Jaguar XF - With the pending sale of Jaguar to Indian manufacturers Tata eminent, Jaguar Ford have left one heck of a leaving present, that of the XF.
The sale is due to be finalised and therefore officially announced some time this week. However Jaguar has assured me nothing will change as far as the British customer is concerned. Dealerships will remain the same, the cars will still be produced here in the UK and most importantly, Jaguar will continue to roll out prestigious cars as they have done for the past 85 years.
Cementing on this anniversary was the unveiling of the XF that has been awarded over twelve prestigious awards from Car of the Year 2008 to Fleet World Design of the Year Editors Award for the second year running.
I am really not surprised for the XF breaks all boundaries in the luxury four-door saloon sector combining effortlessly style, space, and unprecedented specification with the performance of a sports car. Three trims are on offer mated to four different engines and prices start from a very competitive £26,000 My test car for the week was the XF 4.2 litre Premium Luxury that comes with an initial price tag of £37,893.62 but I had a few added extras fitted that pushed this up to £45,500.
With looks on par with a coupe yet the ability to accommodate five passengers; the cat is back and ready for action. The front end may be mistaken for the S-type while the rear is very reminiscent of the old XJ. The sleek lines ooze sophistication but what I miss most is the Jaguar leaping out from the bonnet that ensured even the most un-knowledgeable drivers would instantly recognise this car to be of the Jaguar family. OK in fairness the ‘leaper ‘ is sentimentally placed on the rear boot and the growler badge is on the front grille but it is not quite the same. I am not disputing the fact that the XF is a lovely car to look at but somehow it lacks the ‘wow’ factor and simply blends into the car park whereas I feel it should be jumping up and down screaming ‘hey look at me I am the new XF.’
Then I got inside. Any aversions I may have had simply vanished. Here is an interior so utterly luxurious it makes Harrods look like a pound shop. Full ‘oyster’ leather upholstery including the steering wheel that is not just electrically adjustable, it is heated too, wafts up the nostrils! As I nestled into the sumptuous seats I had 16 ways to electrically adjust them with memory plus the option of either heating or cooling them. My passenger or rather my son, had to do with 10-way operation. Shame.
this 4.2 litre does not purr into action, it roars thundering from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds
Everything I needed to ensure a stress free drive was at my fingertips = oh and in quality materials. The Bowers and Wilkins surround system with DAB is an optional extra but how else are you supposed to listen to Green Day or Kaiser Chiefs with such clarity from the CD autochanger. Standard equipment includes Bluetooth, keyless entry, a navigation system, heated, electrically folding exterior mirrors and rain sensitive wipers. The added extras on my test car comprised of rear parking sensors with camera, multimedia system TV, electric sunroof, electric rear sunblind Bi-Xenon headlights with power wash, adaptive cruise control and the very effective blind spot monitor. This detects any car as soon as they enter your blind spot and is displayed on the door mirrors.
You see, it’s the little touches that make this XF so desirable and I have not even turned on the engine yet! Air-conditioning vents present a flush dashboard surface until the ignition is switched on, at which point they elegantly rotate to the open position. Another new technology - JaguarSense introduces touch or proximity-sensing control for overhead console lights and the glove box release. JaguarVoice meanwhile controls the navigation and telephone functions safely.
Right, enough of this, time to start the engine and this 4.2 litre does not purr into action, it roars thundering from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds. Help! Hope the brake pads do not cost too much. Thankfully or not as the case maybe, top speed is limited to 155 mph. Fuel consumption on a combined cycle is a rather expensive 21.3 mpg.
Drive wise the XF is exquisite with class-leading torsional rigidity that has significant benefits for refinement and delivers a ride/handling balance plus steering characteristics, which compliments its sporting looks.
The shift-by-wire transmission control gives rapid smooth and very fast gearshifts. For more fun, use the Jaguar Sequential Shift System mounted paddles. There are also multiple JaguarDrive Control transmission modes, including Dynamic and Winter settings, which interact with throttle progression, Dynamic Stability Control thresholds and shift strategy to match mood and conditions.
The variable ratio power-assisted steering reduces for those parking bays which is just as well as the XF does not quite fit into one, yet gives reassuring firmness at higher speeds. Despite the V8’s exhaust system been retuned to keep quite at high speeds, the roar will let rip under hard acceleration. Am I turning into a petrol head here?
In case you go too wild, keeping the XF firmly on track are Electronic Brake Assist, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Anti-lock Braking System, Dynamic Stability Control, Cornering Brake Control, and Engine Drag Torque Control. Understeer Control Logic which decelerates the car and helps to restore grip to the front wheels when required.is a first on a Jaguar saloon along with the new Pedestrian Contact Sensing System.
However if you really do lose your bearings, every XF comes with two-stage driver and front passenger airbags, side and curtain airbags and seat occupant sensing systems. Front-seat occupants also have an anti-whiplash system and ‘soft-landing’ technology in the seat-belt retractors to soften contact with the front airbags.
The XF is practical with numerous storage solutions and a pretty impressive boot capacity of 540 litres that will easily accommodate the weekly shop.
A beautiful car, well thought out, precise engineering, an interior so driver friendly and onboard technology keeping us all so safe, Jaguar have entered a new era. Ta-ta Jaguar? I do not think so for I have a sneaky feeling under the new owners, the Jaguar range will just get better and better. Fords lose is Tata’s gain.
FemaleFirst - Jackie Violet
Jaguar XF - With the pending sale of Jaguar to Indian manufacturers Tata eminent, Jaguar Ford have left one heck of a leaving present, that of the XF.
The sale is due to be finalised and therefore officially announced some time this week. However Jaguar has assured me nothing will change as far as the British customer is concerned. Dealerships will remain the same, the cars will still be produced here in the UK and most importantly, Jaguar will continue to roll out prestigious cars as they have done for the past 85 years.
Cementing on this anniversary was the unveiling of the XF that has been awarded over twelve prestigious awards from Car of the Year 2008 to Fleet World Design of the Year Editors Award for the second year running.
I am really not surprised for the XF breaks all boundaries in the luxury four-door saloon sector combining effortlessly style, space, and unprecedented specification with the performance of a sports car. Three trims are on offer mated to four different engines and prices start from a very competitive £26,000 My test car for the week was the XF 4.2 litre Premium Luxury that comes with an initial price tag of £37,893.62 but I had a few added extras fitted that pushed this up to £45,500.
With looks on par with a coupe yet the ability to accommodate five passengers; the cat is back and ready for action. The front end may be mistaken for the S-type while the rear is very reminiscent of the old XJ. The sleek lines ooze sophistication but what I miss most is the Jaguar leaping out from the bonnet that ensured even the most un-knowledgeable drivers would instantly recognise this car to be of the Jaguar family. OK in fairness the ‘leaper ‘ is sentimentally placed on the rear boot and the growler badge is on the front grille but it is not quite the same. I am not disputing the fact that the XF is a lovely car to look at but somehow it lacks the ‘wow’ factor and simply blends into the car park whereas I feel it should be jumping up and down screaming ‘hey look at me I am the new XF.’
Then I got inside. Any aversions I may have had simply vanished. Here is an interior so utterly luxurious it makes Harrods look like a pound shop. Full ‘oyster’ leather upholstery including the steering wheel that is not just electrically adjustable, it is heated too, wafts up the nostrils! As I nestled into the sumptuous seats I had 16 ways to electrically adjust them with memory plus the option of either heating or cooling them. My passenger or rather my son, had to do with 10-way operation. Shame.
Everything I needed to ensure a stress free drive was at my fingertips = oh and in quality materials. The Bowers and Wilkins surround system with DAB is an optional extra but how else are you supposed to listen to Green Day or Kaiser Chiefs with such clarity from the CD autochanger. Standard equipment includes Bluetooth, keyless entry, a navigation system, heated, electrically folding exterior mirrors and rain sensitive wipers. The added extras on my test car comprised of rear parking sensors with camera, multimedia system TV, electric sunroof, electric rear sunblind Bi-Xenon headlights with power wash, adaptive cruise control and the very effective blind spot monitor. This detects any car as soon as they enter your blind spot and is displayed on the door mirrors.
You see, it’s the little touches that make this XF so desirable and I have not even turned on the engine yet! Air-conditioning vents present a flush dashboard surface until the ignition is switched on, at which point they elegantly rotate to the open position. Another new technology - JaguarSense introduces touch or proximity-sensing control for overhead console lights and the glove box release. JaguarVoice meanwhile controls the navigation and telephone functions safely.
Right, enough of this, time to start the engine and this 4.2 litre does not purr into action, it roars thundering from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds. Help! Hope the brake pads do not cost too much. Thankfully or not as the case maybe, top speed is limited to 155 mph. Fuel consumption on a combined cycle is a rather expensive 21.3 mpg.
Drive wise the XF is exquisite with class-leading torsional rigidity that has significant benefits for refinement and delivers a ride/handling balance plus steering characteristics, which compliments its sporting looks.
The shift-by-wire transmission control gives rapid smooth and very fast gearshifts. For more fun, use the Jaguar Sequential Shift System mounted paddles. There are also multiple JaguarDrive Control transmission modes, including Dynamic and Winter settings, which interact with throttle progression, Dynamic Stability Control thresholds and shift strategy to match mood and conditions.