I was looking on an old car periodical the huge difference in price from an xj40 sovereign and a Daimler.
So I was trying to figure all the differences between the models. As I can see:
Different logos
Open roof as standard on Daimler optional on sovereign
Heated seats standard on Daimler
Rear seats divided and fitted with central console on Daimler
Rear picnic tables
Maybe different stereo on Daimler
I cannot see other differences , maybe lsd on daimler is standard?
are you shure… the veneer is very similar to the sovereign with the border contour, maybe the leather is better quality even if it should be connelly in both models i suppose.
Maybe it’s different in other countries ? I’ve owned a UK market Sovereign but I looked at lots of Daimler versions before I bought it. The leather in the Daimlers was much softer, less grainy and items like the seat backs and the side panels were leather whereas on the Sovereign they were synthetic. I think the veneer is very similar but extra attention was given in choosing the patterns in the Walnut for the Daimlers but the boxwood inlay was not used. Other differences ( in the UK ) the Daimler had a chrome swage line along the side of the car front to rear with a hand painted coach line just above it, and the rear lights were the 'neutral density ’ type and much darker than on the jaguar, the door trims were completely different to the Jaguar and trimmed in best quality leather. It was approx £3500 more than a standard Sovereign when new.
I’m not well versed on the XJ40s in particular. But, broadly, Jaguar did lots of juggling on trim levels and model names depending on market…and model year
For example the base level XJ6 for the USA market might be roughly the same as a Sovereign in other markets. The USA market Jaguar VanDen Plas is trimmed roughly like a DD6/12. It can be almost excruciating sorting out these details.
There is also the thing that telling people you have a Daimler when they ask what sort of car you have, and they reply “what’s that?”. The name is mostly unknown these days.
Yes, Daimler is all leather bare the dash-top and door skins. Plus some small details such as the presence of sunblinds in the rear shelf and reading lamps as well as leather trimmed sunvisors. The glovebox was also all wood/veneer (inside panel with the mirror), as well as the front roof lamp console, also wood/veneer. The Daimler trim was in my opinion much better quality, with sheepskin over-rugs, but strictly a 2+2 rather than a 5 seater.
I had both and recall (but here I may be wrong, that in some model years the wheels and sound system were also different, at least as options to my memory
And then the external trim, more chrome to the sides (instead of a coach line) and the flutted grille.
I just compared the climate control panel from a 94 North American “Sovereign” to a VDP of the same year/VIN range and only the VDP had the heated windshield controls.
my daimler has a different material for the roof trim (not cloth but like soft plastic) but the top dash trim is not leather and also the sunblinds are not leather trimmed. all other features are present.
