Any Jag fan will tell you that the interior of a Jaguar is a key part of the car's overall character. It's a combination of the look, feel and smell. You won't find many visible plastic parts in the XJ's interior. Instead, it's mostly trimmed out in leather and wood. Yes, that's real burr walnut veneer on the fascia, center console and door panels. The dashboard sweeps across the whole car in a fairly high position.

Three gauges are clustered in front of the steering wheel. The center console contains a 7-inch LCD touch screen for managing the climate, audio and optional navigation systems. Gone are rows of confusing switches seen in Jaguars of the past. Jaguar has made the controls as easy to operate as possible and has avoided the temptation to include a host of gee-whiz computer controls. We certainly did not have to get out the owner's manual to turn on the radio or adjust the climate, something that cannot be said of other cars in this class. The base XJ8 sound system comes with eight speakers and a single-slot CD player.

The adjustable foot pedals can be moved up to 2.5 inches at the touch of a switch. Coupled with the 12- or 16-way adjustable front seat, they allow any size driver to find a perfectly comfortable seating option.

The Vanden Plas gets a plusher interior with softer leather, lambs wool carpets and a power rear window blind. The front seats have 16 positions instead of 12. The XJR and Super V8 get a sportier interior with seats offering extra support. They also have less wood trim.

The standard-wheelbase XJ8 and XJR provide considerably more room than in previous XJs.

The long-wheelbase versions take advantage of the car being lengthened by five inches behind the B-pillars (the pillars between the front and rear doors). The rear seatback reclines. Plus there's a switch provided for the the person riding in the right-rear seat to power the front passenger's seat forward. This allows plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy such things as wooden picnic trays that flip down from the backs of the front seats.

Kids and adults who like to be entertained while traveling in comfort will appreciate the sophisticated multimedia system that's optional in some versions and standard in others. The system features two 6.5-inch LCD monitors embedded in the back of the front seat headrests. A comprehensive control panel located in the rear center armrest operates them independently from the front and from each other. One person can be watching a DVD while the other can watch input directly from a video game or camcorder.

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