Jaguar XF Reviewed

3 months ago 31st May 09:40

TA TA Jaguar

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.

this 4.2 litre does not purr into action, it roars thundering from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds

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.

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