport (X351)

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Jaguar XJ Supersport (X351), the 5.0L supercharged V8 petrol saloon that Jaguar sold from 2010 with 510 PS, in both the standard and long wheelbase bodies, with the six-speed automatic of the first cars and the eight-speed automatic that arrived with the 2012 update. It is rear-wheel drive only. It is not a guide to the cheaper XJ models with the 385 PS naturally aspirated V8, the 470 PS supercharged V8 or the diesel V6, to the 550 PS XJR that Jaguar showed in 2013, to the 575 PS XJR575 of 2018, or to the long wheelbase Autobiography, which has its own entry. A listing that says only "XJ 5.0" can describe any of those cars, so check the badge and the engine before you trust a figure.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: Jaguar's own press release of 4 May 2012 about the XJ Supersport Nurburgring taxi and the Speed Pack, PistonHeads' used buying guide to the X351 XJ (24 January 2021), and the government recall checker. We also read evo's road tests of 22 June 2010 and 26 April 2013, Auto Express's test of 4 June 2010, a reprint of Jaguar's 2009 launch release on carsuk.net, a Jaguar North America release on PR Newswire (10 November 2011), the ADAC catalogue, PistonHeads' Speed Pack drive (9 May 2012), its XJR test (19 August 2013) and its 2022 used-car feature, and we say where each one matters. Prices are history, not valuations.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 5.0L supercharged V8 petrol, 5000 cc, the supercharged AJ-V8 Gen III with direct injection, mounted at the front and driving the rear wheels.
• Power: 503 bhp, which is 510 PS or 375 kW. Jaguar quotes 510 PS, evo prints 503 bhp, and ADAC prints 375 kW (510 PS). The conversion is 510 x 0.98632, about 503 bhp, and it agrees with 375 kW at about 503 bhp. Some listings print 510 bhp or 510 hp, which is the metric figure with the wrong unit, so we use 503 bhp and keep 510 PS beside it. It peaks at 6,000 rpm.
• Torque: 625 Nm, or 461 lb ft, from 2,500 rpm, according to supercars.net, Auto Express and ADAC, and PistonHeads and evo print the same torque as 461 lb ft.
• 0-100 km/h: 4.9 seconds. The same car is given 4.7 seconds to 60 mph (evo, 2013) and 4.9 seconds to 62 mph (Auto Express, PistonHeads). Those are not in conflict, because 100 km/h is 62 mph and 60 mph comes a little sooner.
• Top speed: 250 km/h, which is 155 mph and is an electronic limiter.
• Drive: rear-wheel drive with a ZF automatic gearbox and Jaguar's electronic active differential.
• Weight: 1,892 kg for the six-speed standard wheelbase car, according to PistonHeads and Auto Express. ADAC gives 1,870 kg for the later eight-speed car.

Power, units and the limiter

The 510 figure is the one to understand. Jaguar writes it as 510 PS, the metric horsepower, and evo prints 503 bhp. PistonHeads writes 510hp without a unit conversion, and Auto Express writes 510bhp. A reader who compares those without checking the unit will think two cars differ when they do not. The torque figure, 625 Nm, is quoted the same way everywhere we looked.

The 250 km/h limit is an electronic restriction, not a gearing limit. Jaguar's press release for the Nurburgring taxi says the optional Speed Pack raises the limit from 155 mph to 174 mph, which is about 280 km/h by our conversion, by recalibrating the engine management. The same release says the pack is available only on Supersport models that also have the exterior Sport Pack. PistonHeads, in May 2012, put the Speed Pack at roughly 3,500 pounds. A listing that quotes a top speed above 250 km/h is therefore either a Speed Pack car or an error, and you can ask for the original order sheet to find out. We have not seen a source that gives a measured top speed for any Supersport, so every figure here is a claim.

What the Supersport actually was

Jaguar revealed the all-new XJ in July 2009, and its launch release says the 510 PS V8 would be available only in the range-topping Supersport. The reprint we read also lists 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. The first test cars reached the press in mid-2010, with evo's drive on 22 June 2010 and Auto Express's test on 4 June 2010. Auto Express listed the standard wheelbase at 87,455 pounds and called the car about 20,000 pounds more than the naturally aspirated Portfolio, while evo's 2013 test priced a standard wheelbase car from 91,770 pounds and the long wheelbase from 95,270 pounds. Those are launch-era list prices, not today's values.

The weight stays near 1,900 kg for a car of this size, and Jaguar's 2012 release describes the car as being on an all-aluminium platform. evo said the Supersport weighed just one kilogram more than the XF-based XFR that shares its engine. Both evo and Auto Express praised the way it drove, with evo calling it a brilliant driver's car and Auto Express rating it 4.0 out of 5. We have not driven it, so we are only reporting what they wrote.

Years and where the production row goes wrong

Our earlier catalogue entry gave 2010 to 2019. That is the run of the whole X351 XJ range, which PistonHeads says was on sale from 2010 until production was due to end in July 2019, not the Supersport itself. ADAC lists the Supersport in two model periods, 08/2010 to 11/2012 and 11/2012 to 08/2013. PistonHeads' 2022 feature says the XJR replaced the Supersport in 2013, and evo's April 2013 test said the 542 bhp XJR was due later that year. Jaguar's own 2013 XJR release does not mention the Supersport at all, and an Australian price page shows a 2014 model year Supersport released on 3 August 2013. So 2013 is our end date, with the caveat that individual markets may have sold cars a little later.

What to check before buying

PistonHeads' buying guide covers the X351 range, not the Supersport alone, so treat these as general points for this engine and body.

• Timing chain: tensioners can wear after about 100,000 miles, especially with poor oil changes. Listen for a rattle on a cold start.
• Oil and plugs: PistonHeads recommends oil changes about every 6,000 miles and spark plugs about every 35,000 miles, with premium fuel, because carbon can build up on a direct injection engine.
• Water pumps: PistonHeads says early pumps leaked and typically failed at 30,000 to 40,000 miles and that they became reliable after 2015. Every Supersport is earlier than that, so ask for proof of replacement.
• Gearbox and differential: oil changes are suggested at about 35,000 miles for the gearbox and 55,000 miles for the differential, so ask which of them has been done.
• Air suspension: it is fitted at the rear only and the struts can leak after about ten years. PistonHeads says replacements cost over 1,000 pounds, and front clonking often means worn control arm bushes.
• Panoramic roof: the steel tracks corrode, particularly on cars made before 2012, and a whole new unit costs over 3,000 pounds before labour.
• Electrics and screens: expect software glitches and multimedia freezes. PistonHeads says none are terminal, and the system improved after the 2012 update.
• Battery: keep it healthy, and use a conditioner if the car sits.
• Brakes and driveshaft boots: the 2022 PistonHeads feature on a 2012 long wheelbase Supersport with 94,000 miles recorded an MOT failure for worn rear discs and two split driveshaft boots. That is one car, not a rule.
• Fuel and emissions: PistonHeads gives 23 mpg combined and 289 g/km of carbon dioxide, so budget accordingly for fuel.

Used prices and history

PistonHeads' January 2021 guide put supercharged 5.0 cars at about 18,000 pounds with 50,000 miles and about 15,000 pounds with 100,000 miles at a dealer. Its April 2022 feature listed a 2012 long wheelbase car at 17,950 pounds. These are old asking prices, not a guide to what a car is worth now, so compare current listings and an independent valuation.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We did not run the government checker, because it needs a registration number or the manufacturer, model and year, and we are not looking at a specific car. The page we read says that the MOT service shows unfixed safety recalls for a registration, that the recall checker needs the manufacturer, model and year, and that non-safety recalls are not listed because the manufacturer contacts the owner directly. We found no recall information for this model in the sources we read, so we state no recall history, and absence from our sources is not a clean bill of health. Run the registration of any car you are considering and ask a Jaguar specialist about open service actions.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page shows a black 2011 XJ Supersport photographed by NRMA Motoring and Services in March 2011 and licensed CC BY 2.0. The front number plate was already masked with a blank patch in the Commons file, and we cropped and resized the image to fit this page without any other change. It is a single car with its own wheels and options, so do not use it to judge the specification of any other example.

Verdict

The XJ Supersport in this guide has 503 bhp (510 PS), 625 Nm, a claimed 4.9 seconds to 100 km/h and a 250 km/h limiter, rear-wheel drive, from 2010 to about 2013. It is a quick, light aluminium saloon whose engine and body need attention in the same places as the rest of the X351 range, so the history file matters more than the figures. Look for a long service record, evidence of water pump and timing chain attention, and confirm the Speed Pack if the advert claims one. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a specialist inspection to decide.