ROAD TEST:The diesel engine fitted to the Jaguar XFmakes it an even more appealing rival to the usual German executive cars and should attract younger buyers, writes Paddy Comyn
JAGUAR HAS been something of a shining light at a time when the car industry has been in the doldrums.
The brand, away from the constraints of Ford ownership, has been reborn and seems to be more certain of its identity than ever before. Rather than poorly considered retro cars, the Jaguars coming on stream are good-looking, exciting both to look at and to drive and they are attracting a whole new audience to the brand. The XF, its mid-sized executive car, has been the saviour of this renaissance.
The XF isn’t the newest car in the executive class; we are a matter of weeks away from the arrival of an all-new Mercedes-Benz E-Class and there is a new BMW 5-Series likely early next year.
But what Jaguar has done is give the XF two new diesel engines, replacing the 2.7-litre that was in the first phase of the XF with 3.0-litre diesel engines. While the last engine wasn’t bad and was in fact very quiet it lacked a little bit of pace and wasn’t too clever when it came to CO2 emissions either. These new engines are a development of the outgoing engine but CO2 emissions are now just 179g/km and this is despite having either 240 or 275bhp.
The model we tested was the 240bhp 3.0-litre D and aside from two new door mirrors it isn’t easy to tell that there have been revisions to the car. But that hardly matters – one year on from the arrival of the XF and our opinion has changed little on the design of the car. It is probably the best-looking car in its class.
While BMW’s 5 Series has aged well it is starting to grey at the temples, and the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class has divided opinions before it has even arrived into Irish showrooms. Few, however, would argue that the Jaguar is anything but beautiful. Jaguar resisted the temptation to go too retro with the design, like they did with the S-Type and X-Type, and instead have given us something that looks thoroughly modern but with still much of the Jaguar’s elegance.
Jaguar traditionalists haven’t baulked at the new look and it has made buyers who would have thought themselves too young or too fashionable to drive a Jaguar to change their minds overnight.
Jaguar has given a modern take to the interior, which is no longer just a sea of wood and cow hide (though both remain in effect). There aren’t too many buttons to fiddle with, or even any sort of iDrive or mouse to navigate, but rather a touch-screen display that works well and is easy to use.
There is of course the neat party trick of the automatic transmission switch popping out of the centre console when you start the car up; the air vents opening at the same time give the impression that the car is somehow waking up. It is a gimmick for sure, but people sitting into the car for the first time are almost always impressed.
So what about the new engines? Well, both the version we tested and the higher-powered S version have a twin-turbo V6 diesel that has its turbos mounted in parallel. To help with low-down torque and initial off-the-line acceleration the second turbo is isolated until 2,800rpm. You don’t notice the second turbo coming in, it is totally seamless.
The gearbox is a six-speed automatic that gives drivers the option of changing gears themselves using paddles behind the steering wheel. There is also a sport mode on the transmission.
The new diesel engine isn’t necessarily quieter than the old one, but you do notice instantly that it is a much more urgent powerplant and, while there is still a slight delay when you put your foot down, initially there is palpably more torque than previously.
Progress is rapid in the XF and the driver needs to keep a sharp eye on the speedometer, as licence-melting motorway speeds appear to be only a flick of the right foot away. Zero-100km/h takes 7.1 seconds and despite the quite heavy weight of the vehicle, this is faster than all of its key rivals at the same price. And with CO2 emissions of 179g/km it performs well in this regard too, especially when you consider that it uses an automatic transmission only.
Most of the time we just enjoyed the comfort of the XF and we’d wager that most owners will do much the same, but if you want to drive the car sportingly you can do that too. Select “dynamic” mode, which allows for more playful handling, and use the paddles to control the gearbox and the XF feels very impressive on a back road, making you forget that it’s a pretty vast vehicle.
The steering has quite a bit of feel for a car of this sort when you select these settings and on a combination of roads we were very impressed by just how many personalities the XF can have.
There might be a tendency to treat the XF as the newest kid in town and therefore get carried away with praise for it but even on sober reflection the XF matches up well to any of its rivals. Naturally, cars such as the 5 Series and E-Class will always outsell the Jaguar, especially when in both the German rivals you either can have or will have smaller capacity diesel versions available that are not only less expensive to buy but have much lower running costs.
BMW’s 520d is a clear front runner in this segment and when Mercedes-Benz launches the new E-Class next month it will come with engines that have CO2 emissions of 139g/km in some cases. This will make them appealing to a much wider audience.
It is very unlikely that you will ever see an XF with a 2.0-litre diesel engine or a manual gearbox. Jaguar would see its executive car as satisfying a need above the entry-level and for this it really does have a place.
While a BMW 535d is superb, there is always the niggle that there is a smaller version available. The same can be said of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class or Audi A6. Jaguar has not diluted the XF in such a similar way and that makes it possibly a much greater status symbol than its two German rivals.
The thing is, though, that it is also priced quite sensibly. We’d agree that €58,995 is not small money but as the entry-point to the XF range you get a car that is very well appointed; the €65,495 for our Premium Luxury version left you really wanting for nothing in terms of creature comforts. We would be tempted, if we were shopping for the XF, to beg or borrow the extra almost €5,000 to get the higher-powered S version. The S Diesel is as refined and as clean but has more power and we think its would be worth the extra investment. For us, it ranks up there with the Lexus GS450h, the BMW 535d and the new E-Class as among the best available cars in the segment.
It also leaves us looking forward to Jaguar’s future. A new XJ is imminent and you would expect the X-type to be replaced in the not-too-distant future too. And with the XF the first offering from the Jaguar renaissance, the future looks very bright indeed.
Jaguar XF 3.0D
Premium Luxury
CC:2,993cc
V6 diesel engine:0-100km/h 7.1 seconds
Max Speed:239km/h BHP: 240
Consumption:6.7l/100km (42mpg)
Price:€65,495
Engine:V6 diesel 240bhp 2,993cc engine
Specification:six-speed automatic transmission with wheel-mounted paddles, electronic park brake, cruise control, stability and traction control, reverse parking aid, sound system with six-disc CD changer, Bluetooth, satellite navigation with touch screen, 18" Cygnus alloy, softgrain leather 10-way heated with lumbar and driver memory, automatic climate control, Jaguar Smart Key system with Keyless Start. Option available: cruise control, metallic paint, Bi-Xenon headlamps, electric glass sunroof, premium ivory leather upgrade, portable audio interface, TV tuner
L/100km (mpg):urban – 13.5 (30); extra-urban – 7.0 (51.3); combined – 9.4 (42)
CO2 emissions:179g/km
Tax:VRT – 28 per cent; motor tax – €630
Price:€65,495