Road test - Jaguar XF 3.0 diesel
Author: Ian Strachan
Somehow Jaguars aren’t Jaguars unless they’ve got a punchy and purring engine under the bonnet. I was never quite sure about Jaguar’s Ford-inspired X-Type, although it has to be said they made a good job of it without doing too much lasting damage to the marque.
But the new Jaguar XF is the real thing. It looks delicious,
with sleek, coupe-style lines and classy design cues worthy of the
Jaguar badge.
My test vehicle was powered by the excellent 3.0 diesel litre
unit which delivers smooth, fast acceleration and great high-speed
cruising, but without being too thirsty.
The V6 3.0 litre unit is a stonker. It's quiet, refined and
responsive. Combining power and torque it can outperform its main
rivals with ease.
Married to a silky-smooth automatic gearbox this unit will
propel you from 0 to 60 in just 6.7 seconds, while giving you 42
miles to the gallon in mixed driving.
Jaguar's designers have done a great job with a shark-like
profile which underlines its powerful performance. The mesh grille,
lights and front end benefit from striking styling, while the back
end is large and muscular, with a huge capacity boot. Thumping 19"
cast alloy wheels complete the look. All very nicely done. Just
enough to let other drivers know this is the real thing.
Ride and handling is as smooth as you'd expect from a Jaguar,
and the XF benefits from excellent front suspension which absorbs
bumps well and improves overall handling and dynamics.
The interior of the XF is the ultimate in subtle style. Classy
without being showy. Get into the car using Jaguar's keyless entry
and the start button pulses red in the centre console. Press it and
the gear selector rises into the palm of your hand and the powered
vents swivel into position. Thunderbird 2 has got nothing on
this!
You get a smart aluminium facia finish, large and comfortable
leather seats, and a high centre console with polished wood finish
and lots of storage space. The glovebox opens at the wipe of an
electronic button. Instruments are classically styled and easy to
read. A satellite navigation unit is standard.
Specification levels are high and include heated/cooled and
electronically adjustable front seats with memory (16 way for
driver, 10 for passengers), dual zone climate control, electrically
adjustable heated steering wheel, all round parking sensors, rain
sensing wipers, automatic headlights, CD player and heated,
electric folding mirrors.
My test car also came with tyre pressure monitoring system and
adaptive cruise control.
The XF isn't cheap - you wouldn't expect it to be. The 3.0 litre
V6 in luxury spec comes at £33.900 on the road.
This really is a superb car - a great leap forward for Jaguar.
With a high quality British-made car like this available who would
even want to consider a Mercedes?
Road test by Ian Strachan Communications
Ltd
Ian Strachan is a motoring and business writer and PR
consultant. He can be contacted on 01543 490932 or 07949
202596 or via email: ian@strachan13.freeserve.co.uk