There's light at the end of the tunnel for big cat car brand. Along with Land Rover, a deal with the Indian car manufacturer Tata looks like it's almost in the bag. But is the new XF the car to take the fight to Audi, BMW and Mercedes? We find out.
Exterior
The Jaguar XF is bigger, more spacious and its styling is a radical departure from the S-Type's retro look. The S-Type built a reputation for the sharp driving experience - especially the sporty R version. But, despite being good to drive, the S-Type looked dated against modern, stylish rivals such as the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class.
So when Jaguar released the first offical photos of the new car, with its new design language, I must admit that I was pleased that Jaguar had dropped the S-Type name altogether. The XF has more in common with Jaguar's excellent current XK range. XF's designer, Ian Callum should be congratulated. The new design language has enough visual links so it can be clearly identified as a Jaguar, but is so different to other cars from the big cat brand.
On sale from the beginning of March priced from £33,900, the XF stands out with its bold, modern styling cues on the exterior and interior. On the outside, the four-door saloon is identified by the curvy, coupe-like roof line and short front and rear overhangs. Other key XF styling cues include the large front lights, chromed grille and the sculpted rear light clusters.
Overall, I think the XF is very attractive. My Only misgivings are the over-fussy headlights and the chrome-effect front grille. The grille might have been influenced by classics such as the E-type and XJ, but the result looks gaudy and cheapens the rest of the styling. The shape suits big wheels, a result of the XF having the widest stance in its class. For example, the 19- and 20-inch alloy wheels fitted to the test cars worked particularly well.
Interior Styling
The inside of the XF is equally 21st Century. The new dashboard architecture is attractive, with it's stitched leather top and aluminium trim. Callum describes the lower dash and raised centre console as a statement of Jaguar design moving on - and we've got to agree, but it's also very classy. The main interior innovation is the JaguarDrive Selector, an industry-first rotary multi-stable shift-by-wire control which rises from the dash when the XF is started. I was worried that this feature was a bit gimmicky, but in practice it works well and adds to the sense of occasion when driving the XF. Other interior highlights include the touch-screen which controls many of the interior functions including the climate, stereo and navigation functions and the Phosphor blue halo-effect to the instruments and switchgear, which looks very cool at night. Even entry-level Luxury versions include standard features such 17-inch alloy wheels, leather trim and the navigation system.
Music lovers are well catered for with three optional Bowers& Wilkins audio systems delivering between 140W with eight-speakers and 440 watts of music power from 14-speakers!
Safety first
Fitted with the full compliment of safety kit, including airbags, ABS and traction control with three modes as standard. Curtain airbags inflating from the roof and a contact sensing deployable bonnet which rises in an accident are now also standard XF features. The XF hasn't been crash tested yet, but the fitment of all the extra kit should guarantee a top safety result.
What the XF is like to drive
We drove the 410bhp supercharged 4.2 litre V8 and the 240bhp, turbocharged, 2.7 litre six-cylinder turbocharged diesel. The 4.2 litre Supercharged V8 is very swift and refined and suits the sporty feel. The 2.7 litre diesel, which is likely to take the majority of sales, feels capable and alert compared with its petrol counterparts. Top speed for the supercharged SV8 is 155mph, with the sprint to 60mph covered in just 5.1 seconds.
What strikes you initially about the XF is how much bigger the new car feels compared with the S-Type, but on the move, the fluid handling and communicative steering make it very easy to place on the road and great fun to drive. Perhaps the most impressive part of the new car is the smooth, composed ride, even with 19- and 20-inch alloy wheels fitted - but some tyre roar can be heard at speed.
It's not all good news though, despite the increase in luggage space, the boot is shallow and the short front and rear overhangs make it difficult to judge distance when parking and manouvering. But all the cars that we tried were fitted with a useful rear parking distance camera. Finally, we sometimes found the touch-screen interface a bit fiddly.
Summing up
Is it as good as the best German rivals? Well, it drives as well or better; has enough technology, is elegantly styled and is a brilliant combination of sporty saloon and luxury sedan.
Tiscali verdict: 8/10: Jaguar needed this car to be great and the result is even better than expectations
Fancy a closer look? Check out our bumper Jaguar XF gallery
