Jaguar enters the new world
05/03/09 13:07 Filed in: Road
tests
Jaguar has certainly caused a stir
with the XF. For several months on DriveBlog it was the
C-XF
concept car that drew the most people to the website. Then,
when the production car was launched, the XF
continued to be the most popular.
It is not hard to see why. Jaguar still has a strong appeal as a prestigious, sporty marque. But, in recent years, its products have lacked a little excitement.
I can still remember the feeling of disappointment at the international press launch of the current Jaguar XJ. The most fundamental element of the car was technologically very advanced (its bonded aluminium bodyshell) yet the new XJ looked like a mildly facelifted version of the old.
The excitement with the XF is that there could be no such disappointment. The new car is so radically new that it is reminiscent of the revolution caused in the late 1960s when Rover turned its back on its old staid designs and shocked the motoring world with the then ultra-modern Rover 2000.
Where the Jaguar S-type was retro-styled to look like a contemporary of the Rover 2000, the XF is as modern as they come. A completely new design direction, Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design chief, said that his team were aiming to create what a modern Jaguar would have looked like had it evolved through the intervening years.
They have also recognised that style is important. Hence the XF’s coupé like profile, with a roof line that sweeps down quite dramatically at the rear. Indeed, the profile, to my eye, is the best angle to view the XF from. The back is a little lacking in presence, while the front is not totally resolved to my eye.
This may be because of the design constraints imposed by regulations. This required the big wrap-around lights with indicators can be seen from the side. Pedestrian safety regulations also dictated that the Jaguar corporate grille is receding rather than thrusting forward. To maximise pedestrian safety there are also a couple of airbags under the bonnet up to raise it and provide a safer crumple zone, in the event of an impact.
Inevitably the XF’s rakish profile raises concerns about passenger space in the back seat. It’s actually a lot better than I had feared. I’m just a little under six foot and, with long legs, I usually have the driver’s seat set just about as far back as it goes. With the driving seat set in this position, I then hopped in the back seat. My knees were certainly resting against the seat back, but it was reasonably comfortable and the headroom was adequate (as distinct from ample).
There are some nice surpise-and-delight touches that make the experience of getting aboard the Jaguar XF rather unique. When you open the keyless-entry door, the start button on the centre console pulses with red light like a heartbeat. The fun continues. When you press the button to start the engine, the rotary gear selector rises out of the console and the dashboard vents swivel to open. It’s pure theatre, but it intrigues newcomers and amuses regulars.
As with the exterior, Jaguar’s design teams have created an interior ambience that is appropriate to the Jaguar brand but, at the same time, like a breath of fresh air. Another of their design objectives was to simplify the clutter of controls that can afflict a comprehensively-equipped executive saloon. It is evident they have succeeded. At night the instruments are picked out with a distinctive blue light
I particularly like the touch screen display which is a delight to use, whether for navigation, audio system or ventilation. I also note the inclusion of a DAB radio tuner, along with the more usual FM and AM.
Jaguars haven’t always enjoyed the largest of boots. Indeed, I remember the surprise at the X-type launch when Jaguar announced that their new baby had the largest boot of any car in their range at the time. The XF continues the larger boot trend, offering us ample space – not only for the weekend luggage for two of us, plus dog – but also for the trolley loads of booty from a trip to Ikea plus a garden centre!
My road test car was the Jaguar 2.7D Premium. Powered by the 2.7-litre diesel that was co-developed with Peugeot for use in Jaguar and Land Rover, this unit fits perfectly with Jaguar’s reputation for refinement. You would be hard put to identify any of the usual diesel tell-tales – noise, harshness or slowness of response. Admittedly, though, I did run most of the time with the gearbox in the sports setting.
However, a comparison with cars in this class being offered by competitors like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz shows that the 2.7-litre had been slipping behind in performance terms. As a result Jaguar has responded with a revised three-litre Diesel and Diesel S in place of the 2.7-litre. Jaguar claim the Diesel S has boosted power by 16% and torque by 15%.
With the Diesel S acceleration 0-60 acceleration is improved to a very competitive 5.9 seconds, more than two seconds quicker than the base 2.7-litre. The three litre diesel is less than a second behind with a 0-60 time of 6.7 seonds. The even better news is that the boost in performance for the Diesel S has not been achieved at the cost of the environment.
Jaguar say the Diesel S produces 10% less carbon dioxide, at 179 g/km, and fuel consumption is said to be 12% better. As some indication, on the 2.7-litre, I achieved an overall figure of 34.5 mpg for a mixture of commuting and a longer dual-carriageway weekend trip.
Refinement, as one might expect, is a strong point of the XF. The six-speed automatic gearbox proved an ideal match for the 2.7-litre engine. Its finely-judged changes are almost imperceptible and if you really feel the urge you can change gears manually using the paddle shift levers behind the steering wheel.
With the Jaguar XF, the design team in Coventry knew that they had to produce a car that would be up there with the best that the German manufacturers could produce. They have achieved their goal. I really appreciate the fact that the XF offers a fresh take on the premium executive car market. And for those who want a performance model to chase cars like the BMW M5, the wait is almost over, with the Jaguar XFR recently unveiled.
The price of the new three-litre Jaguar XF Diesel Premium luxury is £37, 500, with the Diesel S version coming in at £40,500.
It is not hard to see why. Jaguar still has a strong appeal as a prestigious, sporty marque. But, in recent years, its products have lacked a little excitement.
I can still remember the feeling of disappointment at the international press launch of the current Jaguar XJ. The most fundamental element of the car was technologically very advanced (its bonded aluminium bodyshell) yet the new XJ looked like a mildly facelifted version of the old.
The excitement with the XF is that there could be no such disappointment. The new car is so radically new that it is reminiscent of the revolution caused in the late 1960s when Rover turned its back on its old staid designs and shocked the motoring world with the then ultra-modern Rover 2000.
Where the Jaguar S-type was retro-styled to look like a contemporary of the Rover 2000, the XF is as modern as they come. A completely new design direction, Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design chief, said that his team were aiming to create what a modern Jaguar would have looked like had it evolved through the intervening years.
They have also recognised that style is important. Hence the XF’s coupé like profile, with a roof line that sweeps down quite dramatically at the rear. Indeed, the profile, to my eye, is the best angle to view the XF from. The back is a little lacking in presence, while the front is not totally resolved to my eye.
This may be because of the design constraints imposed by regulations. This required the big wrap-around lights with indicators can be seen from the side. Pedestrian safety regulations also dictated that the Jaguar corporate grille is receding rather than thrusting forward. To maximise pedestrian safety there are also a couple of airbags under the bonnet up to raise it and provide a safer crumple zone, in the event of an impact.
Inevitably the XF’s rakish profile raises concerns about passenger space in the back seat. It’s actually a lot better than I had feared. I’m just a little under six foot and, with long legs, I usually have the driver’s seat set just about as far back as it goes. With the driving seat set in this position, I then hopped in the back seat. My knees were certainly resting against the seat back, but it was reasonably comfortable and the headroom was adequate (as distinct from ample).
There are some nice surpise-and-delight touches that make the experience of getting aboard the Jaguar XF rather unique. When you open the keyless-entry door, the start button on the centre console pulses with red light like a heartbeat. The fun continues. When you press the button to start the engine, the rotary gear selector rises out of the console and the dashboard vents swivel to open. It’s pure theatre, but it intrigues newcomers and amuses regulars.
As with the exterior, Jaguar’s design teams have created an interior ambience that is appropriate to the Jaguar brand but, at the same time, like a breath of fresh air. Another of their design objectives was to simplify the clutter of controls that can afflict a comprehensively-equipped executive saloon. It is evident they have succeeded. At night the instruments are picked out with a distinctive blue light
I particularly like the touch screen display which is a delight to use, whether for navigation, audio system or ventilation. I also note the inclusion of a DAB radio tuner, along with the more usual FM and AM.
Jaguars haven’t always enjoyed the largest of boots. Indeed, I remember the surprise at the X-type launch when Jaguar announced that their new baby had the largest boot of any car in their range at the time. The XF continues the larger boot trend, offering us ample space – not only for the weekend luggage for two of us, plus dog – but also for the trolley loads of booty from a trip to Ikea plus a garden centre!
My road test car was the Jaguar 2.7D Premium. Powered by the 2.7-litre diesel that was co-developed with Peugeot for use in Jaguar and Land Rover, this unit fits perfectly with Jaguar’s reputation for refinement. You would be hard put to identify any of the usual diesel tell-tales – noise, harshness or slowness of response. Admittedly, though, I did run most of the time with the gearbox in the sports setting.
However, a comparison with cars in this class being offered by competitors like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz shows that the 2.7-litre had been slipping behind in performance terms. As a result Jaguar has responded with a revised three-litre Diesel and Diesel S in place of the 2.7-litre. Jaguar claim the Diesel S has boosted power by 16% and torque by 15%.
With the Diesel S acceleration 0-60 acceleration is improved to a very competitive 5.9 seconds, more than two seconds quicker than the base 2.7-litre. The three litre diesel is less than a second behind with a 0-60 time of 6.7 seonds. The even better news is that the boost in performance for the Diesel S has not been achieved at the cost of the environment.
Jaguar say the Diesel S produces 10% less carbon dioxide, at 179 g/km, and fuel consumption is said to be 12% better. As some indication, on the 2.7-litre, I achieved an overall figure of 34.5 mpg for a mixture of commuting and a longer dual-carriageway weekend trip.
Refinement, as one might expect, is a strong point of the XF. The six-speed automatic gearbox proved an ideal match for the 2.7-litre engine. Its finely-judged changes are almost imperceptible and if you really feel the urge you can change gears manually using the paddle shift levers behind the steering wheel.
With the Jaguar XF, the design team in Coventry knew that they had to produce a car that would be up there with the best that the German manufacturers could produce. They have achieved their goal. I really appreciate the fact that the XF offers a fresh take on the premium executive car market. And for those who want a performance model to chase cars like the BMW M5, the wait is almost over, with the Jaguar XFR recently unveiled.
The price of the new three-litre Jaguar XF Diesel Premium luxury is £37, 500, with the Diesel S version coming in at £40,500.