► We drive the new Jaguar XF
► Looks similar to the new XE
► But is it any better than the XE?
You’ll swear the new Jaguar XF is longer than its predecessor: that tiny front overhang, the feature line that visually elongates the body, the boot that dangles beyond the rear axle like a cliff-hanging Italian Job bus. All of it makes the new XF appear a long car. It is quite long at 4954mm, but it’s actually 7mm shorter than the outgoing model, 3mm lower too.
If you’ve ever sat in the back of the old XF, fashioning a new one to be shorter and lower wouldn’t be top of your wish-list: the rakish roof made it more cramped for rear-seat passengers than 5-series, E-class and A6 rivals. Yet sit in the back of the new model and you’ll find plenty of legroom – a class-leading 15mm more than before, claims Jag, courtesy of a wheelbase stretched 51mm to 2960mm –more headroom than a blue-sky meeting, and a view out of the windscreen that’s far less claustrophobic. There’s a big boot too, though at 540 litres it’s no larger than before; that 7mm has to come from somewhere.
It is different to the XE, we promise. It’s bigger for a start… or is it?
So, new XF looks bigger, is actually smaller, but has more room inside. It’s the kind of packaging voodoo made possible only with an all-new car, and XF marks the second appearance of Jaguar’s scalable aluminium-intensive architecture. Just like one-segment-down XE before it, there’s double-wishbone front suspension, a multi-link ‘Integral Link’ rear axle and a body split approximately 75/25% aluminium to steel, where the old model was 100% steel.
This familiarity, together with the matryoshka-doll design, is strategic: Jag is pooling its cars on a common platform to boost economies of scale (the F-Pace SUV is spun off it too), and is sticking with a common design language to establish modern Jaguar on the world stage. But if you’re in the market for this car, that background doesn’t make it a less exciting prospect.
You sit low in seats that are supportive if on the firm side of comfortable, and when you pressthe XF’s starter button the rotary gear controller rises from the centre console and the air vents rotate as a welcome, just as they used to. This time, though, only the outer vents rotate, which feels a bit disjointed to me.
The rest of the dash is a mix of XJ, old XF and new XE, and generally looks good, with the XJ-style ‘Riva Hoop’ that wraps round the top of the dash and flows into the door casings, the thick XF-a-like fillet of trim that sits above the glovebox, and the new InControl Touch touchscreen that banishes the old unintuitive infotainment system. The trim appears better than the XE’s, though the hollow clacks when you tap the door casings and the barren-looking gear-control surround diminish perceived quality.
What’s the drive like in the new Jaguar XF?
Move off and the electrically assisted steering feels meatier than both the previous XF and today’s XE. There’s precision as soon as you twist it off-centre, very consistent weighting and accuracy, and a flightiness to its responses that quickly hints at sporting intent. I like it, but I do miss the fingertip delicacy of the last XF’s hydraulic rack. We’re on 20-inch rims and passive R Sport suspension – not the continuously variable dampers – which has a little float to absorb bumps, but can stray into fidgetiness on rougher surfaces. On the mix of rural and urban roads and Spanish autoroutes we’re driving, it quickly sinks into the background, though; good compromise, I’d say.
When Jaguar launched the first XF in 2007, there were no four-pot diesels, no estate in the product plan, and no all-wheel-drive variants either. Those omissions were rectified over time, which partly explains why the XF sold more units in its final year than at any other time. But it didn’t get off to the strongest start as a result.
And the performance?
This time’s a different story. At launch, there are four engines: 161bhp and 178bhp four-cylinder Ingenium diesels to court the fleet market, a 296bhp V6 turbodiesel, and a 3.0-litre supercharged V6, though the 375bhp version, not the 335bhp fitted to the XE. There are also four trim levels: Prestige, R-Sport, Portfolio and S.
We’re driving the model expected to account for most sales: the 178bhp diesel R Sport. The £36,850 sticker is bang on German territory (or £32,300 for entry-level 161bhp Prestige), and the promised 65.7mpg and 114g/km CO2 are similarly comparable (70.6mpg/104g/km for XF’s 161bhp diesels is currently best-in-class). Sizeable elephants heading for the room include the soon-to-be-replaced Mercedes E-class and BMW 5-series.
Jag says our XF’s 318lb ft torque peak hits from 1750rpm, and you can feel the turbo whoosh kicking eagerly from 1500rpm. It lends some real flexibility, but don’t forget the XF fields the same four-pot diesels with the same power outputs as the XE, yet weighs a claimed 70kg more (we’d guess more than that). So while the 178bhp diesel feels pretty lusty in the XE, here it provides adequate rather than plentiful thrust. It’s not the sweetest sounding motor either, with more mooing than a milk shed when you extend it; the Volvo XC90 I drove to the airport better disguised its cylinder deficit.
But this powertrain also marks a big improvement over the previous 2.2-litre diesel and its eight-speed auto. The old motor was a bit of a thrasher, something not helped by the auto gearbox’s bid to get to the tallest ratio as quickly as possible, then select the shortest one the moment you wiggled a toe. The Ingenium motor is significantly more refined, and the generous torque and/or better calibration allows the ’box to hold higher ratios under acceleration. You can also order a manual for the first time, which cuts price and – sometimes – CO2 emissions, which rather undoes talk of ultra-efficient eight-speed autos and super-tall cruising ratios.
Need more speed?
The next step up is a big one, to the familiar twin-turbodiesel 3.0-litre V6, which now makes 296bhp. It starts from £50k, and returns 51.4mpg and emits 144g/km. The closely related single-turbo V6 isn’t on the launch menu, so you have to surmise that it’ll be the twin-turbodiesel Ingenium four that plugs the gap and satisfies company execs in a rush. Where are the Ford-sourced four-cylinder petrols, the ones that’ve surprised Jag with their popularity in the XE? No mention of ’em: JLR is readying its own, Midlands-built Ingenium petrol fours.
Anyway, once you get our XF up to speed it’s a good entertainer. Point the nose into a corner and there’s a little lull as the weight drops down and compresses the inside front wheel. Feel the weight settle, the steering get meatier, then accelerate and you’ll carve through the bend in a blur. Then you’ll realise you could’ve gone faster; the way that double-wishbone suspension keeps the front end fluster-free even when you really throw the XF at an apex is pretty remarkable.
Despite the commonality with XE, the XF didn’t blow me away like the baby Jag did. The longer wheelbase makes it feel less agile, the lower power-to-weight ratio gives you less to work the chassis with, and when you really push your luck with some very high entry speeds, the nose will ultimately lose its composure and push wide where the XE just seems to stick. I complained about barbecuing XE’s stoppers, but the XF has actual firelighters for brake pads.
Verdict
As ever, talk of pushing dynamic boundaries is of only partial relevance in this market. If you drive the XF just a little below them, you’ll find it a very entertaining, refined, frugal and spacious place to be. I prefer driving it to the current German opposition. It’s just that I prefer driving the XE more. So before you buy, ask yourself how much you need more rear space and a larger boot.
Jaguar XF R Sport: the spec
Price: £36,850
Engine: 1999cc 16v four-cylinder turbodiesel, 178bhp @ 4000rpm, 318lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Suspension: Double-wishbone front, Integral Link rear
Performance: 8.1sec 0-62mph, 136mph (limited), 65.7mpg, 114g/km CO2
Weight From: 1595kg
On Sale: Now
Love
Handling, refinement (mostly), space, frugality
Hate
Mooing engine, firm seats, some interior quality
Verdict
Your commute just got more fun
Rating
****