Jaguar XF just gets better
17/12/09 20:16 Filed in: Road
tests
When I had my first real drive of the
Jaguar
XF I was just about as impressed as I hoped to be, given all
the compliments that were flying around from those who had driven
the new generation Jaguar before me.
I say “just about” because my road test car had the 2.7-litre diesel engine. While it was as refined as you would expect for a Jaguar and would, quite frankly, have been described as “superb” in many cars, it was just a tad short of performance for a car bearing the leaping Jaguar.
Jaguar were very quick to respond to this need. At the time I drove that XF, Jaguar had already brought out a new three-litre diesel.
It has taken some time to get my hands on the higher-performing model, but for the best part of a week I have been wafting around in a Jaguar 3.0 Diesel Sport Portfolio. The difference on paper is a power boost of 16% and torque boosted by 15%.
What that means is a useful edge on the performance. The XF in 3.0 Diesel Sport form is now a match for other executive saloons. Acceleration 0-60 mph takes just 5.9 seconds. Even more valuable is the impressive acceleration in the overtaking range. The new model will whoosh from 50 to 70 mph in just 3.2 seconds. CO2 emissions are 179 g/km.
But Jaguars (certainly mainstream Jaguars) are not purely about performance. The performance traditionally has to be bonded to outstanding refinement. The good news is that with this XF it is.
The engine is almost inaudible in the interior. It is only when you blast the horn that you realise how well the cabin is isolated from any noisy bits, horn included! The three-litre engine simply purrs along and provides a surge of power when you need it. As with most diesels it’s the instant uptake that perhaps is slightly lacking compared with a petrol car. If that really bothers you (and in normal driving it shouldn’t) you can change the settings to sports or dynamic. Or you can use the manual paddles to drop down a gear for a little extra edge.
But it is in automatic that the Jaguar XF impresses most. As my wife pointed out (perhaps as a pointed comment the quality of my manual gearbox changes) you can hardly detect when the XF is changing gear.
You may remember from previous tests that the Jaguar XF offers a piece of pure theatre as you step inside. Keyless entry means you just open the door. As you do the gear selector dial motors out from its ‘resting’ position flush with the top of the centre console. At the same time the start button is pulsing with red light. Above that the dashboard vents are motoring to the open position.
To give the performance a little more edge you can click the gear selector one notch further than ‘drive’ to select sport. If that is not edgy enough for you, you can then prod the chequered flag button on the centre console to enter the dynamic mode, which really is a bit ‘hyper’. Great to try, I found its sheer frenetic responses and screaming revs rather unnecessary.
I preferred to let the sports setting, combined with an occasional tug on the paddles, propel me at a rapid, but sensible pace. Doing so, the Jaguar XF was sublimely comfortable and refined. The amazing ride quality, the lack of noise and the incredibly smooth power made a real impression. I only once had the opportunity to specify a car in this sort of price range. If I ever win the lottery and get another shot, I think the XF would be pretty high on my wish list!
My week with the Jaguar coincided with the first real frosty cold snap of the winter and, once again, the Jaguar XF delighted. Trying to remember where I had stashed last year’s de-icer, I headed out to the Jaguar. It was obviously too early in the morning to remember that there was likely to be a heated windscreen, so I prodded the demist button without much hope of avoiding the scraper.
Within seconds the windscreen was thawing, the electric seats were warming and, joy of joys, the steering wheel was also warming up. The latter is a £230 option, but it is one that I would gladly tick. Rather than clutching an icy cold steering wheel, it felt as though it had been gently warmed in the sunshine. Joy!
You can read my thoughts on the other aspects of the Jaguar XF in the previous test.
The Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel Sport Portfolio costs £44,200.
I say “just about” because my road test car had the 2.7-litre diesel engine. While it was as refined as you would expect for a Jaguar and would, quite frankly, have been described as “superb” in many cars, it was just a tad short of performance for a car bearing the leaping Jaguar.
Jaguar were very quick to respond to this need. At the time I drove that XF, Jaguar had already brought out a new three-litre diesel.
It has taken some time to get my hands on the higher-performing model, but for the best part of a week I have been wafting around in a Jaguar 3.0 Diesel Sport Portfolio. The difference on paper is a power boost of 16% and torque boosted by 15%.
What that means is a useful edge on the performance. The XF in 3.0 Diesel Sport form is now a match for other executive saloons. Acceleration 0-60 mph takes just 5.9 seconds. Even more valuable is the impressive acceleration in the overtaking range. The new model will whoosh from 50 to 70 mph in just 3.2 seconds. CO2 emissions are 179 g/km.
But Jaguars (certainly mainstream Jaguars) are not purely about performance. The performance traditionally has to be bonded to outstanding refinement. The good news is that with this XF it is.
The engine is almost inaudible in the interior. It is only when you blast the horn that you realise how well the cabin is isolated from any noisy bits, horn included! The three-litre engine simply purrs along and provides a surge of power when you need it. As with most diesels it’s the instant uptake that perhaps is slightly lacking compared with a petrol car. If that really bothers you (and in normal driving it shouldn’t) you can change the settings to sports or dynamic. Or you can use the manual paddles to drop down a gear for a little extra edge.
But it is in automatic that the Jaguar XF impresses most. As my wife pointed out (perhaps as a pointed comment the quality of my manual gearbox changes) you can hardly detect when the XF is changing gear.
You may remember from previous tests that the Jaguar XF offers a piece of pure theatre as you step inside. Keyless entry means you just open the door. As you do the gear selector dial motors out from its ‘resting’ position flush with the top of the centre console. At the same time the start button is pulsing with red light. Above that the dashboard vents are motoring to the open position.
To give the performance a little more edge you can click the gear selector one notch further than ‘drive’ to select sport. If that is not edgy enough for you, you can then prod the chequered flag button on the centre console to enter the dynamic mode, which really is a bit ‘hyper’. Great to try, I found its sheer frenetic responses and screaming revs rather unnecessary.
I preferred to let the sports setting, combined with an occasional tug on the paddles, propel me at a rapid, but sensible pace. Doing so, the Jaguar XF was sublimely comfortable and refined. The amazing ride quality, the lack of noise and the incredibly smooth power made a real impression. I only once had the opportunity to specify a car in this sort of price range. If I ever win the lottery and get another shot, I think the XF would be pretty high on my wish list!
My week with the Jaguar coincided with the first real frosty cold snap of the winter and, once again, the Jaguar XF delighted. Trying to remember where I had stashed last year’s de-icer, I headed out to the Jaguar. It was obviously too early in the morning to remember that there was likely to be a heated windscreen, so I prodded the demist button without much hope of avoiding the scraper.
Within seconds the windscreen was thawing, the electric seats were warming and, joy of joys, the steering wheel was also warming up. The latter is a £230 option, but it is one that I would gladly tick. Rather than clutching an icy cold steering wheel, it felt as though it had been gently warmed in the sunshine. Joy!
You can read my thoughts on the other aspects of the Jaguar XF in the previous test.
The Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel Sport Portfolio costs £44,200.