Yahoo Autos Guess How Slow a V12 Jaguar From 1991 Is
The 1992 Jaguar XJS came with an updated version of the company's venerable 5.3-liter V12, with 263 horsepower, 288 lb-ft of torque, and fancy Lucas digital fuel-injection. And what was it good for? Smooth motoring, but not what you'd call blistering acceleration.
MotorWeek tested a 1992 XJS V12 convertible and recorded a 0-60 mph time of 9.0 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 16.8 seconds. Yeah, that's rather slow by today's standards. That gorgeous Jag would get smoked by a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica (7.8 seconds to 60) or Honda CR-V (7.6 seconds). Even a lowly new Subaru Impreza (8.4 seconds) would beat it. And in a drag race between the Jag and a 2018 Hyundai Elantra, you should put your money on the Hyundai, which sprints to 60 in just 7.8 seconds.
But, if you find yourself lined up at the drag strip next to a Toyota Prius don't worry-with a 0 to 60 mph time of 10.5 seconds, the Jag could take it easily.
So what good were those 12 cylinders? Well, for one thing, they had to move around lots of leather and wood. According to Edmunds, a 1992 XJS Convertible weighs around 4200 lbs, so it's no surprise that fewer than 300 horses had some trouble getting it going. A three-speed automatic transmission designed for smoothness probably didn't help the Jag's straight-line acceleration either.
The 1992 XJS also shows how much progress we've made in the auto industry over the last 26 years. But none of this should diminish what is a really special car. The XJS is a characterful thing, and one of the last truly old-school Jags. And who needs to go quick anyway?
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