Jaguar XF - Was it that good in hindsight?

Jaguar XF - Was it that good in hindsight?

Author
Discussion

racezimmer

Original Poster:

354 posts

162 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
scottygib553 said:
The facelift Sportbrake was gorgeous and I nearly bought one but felt it was a bit mature (was 27 at the time).
One of the two we had was a Sportbrake. I agree about the design, it was a handsome car. Didn't really shout "Jag" though, which the saloon didn't either. But it was very practical and well designed. It just lacked quality and the electrics were problematic. Our other one was a saloon with the R-Sport body kit. Mean looking motor.

nordboy

1,522 posts

52 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
I’ve had 2, a 2.7 which was great at the time, lovely place to sit.

Then I got a 3.0 xfs which was absolutely superb, both the interiors were fantastic and blew bmw etc out of the water.

However, I feel like they got old and the 540i touring I have now blows both my xf’s out of the water. It drives better, the quality is better, the (2020 model) interior is better.

anonymous-user

56 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
Yes, I've driven many, albeit all new - so I couldn't tell you about running them day to day and how they age.

It was really and evolution of the S type which wasnt that bad a car, as it itself was improved over time.

I think the original shape facelifted XF is the best one. Not quite sure what to make of the new one, if you didn't need the extra size you may as well have the XE, which is odd becasue you can make the case for a 5 Series over a 3.

si_xsi

1,200 posts

197 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
I had one as my first estate last year, 3.0d S Portfolio in Caviar, wonderful machine took me to South of France and back in extreme comfort.

BenjiA

300 posts

212 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
si_xsi said:
I had one as my first estate last year, 3.0d S Portfolio in Caviar, wonderful machine took me to South of France and back in extreme comfort.
That's fantastic, so much more athletic looking than the Merc & BMW estates, and the colour is perfect. Would love on just like that.

pmanson

13,387 posts

255 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
si_xsi said:
I had one as my first estate last year, 3.0d S Portfolio in Caviar, wonderful machine took me to South of France and back in extreme comfort.


Mine was a 3.0s Portfolio in Italian Racing Red with the matching red interior.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

188 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
XF has to go down as "car most improved by facelift".

The original headlights were gopping.

Matty3

1,186 posts

86 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
Run a 3 litre XF Sportbrake as my daily - bought new put 100k miles on - absolutely brilliant with no problems - still love it!

alec.e

2,149 posts

126 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
I ran X350 XJ Jaguars for nearly 7 years, drove a early diesel XF last year and hated it. The most disapointing engine I have experienced, the center console was a ergonomic disaster - as I found the climate control on the touchscreen annoying.

The interior was a beige and dark marroon combo which I quite liked, had good amount of toys for the age.

Probably would pick a E60 of the same age instead.

jonobigblind

762 posts

84 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
Loved my XFS, had it for 2 years and despite some electrical niggles it was a really enjoyable car to swan about in. Put about 35,000 miles on in my ownership and only sold it due to changing jobs, dropping mileage and fancied a V8.

Totally regret letting it go...Its replacement has been wholly unreliable and only been on my drive for 19% of my ownership so far, thus making the Jag look positively Japanese-like in the reliability stakes.

Whistle

1,433 posts

135 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all


Loved mine,

Even though it was sold on for a brand new 530E I still miss it.

racezimmer

Original Poster:

354 posts

162 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
If Jaguar had made the centre console out of more solid and higher quality materials and perhaps used more solid plastics on some areas of the interior, along with a softer ride the car would be outstanding.

One of my gripes on the interior was the sheer volume of trim that should have been aluminium to pull off the design but was just painted plastic. I also felt the gear selector was cheaply executed, not enough weight to it and the movement was sloppy with too much free play. A lot of trim was actually quite loosely fitted if you poked about a bit. On both of ours the centre console wood panels didn't come close to lining up properly and on my Uncle's early 3.0, the whole centre console is loose and floppy. The column stalks also felt flimsy, as did the paddles.

All that said, I think the interior design will go down as one of the great cabins for ambience. Stunning design when the car came out.

The new model, the X260, can't hold a candle to it and is borderline shoddy in terms of build quality.

anonymous-user

56 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
How anyone with an XF manages with the satnav i'll never know! Literally a £15k Japenese supermini has a better, more intuitive, more useable system, let alone anything of comparable cost from the Germans.........

anonymous-user

56 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
There is a world of difference between a rep special 2.2d XF and a 5.0 V8 Portfolio or V6 diesel(we'll leave the XFR out of it). A 520d is a pretty disappointing thing too, but get one with 6 or more cylinders under the bonnet and it actually feels special. Same goes for a minicab special E220 and an E350 etc.

The trim quality seemed to improve on the later cars too.

I think they worked miracles given the budget, although the later S-Types were a great drive too.

Krikkit

26,647 posts

183 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
Max_Torque said:
How anyone with an XF manages with the satnav i'll never know! Literally a £15k Japenese supermini has a better, more intuitive, more useable system, let alone anything of comparable cost from the Germans.........
True, but the German equivalents of the time aren't that much better!

As with all in car tech the latest is greatest for any wallet size.

Whistle

1,433 posts

135 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
Agreed, the sat nav was crap.

Flumpo

3,852 posts

75 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
Evercross said:
ash73 said:
They should have stuck with what they did best - walnut & leather and classy lines - instead of a posh Mondeo.
LOL. The X-Type (so called posh Mondeo) tried to ape the walnut/leather/classy lines.

XF was the breakaway from that and all the better for it. So make up your mind.
Ironically the jaguar actually made a big deal at the time about the original xf having more wood trim than the outgoing s type.

I can’t find any direct quotes but even ph trotted out the jaguar line that the xf has more wood trim than any other jaguar you could buy at the time.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...


Although, the sideboard dash was toned down.

A.J.M

7,947 posts

188 months

Monday 18th May 2020
quotequote all
Dads got a 2010 3.0 Premium luxury model, in lovely Bali blue.

Really nice car, very comfortable on the motorway and has plenty of poke, it’s a funny smooth delivery, there’s no thump in the back but it will pull from 30 up to 90 easily and with no fuss.

It’s had a couple of hiccups on reliability but it’s got nearly 170k so can expect the odd issue.

jw2000

15 posts

68 months

Tuesday 19th May 2020
quotequote all
Max_Torque said:
How anyone with an XF manages with the satnav i'll never know! Literally a £15k Japenese supermini has a better, more intuitive, more useable system, let alone anything of comparable cost from the Germans.........
LOL, I never understand people who gripe on about Sat Nav in cars, there's a thing called Google Maps on your phone, I've been using it for the last 5 years - It's live data, can reroute you in seconds, gives you accurate arrival times and you can connect it to the audio Bluetooth for spoken directions, while connected you can also use your phone to stream music, videos or listen to the radio!
It's not 1998 nobody needs Sat Nav now.

jw2000

15 posts

68 months

Tuesday 19th May 2020
quotequote all
Johnnytheboy said:
XF has to go down as "car most improved by facelift".

The original headlights were gopping.
Debatable. The original headlamps (if you blacken the housing and remove the orange indicator reflector) are actually quite striking and if you see this from afar coming down the road it gives a much greater presence than the facelift. IMO the facelift looks the best if you stand directly in front of it, but is more bland looking in general than the original.