England’s heyday as the luxury motoring capital of the world has slowly been eroded with its premium luxury brands being bought up by competitors from Germany and India. The Germans infused shared platforms and engineering whereas the India owners injected much needed money and lower production costs and so over the recent years they have managed to bring out some class act new products. One Indian owned British car brand is Jaguar and here comes a real class act.
Still being manufactured in Britain, Jaguar has managed to turn around their fortunes with great new cars and some cutting edge styling from the super luxury XJ to the F-Type supercar. The previous XF sedan had given BMW and Mercedes some worrying night and now there is an all new XF that comes with luxury that will be difficult to surpass in a package that is simply gorgeous.
Jaguar has made much of its headway over the last few years by being a design leader, and that torch has clearly been passed to this all new XF, a car that boldly reclaims Jaguars former dominance in the super executive car segment. Now we are given the all new diesel powered XF to drive, feel and lounge in on the back village roads of Spain and for a short stint on a race track that promises a lot of smiles.
This new XF breaks new ground for the brand stylistically, yet it still manages to keep to the traditional Jaguar look. The tapered greenhouse and resulting long cabin might throw off a few people, but it’s hard to argue against Jaguar having done a top job with its profile, nicely pulling along viewers’ eyeballs toward the rear with some well-chosen character lines.
Front seat occupants will have no space complaints, as the XF’s front armchairs are a sumptuous place to be. Our test XF’s layered oak wood trim was particularly stunning and the gloss finished inlays looked like something that originated from grand piano maker’s shop, not a mass-market factory.
The all new Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) designed and manufactured diesel engine is not a particularly sonorous engine, which perhaps explains why Jaguar has decided to bury it behind a wall of sound deadening and thick glass windows. Those looking for a sexy exhaust note or intake bellow common with Jaguar cars will want to look elsewhere or purchase the Jaguar F-Type as this diesel powered XF is clearly an executive sedan.
Mild engine soundtrack aside, there is little to complain about with the powertrain as a brilliant 430Nm of torque is delivered at a low engine revolution whilst the ride was very pleasant on all rough village surfaces and the chassis rock-solid. On a fast paced drive there is a neutral cornering stance and minimal roll. We found the brakes up to hauling this luxury sedan down from considerable velocities.
The torque curve is relatively gentle at first and then it catches you off guard with its quick build-up, resulting in a particularly comfortable driving experience in heavy traffic and toe-toe excitement on the highway. This works in combination with Jaguar’s automatic 8-speed gearbox that has steering mounted shift handles for a sporty drive feel.
Straight line speed is impressive and this XF will reach 229km/h very quickly and has the ability to put some more powerful sedans to shame in its mid-range trust. Jaguar chassis experts have chiseled out the driving experience in the new XF with the same passion and uncompromising approach that characterized the development of the all-new F-Type sports car.
This all new XF is a sports sedan and has all the attributes of compete directly at its German competitors yet offers grace and composure for executive luxury travel that only Jaguar can offer. The result is an authentic sports sedan with driving properties that do its classic sporty lines full justice.
Jaguar XF 2-liter Diesel Specifications
Engine: 4-cylinder Diesel
Capacity: 1999cc
Power: 180bhp @ 4000rpm
Torque: 430Nm @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission: 8-speed ZF automatic
0-100km/h: 8.1secs
Top speed: 229km/h
Price: TBA
