Mark Wibberley signs off with a test of the stunning new Jaguar
What a final test drive for my final regular motoring column, and what an important, and as its turns out, impressive, car for Jaguar. Long awaited and crucial to its future, the XF avoids the retro look of the S-Type and is thoroughly modern all round. Built to convert Mercedes, Audi and BMW buyers yet preserve the essence of Jaguar’s ethos, it finally does combine ‘grace, pace and space’ – the boot is properly sized and the rear seats fold down too.
Elsewhere, the design touches internally, including the throbbing push button start and auto rising vents produce a coherent, flowing feel of refinement, with excellent materials and finish. You sit in a carefully crafted environment that instantly makes you feel comfortable, cosseted and secure. The outside has a pleasing rising rear, which produces good back seat headroom and a lovely sweeping roofline. The further into my test day I went, the more obvious the forethought in the design became, and with confidence came some spirited driving.
On this score the car was superb – well balanced, with a powerful thrust from the twin-turbo 2.7 diesel engine (already proving the majority choice), with very sharp brakes, a great ride – communicative of the road surface but not harsh, and perfectly weighted steering. Described by Jaguar as ‘sporting luxury’ I think it deserves the tag, and I would expect the 4.2 V8 petrol to really bowl along. Whether faced with fast dual carriageway, open country roads or town driving, the automatic gearbox or its paddles were smooth and positive, and the Sport mode appreciably toned up response.
The list of features as standard is long – integrated touch screen sat nav and Bluetooth, reverse sensors, heated and cooled leather memory seats, cruise control, auto fold mirrors and the very neat pop-up gear selector. Of the options fitted on my car, the upgraded B&W audio, larger 19” wheels and genuine oak veneer added considerably to its appeal, though I’d be very happy with the standard spec for its £33,900. The 3.0 V6 petrol offers 10mpg less than the diesel I tested, so I’d only consider the V8 if I wanted petrol – and the Supercharged version if I really wanted to blow away the M5 drivers !
I’d been looking forward to this drive since the autumn, and met many people at Marshall’s launch who had put deposits down sight unseen and were delighted with the car in the flesh. I’d thoroughly recommend a view if you’re in this market – it’s a cracking new car, and Marshalls have again been voted No.1 for customer service in sales amongst all UK Jaguar dealers.
Jaguar XF 2.7 D kindly provided by Marshall Jaguar, Mallory Park (by showcase), Peterborough, PE1 5AU, Tel: 01733 313335