I’ve always liked the XJS and wanted to know how much room leg room
there is in the coupe. I’m looking to get a late 80’s early 90’s
(I like the rear lights better)coupe as a daily driver to replace
the Caddy I have now (to big, not my style). I occasionaly need to
transport my three boys (11, 12, 14) and am wondering how much room
there is, I’m 5’10’’. We can all fit in my 928 if I move the seat
up but it is tight and not a daily driver.
Thanks for any info, I need to find one to sit in but not very many
in Southern Maryland. An XJ6 or XJ12 would have the room but not
as sporty!–
1971 Triumph Stag, 1988 Porsche 928
Lexington Park, MD, United States
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I’ve always liked the XJS and wanted to know how much room leg room
there is in the coupe. I’m looking to get a late 80’s early 90’s
(I like the rear lights better)coupe as a daily driver to replace
the Caddy I have now (to big, not my style). I occasionaly need to
transport my three boys (11, 12, 14) and am wondering how much room
there is, I’m 5’10’'. We can all fit in my 928 if I move the seat
up but it is tight and not a daily driver.
Thanks for any info, I need to find one to sit in but not very many
in Southern Maryland. An XJ6 or XJ12 would have the room but not
as sporty!
Speaking as the owner of an '87 Coupe, I can answer your question:
Not enough.
-Paul
// please trim quoted text to context onlyOn Fri, 2005-04-29 at 22:09 +0200, gmin wrote:
In reply to a message from gmin sent Fri 29 Apr 2005:
It’s like your 928. The earlier ones did have a tad more
room, with less if it’s the very late '80’s on sport seats
and even less in the ‘‘facelift’’ seems like. Even in the
earlier models, I wouldn’t consider the back seats for any
regular use except perhaps a small child or a small pet. It
is a quite comfortable car for a trip with one or two -
having ample trunk space as well. I do encourage you to get
one and enjoy yourself, but on a one or two seat basis with
an emergency seat tucked back there… and of course the
room issue is a wonderful excuse to spring for an XJ12 or
XJ6 in addition! Get an XJ6L or XJ8L and they’ll never
outgrow it
By the by, these are relatively complex cars, so if you wish
it as a daily driver, I suggest getting one that is really
well cared for. As you may know, don’t buy one with any
signs of overheating. Renew the fuel injector hoses in
addition to usual stuff you should do buying any used car.
Further, you may want one with miles on it, rather than one
with very low miles. Not to say get one that’s worn out, but
you may want to see that it has seen regular service, not a
spectacularly ‘‘low miles!’’ cranky garage queen, unless
you’re wanting a mint lookin’ project of course. That’s just
a general practical suggestion from my opinion. Get it used
and use it, so to speak. 100,000 miles isn’t a problem for
these V12s. They just seem to run more reliably if used
routinely. Enjoy!–
The original message included these comments:
I’ve always liked the XJS and wanted to know how much room leg room
there is in the coupe. I’m looking to get a late 80’s early 90’s
In reply to a message from Paul Venezia sent Fri 29 Apr 2005:
Got to agree with Paul. Rear leg room is only suitable for a
stunted hamster. Pre-face lift might gain you 1/2’’.
I have 2 kids, average size, one is 3 and the other 6. The 3 year
old sits beind me and I have to move my seat forward. To be fair,
part of the problem is his child seat. The 6 year old rides side
sadle with his legs over the center tunnel. Obviously not an ideal
setup, but cheaper than surgery.
Read an article in March 2005 Jaguar Enthusiast about a Lister Le
Man. Headlines are 500bhp, 335/35 tyres on the rear and cost �155k
back in 1990. The conversion to a 6 speed gearbox alone cost an
additional �7,400. So what? Well this quote caught my
eye ‘’…gained an extra 3’’ of legroom for rear passengers’’. Lister
reengineered the seat squab smaller. Does not look very comfortable
over long distances, but the legroom is definitely improved.
Bottom line, the XJS is not for passengers, unless you want to
either spend an awful lot of money adapting it or your wife gives
birth to hamsters.–
Greg '94 XJS 6L V12 Coupe
Manchester, United Kingdom
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I would agree with the assessment here… that it will be much like your 928
and good only for occasional use. My 88 is just that way and I have 2
daughters 9 an 15, fortunately both are on the petite side.
Norm Baier
88 XJ-S V12 Coupe
Woodstock, GA-----Original Message-----
It’s like your 928. The earlier ones did have a tad more
room, with less if it’s the very late '80’s on sport seats
and even less in the ‘‘facelift’’ seems like. Even in the
earlier models, I wouldn’t consider the back seats for any
regular use
During the past summer, my wife and I attended a Brit. car rally and
made a week’s holiday of the trip. During our stay at the rally and
resort town where it was held, we travelled with my wife’s good
friend - who rode in the back of the XJ-S. Ours is a completely
stock '85 HE Coupe.
My wife is short (5’3") and her friend is nearly as short. My wife
pulled her seat forward - but could still enter and sit comfortably
while her friend found the rear seat quite comfortable and could sit
with her legs in front of her - not squished sideways with her legs
stretched out. We travelled for hours like this and no one was
uncomfortable. The only problem was that it was a bit difficult to
get in and out of the rear.
At last, short people win special stature (pun intended).
I found, when I bought the car, that the driver’s seat was too low
and that my legs bothered me during long drives. I made a vast
improvement by shimming the seat bolts and raising the seat by
approximately 1". Problem (nearly) solved. Now if I can figure out
where to put my right leg when driving, with the cruise control
activated, it could be perfect. Any suggestions?
Please don’t suggest that using the cruise control is for idiots. My
long distance drives in the XJ-S are usually in excess of 700 miles
non-stop. Other than brief respites for fuel and food, driving
continuously with foot on the accelerator is definitely tedious. Out
here in western Canada, long distance driving is the norm and not
using cruise merely contributes to fatigue.
In reply to a message from John McEwen sent Sat 30 Apr 2005:
Thanks for the wisdom! I would need to keep this purchase somewhat
practicle. I think it would be easier to sell the idea of an XJ-12
or XJ-6 to the wife. My current caddy daily driver is not my
style. I like cars that have character and good power. The 928 is
a pretty awsome car and like the XJ-S is a great car for the money
if you understand the maintenance costs will be high even doing
your own work.
In reply to a message from gmin sent Sat 30 Apr 2005:
Glen,
I have a 6.0 XJS. Having driven my fathers 6.0 XJ many times, it is
the only car I would swop for. Legroom is not an issue in his car
as it is the LWB version. Being a '97 it has the revised engine
which gives more power, than the XJS.
As my kids are not getting any smaller, it is only a matter of time
before I go for the 6.0 XJ LWB. There is nothing like an XJS, but
an XJ is close.–
Greg '94 XJS 6L V12 Coupe
Manchester, United Kingdom
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In reply to a message from gmin sent Fri 29 Apr 2005:
Hey I can answer this one!
I had my 1990 928 S4 stollen 8 months ago and now have an XJS. when
I sat in the back of the 928 I had to tilt my head to the left. in
the back of the jag my feet go under the front seat but I have the
head room. I am 5 ft 11.
Now the big thing is I have two kids 5 & 8 and in the Porsche no
problem but in the Jag each child has a challange trying not to put
thier feet on the back of the seat and stab me in the back. Also I
spend every week scrubbing out the foot prints on the back of the
seats.
I love my Jags but if you have a 928 in good shape keep it better
car all round!–
The original message included these comments:
there is, I’m 5’10’'. We can all fit in my 928 if I move the seat
up but it is tight and not a daily driver.
In reply to a message from DDay sent Tue 3 May 2005:
My 89 is fine with me and my 10 and 12 year olds. I’m 6’2 and
whenever four folks are in it, if the seat has to go forward at all
my right knee is uncomfortably pressed against the ignition key in
the dash. # people, it works. Four, not good. I did have four
adults all around 6 ft or over in it once (one guy was 6’5’’). When
we got out, the car looked like it was giving birth. Passerby’s in
the parking lot even stopped to watch. It’s OK, we were getting
out of a Jag so we’re still cool:)–
Tom, 89 XJS Coupe
Reynoldsburg Ohio, United States
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I’m 14 and 174CM I love the car and really want to buy it in the future but one of the biggest problems about it that worries me are the back seats, in where I live people are very critical, they think the car isn’t cool but ugly, I don’t listen to them but the back seat problem is actually kind of stupid! Does anyone know what can i replace those seats with? Removing them and using the extra space for storage will make the interior look weird and unusual. So idk what to do! Please help.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
14
I was looking at a Maserati once, and the car had the silliest back seat you’d ever seen. The back of the back seat was literally perhaps six inches from the back of the front seat. Leg room was literally nonexistent, there was no footwell back there, the squab of the back seat was up against the back of the front seat. I asked what that was about, and it was explained to me that having that vestigial seat back there made the car feel more spacious inside than just having a luggage shelf or whatnot. I also wondered if it might be an insurance thing, that perhaps some doofus insurance agent might be conned into classifying the car as a 4-seater.
Generally, consider it a 3 seater. The seat behind the driver is almost always unusable. How usable the rear seat behind the passenger depends on a couple of things.
I’m 182cm and I have travelled in the back of the XJS a couple of times, although I only just fit, and the front passenger has to have their seat forwards more than usual. It’s enough so that while neither of us are very comfortable, we can do shorter trips like that without being completely crippled by the end.
The headroom is actually the biggest problem in the back. Legroom becomes the problem for the front passenger, so use that to decide who sits where. If you have a very short person, make them the driver and you might just be able to squeeze a fourth person in.
There is room under the front seats for feet, and legs can kind of go to the side a bit. So long as the front seat leaves a gap of about 20cm from the edge of the back seat for legs, you can get someone in there.
Fortunately all the people I would need to carry (apart from myself and my father) are short, so it’s not much of an issue, and I fit for the times when I’m not driving it and the passenger completely refuses to go in the back.
It’s doable but will not be comfortable. I had my niece sit in the back when she was 5 years old and she complained the whole time. I think it’s better suited for amputee children.
It’s great spot for a cat or dog however.
