PH Fleet: Jaguar XF Diesel S
The Jag continues to do the big stuff well but the details are starting to grate
Big cat needs to leap a little further to keep pace
To make sure that it wasn't just me or a brain addled by too much German exec exposure, over the past few months I've lent the car to three people for a two-day period, and then pooled opinion from those who also run Jaguars or have spent prolonged periods of time in them. That's an important distinction- I think many people struggle to understand modern car cabins on brief acquaintance because a human being just has to give its brain enough time to at least understand the logic system behind them. Assuming that there is in fact a logic system (original 7 Series iDrive, take a bow).
Complex systems require simple controls
Everyone I have spoken to agrees that the Jag cabin isn't just old, it's illogical. The former isn't a crime, but needs rectifying soon. The latter is a problem because the touch-screen solution is at the heart of the problem.
Having so many functions paves the way for the clean fascia design, but it also means that changing tune and then reducing the effects of the bum-warmers takes too much time, concentration and irritation. Why my iPhone won't play a song for more than 90 seconds when the Bluetooth connection with the car's telephone is live I will never be able to explain or rectify. It is supremely annoying.
I've touched on this before, so won't labour the point much further, but in every aspect of its electronic behavior - in each system supposed to stand out on the spec sheet or make occupants' lives a little easier - the Jag feels unfinished.
Charm and style the Jag can still do
Supporters with inside knowledge have sent me notes saying that the company did an amazing job with the XF and this facelift version with scant resources. Be that as it may, if you spend £50K on a saloon car, you expect the iPod thingy to work and the blindspot widget not to direct you into the path of fast moving vehicles. People don't extend sympathy for R&D budgets in the final reckoning.
This is a complicated relationship though, and it's soon to draw to a close. I defend criticism of the XF the way I do barbs aimed at family members - I can be rude as hell about it, but woe betide outsiders who try the same.
I love looking at it, I love the cabin's hearth-like glow at night, adore the ample performance and most of all I like the association of it and me. Funny thing that, but it's a key tenet of any car-human relationship. There are many cars I would love to drive, but just wouldn't feel comfortable doing so. The Jag works.
Simple stuff like this should just work
Fuel consumption has leveled to the 31mpg mark, which I find pretty unspectacular. A few days spent in a Panamera Diesel driven at similar speeds saw it hit 41mpg.
As for the harsh ride on start-up, I now have clearance to ask some probing questions to the people in charge at Jaguar. Knowing how little the tyres heat up after 10 minutes driving I'm pretty much convinced it's the dampers that need to rouse from slumber, but it'll be interesting to find out. It's such a shame because for me, and I'm sure many people, the first part of a morning drive is the best - with clear, interesting roads. In all cars I've become accustomed to extracting maximum fun from minimal throttle as the engine warms. In the XF you can't rev it and the suspension is closed for business.
So there is much to recommend the XF Diesel S, but the reality is quite harsh: the car is ready for replacement. It is based on the S-Type and it has done a fine job representing Jaguar in a tough sector, but for all its charm, it is now feeling dated.
FACT SHEET
Car: 2012 Jaguar XF Diesel S
Run by: Chris Harris
On fleet since: March 2012
Mileage: 14,200
List price new: £53,670 (base price £49,110 plus £1,275 for Adaptive Cruise Control with Intelligent Emergency Brake and active seat belts, £460 for Blind Spot Monitor, £240 for heated steering wheel, £700 for digital/analogue TV, £300 for DAB, £275 for heated windscreen with timer, £360 for 60/40 split/fold rear seats, £450 for JaguarVoice and £500 for front parking aid with visual indicator and reversing camera)
Last month at a glance: Niggles are getting more niggling and there's no escaping that the XF is feeling a bit left behind
Previous reports:
Harris is charmed by a diesel Jag
Why don't the dampers like the cold?
A colleague of mine tried a 2.2 for a few days and the electronics / contols drove him mad and he picked a specced up 320 (the new one)instead.
A little sad really.
The iPod problem is easily solved - either plug it in or just use the bluetooth connection, it works perfectly well either/or, but a common bug among other hardware (not just the Jag's) is struggling connecting to a phone twice.
JLR also failed to carry any stock of replacement screens for the Disco for months after launching the new model (which has an almost identical screen to the '11 model, but with the VIN window in a different place). Which was a bit of pain when we took a stone through our screen two weeks after taking delivery. It was six weeks before we got a replacement. Not a design fault, but another sign that things are not quite as they should be behind the scenes.
It's a great place to be and the performance will leave most things standing.
A few foibles there certainly are and yes, the delay on the touchscreen is irritating but its worse on the later models. I was loaned a 12 plate this week while mine was in for a replacement windscreen (slight delamination -which Jag changed with no hesitation).
The seats are betting in the later car but the updated software and display on the touchscreen is awaful and far too 'Playstation'.
The wind noise from the top of the driver's door is annoying and Jag say they can't fix it as there is nothing inherantly wrong. Many XF drivers on the XF forum disagree and we may have a solution soon
It does feel like a good place to be and attracts looks of admiration for its understated good looks.
Would I buy a new one. No.
Er, I wouldn't.
Is the touchscreen issue going to be the same in a 2004ish XJR? I ask as my Dad is looking at these to replace his X300 (with a little help from me!) and I worry that something like that will drive him insane. He's not brilliant with things that don't work properly.
Er, I wouldn't.
I must say I've not noticed the dampers needing warmup like Harris - whenever I've ridden (not driven) in one from cold it feels fine.
It's a great place to be and the performance will leave most things standing.
A few foibles there certainly are and yes, the delay on the touchscreen is irritating but its worse on the later models. I was loaned a 12 plate this week while mine was in for a replacement windscreen (slight delamination -which Jag changed with no hesitation).
The seats are betting in the later car but the updated software and display on the touchscreen is awaful and far too 'Playstation'.
The wind noise from the top of the driver's door is annoying and Jag say they can't fix it as there is nothing inherantly wrong. Many XF drivers on the XF forum disagree and we may have a solution soon
It does feel like a good place to be and attracts looks of admiration for its understated good looks.
Would I buy a new one. No.
I didn't (and wouldn't have) spend £50K on the car but the cost s/h was a bargain so it gives amazing bang for buck.
Yes, I am a cheapskate.
A colleague of mine tried a 2.2 for a few days and the electronics / contols drove him mad and he picked a specced up 320 (the new one)instead.
A little sad really.
And why not an Audi or BMW ... a self answering question. And reinforced every time some wan**er in one of the said breeds sticks 4" from my rear bumper at 80 leptons+.
It is in need of a refresh but it's still a great place to be and so utterly comfortable.
The lovely thing has, however, been traded in for an XK
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff