Sure, nothing protects passengers like an Oshkosh MRAP, but for those who desire a little luxury mixed with their B7-grade armor, perhaps the new Jaguar XJ Sentinel is the perfect ride.
According to Jag, the Sentinel is certified at a B7 level, meaning it can withstand multiple rounds of armor-piercing 7.62-mm ammunition. Impressive, but Jaguar also says the XJ Sentinel protects against 33 pounds of TNT detonated near the car, and offers "substantial" protection from underfloor explosives.
Although the Sentinel retains the XJ's aluminum spaceframe construction, the additional armor causes its weight to swell from 3909 pounds to roughly 7275. Jaguar says it's updated the adaptive suspension to compensate for the additional weight, but for some reason, the Sentinel makes use of the 385-horsepower, direct-injection V-8, not the supercharged, 470-horsepower form. As such, the Sentinel can hustle from 0-62 mph in 9.7 seconds -- not horrible, but it's far slower than a standard XJ, which can achieve the same metric in roughly 5.7 seconds.
All XJ Sentinel cars do, however, receive the larger brakes from the Supercharged model, along with strengthened 19-inch wheels, Dunlop 245/45 run-flat tires, and a three-year/ 50,000-mile warranty. If that sounds like a blast (no pun intended) to you, give Jaguar a call.
Thanks to: Motor Trend