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Written by Jeff Zurschmeide
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Wednesday, 25 March 2009 |
There really is something special about a Jaguar. Although the company was wholly owned by Ford for years and a few bits and pieces found their way across the pond to England’s pride, the essence of a Jag is still a thing apart from other cars.
That’s not to say a Jaguar is perfect – no car ever is completely without flaws. But a Jaguar has always had something special. Call it a soul, or handcrafted elegance, or just a design that you’re either going to love or hate, a Jag is a Jag.
So, this is the second time I’ve had an XF Supercharged model for a week. I spent my first time, just when the car was launched, learning about the new model and enjoying the power. This time, I looked for updates and improvements. To the best of my knowledge, they didn’t announce any mid-year changes, but I noticed a few things that have been tightened up and improved as the XF has matured in its first model year.
The XF still features Jag’s supercharged 4.2-liter V8 engine with 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, mated with an excellent 6-speed automatic transmission. The tranny features paddle shifters on the steering wheel and a “Sport” mode that shifts for speed better than most people can manage. The car is rear wheel drive, which is great for sporty driving, and that’s what you expect from the XF.
The suspension on the XF is just as smooth as the higher-priced XJ, with its active “CATS” (Computer Active Technology Suspension) feature. Together with Jag’s dynamic stability control, the car won’t let you get out of hand with the ponies. But you turn off the stability control by pressing the button that’s conveniently labeled with a little checkered flag - then you’ve got the full power of the engine at your disposal, and no robotic nanny to take over the throttle if you decide to get all out of control.
Driving the XF is a true “King of the Road” experience. Punch the little checkered flag and you can dust just about anything short of another supercar from a standing start. The XF is roomy, comfortable, and has every ding-dong you could want: backup camera, heated and air-conditioned leather seats, GPS navigation, nice stereo, blind spot monitor in the side mirrors, sunroof, real wood inside, Bluetooth - the whole enchilada. And it looks great and sexy besides.
One of the fun things about the XF is the sci-fi way that the vents open and the shifter rises up out of the console when you fire up the car. The shift knob is a rotating dial on the center console. Press and rotate to select a gear.
The first time I drove an XF, the shifter dial was slightly annoying at times, because sometimes you had to press it to get it to rotate, and sometimes you have to give it a little upward tug. If you need to be quick about it, having to fiddle with the shifter was a pain. I’m happy to say that they seem to have fixed that now that we’re at the end of the model year. Every gear selection was effortless this time around.
Another area with room for improvement I noticed last year was the interior fit and finish. The seams and cutlines in the cabin didn’t always line up well. Luxury aficionados will be pleased to know that the end of the year car is much tighter and cleaner in the details than the first few off the line. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s not glaring in your face any more, either.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that the XF is still an all-around fun car to drive. With the price of gas back down to sub-millionaire levels for the moment, the car’s 15/23 EPA gas mileage doesn’t look as bad as it did last summer. I still got about 16 MPG in real-world combination driving. That’s my lead foot talking.
Let’s look at the price. The base price of the Jag XF started at $62,200, and has risen to $63,700 on this new car. On top of the base, they’ve added $2,200 for adaptive cruise control. This uses radar to look ahead of the car and if anything’s in the way, it will adjust the cruise (within reason) to maintain following distance. That’s nice for everyone who’s ever had the cruise set to 65 only to have the guy in front of you vary his speed between 63 and 67 for 100 miles.
The only other option on my first test XF was $300 for the heated, leather, 3-spoke steering wheel. That feature is now included in the base price of the newest XF. Of course, they bumped the base price $1500, but you also get the Supercharger and real oak wood trim for the money.
The bottom line on the Jaguar XF is still the same - this is an awesome ride, if you can afford it. Certainly if you’re shopping the same price range for a BMW or a Mercedes, you should take a good look at the Jaguar XF. With all new car dealers in a world of hurt right now, you can probably get the deal of a lifetime on a new XF Supercharged.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 31 March 2009 )
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