Rating
Quick Summary
Recommended. Handsome, modern styling and a particularly striking interior make this a different kind of Jaguar. It can compete head-on with the Germans - and win.
Road Test
The XF heralded a new kind Jaguar, of forward-looking design rather than retro-flavoured, as all its saloons had been for decades. It's an offering in the executive segment, competing with the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E Class and Audi A6, and it comes in the one, four-door saloon, body style with a choice of V6 petrol and diesel engines, and a pair of V8s. There's no entry-level 2.0 litre offering, Jaguar having no choice but to steer clear of the most popular engine choice because it has no suitable power unit as yet. But that may well have the effect of improving the car's residual values. So will the fact that even the entry-level Luxury models come with leather trim and satellite navigation as standard.
The XF's mechanicals are based on those of the S-Type saloon that it replaces (it might have looked dated, but the S-Type drove very well) and the successful XK coupe. But unlike the XK, and the larger XJ, its bodyshell is made from steel rather than lightweight aluminium.
The XF impresses even before it turns a wheel, not so much with its exterior style which is entirely contemporary and attractive - if a bit Lexus-like - but with its interior, which is like no other car in this class. There's wood, leather and aluminium inside, but it's used in fresh ways that look so much more modern and appealing than in Jags past. Firing up also produces the novel design features of the transmission's rotary gear selector rising from the centre console, and four dash-mounted airvents rotating to the open position. Press a pulsing 'start' button, and you're ready to sample a subtly impressive motor car.
Recent revisions have made the 3.0 diesel noticeably quicker, with power outputs of 240 bhp and 275 bhp, which has rendered the V6 petrol obsolete . The normally aspirated V8 is yet swifter, but only the supercharged V8, which is electrifyingly quick, manages to truly test the superb chassis. And consuming roads, any kind of road, is what the XF does best, its lithe, grippy chassis as at home on twisting mountain road as it is a sweeping autostrada. Fine steering and decent feedback make a sporting saloon of this car, which is why the ride is a bit firmer than expected of a Jag, though rarely uncomfortable.
Speaking of which, there's decent room in the XF's cabin, front and rear, and a reasonably sized boot, though it's the interior's ambience that occupants are more likely to enjoy and remember. This is a desirable car in a segment dominated by the three German models mentioned earlier. For the first time in a long while, buyers can choose a Jaguar not because it is different, but because it is better.
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