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Vanden Plas Front Seat
The Vanden Plas
front seat is a commanding spot from which to view the world. The Connolly Leather hides
pamper the front seat passangers. Electrically adjustable seats with full lumbar support
make the longest journeys leaving you refreshed. As good as a cruiser the
XJ-S is, this car beats it in comfort per mile.
Another sore point among Jaguar afficianados and purists is the luminesent dash board. I both like and dislike this dash. Overall, it is a handsome design, and, at the time, was considered state-of-the-art. But like many auto manufacturers that initally embraced the "digital" dash, most went back to analog gauges. In 1990, Jaguar returned to the traditional analog gauges, so in one sense, the first XJ-40s may prove to be either an oddity or an original. This dash, however, is also a troublesome piece of typical British electronics. The trip computer on this car works only intermittently and the "Alert Center" (a feeble attempt by the factory to provide a computer-like warning center) often triggers false alarms. If you have, or are consider buying a similarily eqiuipped XJ-40, just live with the fact that your brake fluid will always show that it is low, and that your brakes are about to fail! My lovely lady in my life, Diane, drives this car daily. You can see Diane and her car here and Diane and I here. It suits her beautifully! |
As you can see in this photograph, my 1989 VDP car has passive restraint belts. Although
dreaded by most, I like this system. All we have to so is put one simple lap belt on
and the system does the rest. In typical Jaguar-class and style, the end of the track
mechanisim is hidden on the door pillars with fine horse hairs.
