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The XF could well be the car to lift Jaguar out of the doldrums

Story by Raymond Lai, pictures by Azfar Hashim of Oneshift.com

Until recently, Jaguar seems to be living in the past. Take the S-Type for example - it had its styling cues and themes lifted straight out of the iconic Mark II. The S-Type's styling inside and out was too retro to most tastes, and the mid-sized Jag was a disaster for the Coventry car maker.

Well, Jaguar has always thought that its customers were into English tea, shortbread and Cliff Richard - but the matter of fact is that they were more into Coldplay and modern appliances like HD TVs.

Jaguar finally listened when it introduced the beautiful XK a couple of years back. And now the brand has reskinned the forgettable S-Type (S Type R aside) inside and out, to give us the stunning XF.

Underneath, the XF's basic structure is lifted straight off the S-Type while the suspension is from the XK. Outwardly though, the XF is a whole different animal to its lukewarm and unloved predecessor.

Sexy back

Penned by Ian Callum, who gave us design greats like the Aston Martin DB7 and DB9, the XF ditches the S-Type's retro inspired looks for a more modern and contemporary feel. Up front, the shapely headlamps and the rectangular grille give it a distinctive face, with the power vents on the front wings giving it a muscular touch. Things get more interesting as you approach the rear - the sloping rear screen gives the car a coupe like profile that looks very much like the XK.

The XF is at its most pretty when looked from the rear three-quarter in our opinion. That sloping rear window, the elegant rear pillars, that boot line and those tail lamps just shout style and beauty.

The inside story

The XF is unlike any Jaguar before. Climb on board and you'll notice there is now aluminium instead of wood trimmings. The dials look modern and the centre console uncluttered - no more of those ugly switches seen in other models.

And then there's that pulsating start button - press to fire up the engine, and the much talked about rotary gear selector rises gracefully from the centre console, and the air-con vent flips to show itself. The touch screen menu system is also easy to use and should be another lesson to the developers of BMW's next iDrive.

Build quality is excellent - most of the switchgear feels tactile to the touch with the surfaces lined with exquisite materials. If we're really nitpicking, unfortunately, then we'd criticize the use of some little parts that obviously came from Volvo - the exterior door handles for example.

At the rear, passengers have reasonable amounts of room. Headroom is good, despite the sloping rear glass. The boot is also well sized and should be able to take your obligatory golf clubs.

Technically speaking

The 4.2-litre powerplant isn't exactly cutting edge in technology as it has been around since the first generation XKR and XJR - but in the XF, the V8 makes an out-of-this-world 416bhp and a whopping 560Nm.


With such output figures, you expect the XF to be quick. Quick it certainly is - thanks to the supercharger, it will get to 100km/h from stand still in just 5.4 seconds. More impressive though is the way the V8 delivers its power - from low revs, it sends a huge useable wallop of torque all the way to the red line.

Unlike cars with relatively small blown engines like the Evos and WRXs, the SV8's power is exploitable even from low speeds. At expressway speeds, just a prod of the throttle will allow you to overtake road-hoggers with effortless alacrity. The engine sounds a tad muted from inside the car but, boy, does it sound good from the outside - there's that hint of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage's V8 rumble from the exhaust note.

Jaguar's famed CATS suspension system is standard on the SV8, and it offers a fine blend of handling and ride comfort. The steering is a fine tool to work with, offering a good level of feel and feedback. Body control is excellent at all speeds, and there's even a Dynamic mode which sharpens up the throttle and suspension among other parameters.

Conclusion

There is that unmistakable style - make that drop dead gorgeous style. What other four-door saloon looks as beautiful as this? Even the Italians haven't given us such a sexy saloon since the Maserati Quattroporte, from five years ago.

In SV8 guise, the only rivals out there are the Mercedes-Benz E500 and the BMW550i, both available only on an indent basis. The SV8 is quick, but it won't be the quickest of the XF models - Jaguar is expecting an R model in the near future.

With the XF, there finally is a Jaguar that has the style, substance and character a Jaguar should have a long time ago. Well, better late than never...right?

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Engine: 4,196cc, 8-cylinders in-vee, DOHC
Power: 416bhp @ 4,250rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Length / Width / Height: 4961mm/1877mm/1460mm
Wheelbase: 2909mm

0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds

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