RE: Jaguar XF P300 Sportbrake | Spotted
Monday 4th March 2024
Jaguar XF P300 Sportbrake | Spotted
Jaguar has confirmed that the XF and XE will be wound up this summer - here's a chance to get one before the end
You’ve probably seen the news. Even for those that haven’t, it’s unlikely to come as too much of a surprise given what the future’s meant to hold. The Jaguars that aren’t SUVs - so the XE, XF and F-Type - are in their final throes, production of a limited amount of specifications (individual configuring is done) set to wind up in June. As Jaguar limbers up for its grand all-electric reinvention, only the E-Pace, F-Pace and I-Pace will soldier on. Temporarily at least, the Jaguar lineup isn’t going to have a saloon in it - which feels a little like a Porsche range without a 911 in it.
Of course, one will return - indeed the EV revival is set to be spearheaded by a luxury four-door - but it remains a momentous change nonetheless. For decades there has been a range of Jag saloons, some very good ones as well, and now there won’t be. It’s the kind of radical move many manufacturers look set to take in the coming years. With no sign of the saloon’s popularity waning, regardless of powertrain, hopefully the new Jaguar is able to retain some traditional elements. But, honestly, nobody outside knows for certain. We just want a successful Jaguar making great cars.
For those of you who love the brand, the end of the XF feels like a big one, as it’s been the archetypal Jaguar saloon for more than 15 years now. It can be hard to recall the impact of the first generation, all the way back in 2007; it was such a drastic change in every regard (and for the better) over the old S-Type that it was hard to believe it represented just one generation’s difference. The XFR was one of the best super-saloons of the era, the S version of that was a cult classic, and all the Sportbrakes demonstrated Jaguar could do capacious wagons just as well as Germans (or Swedes).
The second generation lost the V8, which was a pity, but it was a more complete package overall, with worthwhile improvements to the interior. The 380hp V6 S was a worthy Q-car for a time, too. As can so often seem the case with Jaguar, however, the very best XF has arguably come towards the end, with interest waning. The 2021MY update introduced the excellent Pivi Pro infotainment system while keeping some rotary dials for the air-con; it seemed a nice touch back then, and now like a stroke of genius. Combine that with plusher materials inside, a slightly revised look and a significant price cut and the XF was at its compelling: we called it ‘the best generation of XF yet’. And it’s hardly like there has ever been a bad one.
So arguably it's the generation you want to be looking at used, though there are canny buys to be had at what is basically new as well thanks to the reductions in asking price. In their latest iterations, it’s not possible to buy a new Mercedes E-Class for less than £55,000, or a BMW 5 Series for less than £51,000. The limitations of the XF’s age are rather easier to overlook when it starts at £35,000. Yes, really.
On PH at the moment there are more than a few interesting XFs for sale. See this top-of-the-range R-Dynamic HSE Black, in dark green over tan, for £40k. And doesn’t red look smart, too? The featured car is the most expensive XF for sale on PistonHeads right now, all £50k of it, a very handsome and brand new dark blue estate in P300 Sport spec. So you won’t want for equipment or performance, really, even allowing for the age of the platform. The new Jag era ought to be a very exciting one, but there’s plenty to appreciate about the outgoing one for just a little while yet.
SPECIFICATION | JAGUAR XF P300 SPORT
Engine: 1,997cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 295@1,500-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
MPG: 31.8
CO2: 202g/km
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £51,563
Discussion
I wanted - really wanted - one, a facelift Estate with the revised interior, but they were really expensive secondhand. With some regret, I bought a secondhand BMW 540i Touring. It’s great - but it doesn’t look as good to me as the Jaguar.
I wish the XE and XF had received tie investment they deserved. A Jaguar employee told me that the money was gone by the time they got to the interior; the engineers had spent it all.
I wish the XE and XF had received tie investment they deserved. A Jaguar employee told me that the money was gone by the time they got to the interior; the engineers had spent it all.
The original XF looked great, and really moved the needle for Jaguar in every way. But the MK2 XF just looked wrong. Too narrow, and a side profile that resembled a 1990s Japanese saloon. The XE was a very pretty car and in many ways looked better than the German opposition, but from what I can gather, quality was not on par and the range far too limited.
Let’s hope EVs put Jaguar back at the top of the game. Top-end offerings from Mercedes and BMW just look awful, so a well built and good looking rival from Jaguar could be just what people want.
Let’s hope EVs put Jaguar back at the top of the game. Top-end offerings from Mercedes and BMW just look awful, so a well built and good looking rival from Jaguar could be just what people want.
This is a sad loss as I have always been a big fan of the XF. I’ve had 2, a saloon and estate albeit the lowly rep special 2.2 diesels. For me nothing in class beat it for ride and handling.
As a fitting send off JLR really should put out a a super charged V8 estate in that lovely light blue. Is it really too much to ask?
As a fitting send off JLR really should put out a a super charged V8 estate in that lovely light blue. Is it really too much to ask?
I've always liked these, and good to see that the final version get the excellent Pivi Pro infotainment system.
It's a shame that you can't get the Supercharged V6 S anymore, that would be fantastic with the newer interior. Would be even better with the V8 from the F-Pace SVR, but it's too late now.
It's a shame that you can't get the Supercharged V6 S anymore, that would be fantastic with the newer interior. Would be even better with the V8 from the F-Pace SVR, but it's too late now.
It's sad, but to me the XF died when the V8 option was removed. The XFR was an absolutely epic car, and I'm left wondering what saloon could possibly replace it. I think I'll just keep an eye out for the best possible one in a spec I love and then just run it for as long as it'll run.
J4CKO said:
Er, what do Jaguar have left, XE and XF going, Ipace is being discontinued, XJ long gone.
F Pace is rather ancient, F Type must be on its last knockings, E pace you dont really see many of ?
Guess they are due some new electric offerings soon.
F-type is as good as gone. But the F-pace shares a platform with the Velar and the E-pace shares with the Evoque, so there are economies of scale.F Pace is rather ancient, F Type must be on its last knockings, E pace you dont really see many of ?
Guess they are due some new electric offerings soon.
The ridiculous gap in the market is the J-Pace, a rebodied FFRR (or RR Sport) - an easy win that would have extended the reach of the platform, provided it didn't cannibalise too many RR sales (presumably by going more Bentley about it).
Jaguar have struggled to sell ICE cars for nearly two decades. Only the F-Pace has really done the numbers.
The i-Pace EV has only reached half it's projected sales.
EV sales growth is below expectation whilst Jaguar strategy to go all EV. Not a good recipe.
The i-Pace EV has only reached half it's projected sales.
EV sales growth is below expectation whilst Jaguar strategy to go all EV. Not a good recipe.
Edited by Sulphur Man on Tuesday 5th March 10:51
Nice to see them get some recognition- 60K Owners review? :P
Engine
The 2L Petrol (In the 250 / 300PS) Variants is a boring engine, but it gets the job done reasonably well - And (Knock on fine wood veneer) - Has been perfectly reliable after I dealt with a couple of minor faults that really should've been done under goodwill / recall (Software update & VTC Actuators - Nothing expensive or showstopping) which is a nice touch for JLR.
64L Tank & ~38MPG on a run; I've managed London to Aberdeen 3 up with 75% of a tank in the past, which is nice on longer trips.
It's extremely serviceable - There's a mountain of space in the engine bay, and designed for suction oil changes / Top mount oil filter means routine services take all of 10 minutes.
Transmission
ZF8 is a ZF8. There's no huge tuning weirdness that I've noticed; gear change behaviour befits the car & powertrain, and it's prompt enough up and down the box when used manually.
Dynamic / Sport hanging onto gears usually feels a little fruitless - As the engine is making peak torque from 1500 - 4500, 4500 - 6500 is a bit of a noisy plod up the RPM, so I don't usually bother ripping to redline (There's the Civic for that uncouth behaviour)
Whilst I mention Dynamic mode, the throttle is much too touchy - You can tell they've turned the sensitivity to 200; Cars with configurable dynamics can turn that down (I think I have some programming to do...)
Handling
A shame they don't have a proper LSD on the RWD Cars; Even the 250 Could benefit from it on occasions - The handling is surprisingly nimble for the size of car; I do remember reading an engineer interview somewhere that mentioned the standard car had ~51:49 Weight distribution, but the Sportbrake a ~49:51 so it's technically a Porsche, too - Doubly so if you stuff the boot
The suspension is fantastic - The non-adaptive standard dampers are well tuned as you'd expect, and the rear air suspension is fantastic for load hauling - I don't think I'd want an Estate without it now! - You can get an occasional firm thud in big potholes when slow moving, but at speed it is like driving in a marshmallow (Passenger comment
)
The car starts to thrive with a bit of load (See Porsche notes above) - Suspension tuning feels best with a couple of passengers and luggage.
My car has the very hefty 18" Wheels:- I'd say stick to 18s; They use the common 245/45/18 so there is a plentiful selection of Touring, UHP, All season and winter options at non-bonkers prices
(I am intrigued to try a lighter weight aftermarket wheel - the JLR ones are VERY heavy; I imagine a lightweight wheel would be the final touch, but it's hard to find ones to suit)
Driving Electronics
In normal driving, TC / DSC is very proactive and keeps everything in perfect order (as you'd expect) when I've provoked it for a test.
TracDSC cuts it down a reasonable amount to allow some slip, and DSC OFF Does mean DSC Off - Spin around to your hearts content.
Lane keeping is a bit annoying; They use steering vibrations that do more to unsettle the car than promote safety - It's easy enough to turn off though (Oddly, the button is right next to the boot open button so I am always slightly scared to press it on the move - I don't want to know if the boot will open at 70mph )
Left foot braking is possible; You can get some power on too to balance the car - Trying to rolling-brake boost will upset it though
Brakes
Brakes are a slight annoyance for me, again being picky - They're powerful enough, but being single pots and very servo'd aren't the last word in feel; The rears can corrode a bit IME, unless you get some big boot loads & big braking events in.
There are some ducts / deflectors for brake cooling on the lower control arms - Never had any issues even with fully loaded enthusiastic driving (With some intentional heat-loading to see how they'd hold up)
Interior
The interior is very nice, quiet and refined - Honestly, whilst it would be nice, I'm more than happy with the Pre-20MY InControl Touch Pro headunit - Plenty of size and less IPad scale.
In winter, Heated screen (Pre conditioning too!) is a great touch. Heated seats are decent, and the engine gets up to temp quickly for warmth.
The AC is very impressive in summer - Hands start to freeze very quickly! - Useful, as I've found the interior gets super-duper hot when parked (Black leather no tints)
There are some minor irritants; The seats could be a little softer / more supportive, and the gauges could dim a little more - Most strangely, despite the large center tunnel, the storage boxes / spaces in mine always seem small for the scale of car - Perhaps I'm used to the Civic where you can drop all the supplies you need for an all-day drive in the center console
Beware if you give drunkards a lift home; I have had to carefully explain that the gear selector is NOT a volume knob...
Space
Loadspace is good but also bad - It never quite seems as large as it should - The boot is very long and flat, but not very tall - Larger holiday loads quickly start needing you to pile above the window line, which is sort of what estates are for, but I'd rather not.
The roof line is also quite low at the rear, which makes loading taller items annoying, as once you've spent an age carefully squeezing it past the pinch, there's a mountain of space above it.
That may sound quite negative - But I have done "all in one" flat moves for friends with it, and the rear load rails & adjustable tiedown points make for a very versatile loadspace.
In summary?
Quiet & refined cruiser with surprising handling competence and oodles of style.
Bonkers value second hand.
P300 Models are quite expensive (IMO) and all AWD - Great if you want AWD, but I don't think I'd want to sacrifice the MPG, Tyre wear, Complexity, Weight Etc.
Stick to the P250 with RWD - You still get ASPC, pair with all seasons and you're set.
There are some plug in tuning devices that will take the P250 to P300, as you'd expect, though it is worth noting the engines have hardware differences - compression ratio & turbocharger revisions on the P300.
Engine
The 2L Petrol (In the 250 / 300PS) Variants is a boring engine, but it gets the job done reasonably well - And (Knock on fine wood veneer) - Has been perfectly reliable after I dealt with a couple of minor faults that really should've been done under goodwill / recall (Software update & VTC Actuators - Nothing expensive or showstopping) which is a nice touch for JLR.
64L Tank & ~38MPG on a run; I've managed London to Aberdeen 3 up with 75% of a tank in the past, which is nice on longer trips.
It's extremely serviceable - There's a mountain of space in the engine bay, and designed for suction oil changes / Top mount oil filter means routine services take all of 10 minutes.
Transmission
ZF8 is a ZF8. There's no huge tuning weirdness that I've noticed; gear change behaviour befits the car & powertrain, and it's prompt enough up and down the box when used manually.
Dynamic / Sport hanging onto gears usually feels a little fruitless - As the engine is making peak torque from 1500 - 4500, 4500 - 6500 is a bit of a noisy plod up the RPM, so I don't usually bother ripping to redline (There's the Civic for that uncouth behaviour)
Whilst I mention Dynamic mode, the throttle is much too touchy - You can tell they've turned the sensitivity to 200; Cars with configurable dynamics can turn that down (I think I have some programming to do...)
Handling
A shame they don't have a proper LSD on the RWD Cars; Even the 250 Could benefit from it on occasions - The handling is surprisingly nimble for the size of car; I do remember reading an engineer interview somewhere that mentioned the standard car had ~51:49 Weight distribution, but the Sportbrake a ~49:51 so it's technically a Porsche, too - Doubly so if you stuff the boot
The suspension is fantastic - The non-adaptive standard dampers are well tuned as you'd expect, and the rear air suspension is fantastic for load hauling - I don't think I'd want an Estate without it now! - You can get an occasional firm thud in big potholes when slow moving, but at speed it is like driving in a marshmallow (Passenger comment
)The car starts to thrive with a bit of load (See Porsche notes above) - Suspension tuning feels best with a couple of passengers and luggage.
My car has the very hefty 18" Wheels:- I'd say stick to 18s; They use the common 245/45/18 so there is a plentiful selection of Touring, UHP, All season and winter options at non-bonkers prices
(I am intrigued to try a lighter weight aftermarket wheel - the JLR ones are VERY heavy; I imagine a lightweight wheel would be the final touch, but it's hard to find ones to suit)
Driving Electronics
In normal driving, TC / DSC is very proactive and keeps everything in perfect order (as you'd expect) when I've provoked it for a test.
TracDSC cuts it down a reasonable amount to allow some slip, and DSC OFF Does mean DSC Off - Spin around to your hearts content.
Lane keeping is a bit annoying; They use steering vibrations that do more to unsettle the car than promote safety - It's easy enough to turn off though (Oddly, the button is right next to the boot open button so I am always slightly scared to press it on the move - I don't want to know if the boot will open at 70mph
)Left foot braking is possible; You can get some power on too to balance the car - Trying to rolling-brake boost will upset it though
Brakes
Brakes are a slight annoyance for me, again being picky - They're powerful enough, but being single pots and very servo'd aren't the last word in feel; The rears can corrode a bit IME, unless you get some big boot loads & big braking events in.
There are some ducts / deflectors for brake cooling on the lower control arms - Never had any issues even with fully loaded enthusiastic driving (With some intentional heat-loading to see how they'd hold up)
Interior
The interior is very nice, quiet and refined - Honestly, whilst it would be nice, I'm more than happy with the Pre-20MY InControl Touch Pro headunit - Plenty of size and less IPad scale.
In winter, Heated screen (Pre conditioning too!) is a great touch. Heated seats are decent, and the engine gets up to temp quickly for warmth.
The AC is very impressive in summer - Hands start to freeze very quickly! - Useful, as I've found the interior gets super-duper hot when parked (Black leather no tints)
There are some minor irritants; The seats could be a little softer / more supportive, and the gauges could dim a little more - Most strangely, despite the large center tunnel, the storage boxes / spaces in mine always seem small for the scale of car - Perhaps I'm used to the Civic where you can drop all the supplies you need for an all-day drive in the center console
Beware if you give drunkards a lift home; I have had to carefully explain that the gear selector is NOT a volume knob...
Space
Loadspace is good but also bad - It never quite seems as large as it should - The boot is very long and flat, but not very tall - Larger holiday loads quickly start needing you to pile above the window line, which is sort of what estates are for, but I'd rather not.
The roof line is also quite low at the rear, which makes loading taller items annoying, as once you've spent an age carefully squeezing it past the pinch, there's a mountain of space above it.
That may sound quite negative - But I have done "all in one" flat moves for friends with it, and the rear load rails & adjustable tiedown points make for a very versatile loadspace.
In summary?
Quiet & refined cruiser with surprising handling competence and oodles of style.
Bonkers value second hand.
P300 Models are quite expensive (IMO) and all AWD - Great if you want AWD, but I don't think I'd want to sacrifice the MPG, Tyre wear, Complexity, Weight Etc.
Stick to the P250 with RWD - You still get ASPC, pair with all seasons and you're set.
There are some plug in tuning devices that will take the P250 to P300, as you'd expect, though it is worth noting the engines have hardware differences - compression ratio & turbocharger revisions on the P300.
Edited by Haltamer on Tuesday 5th March 11:31
Amanitin said:
It's crazy the I6 engines never made it into these.
or the V8 for that matter
Given they're on the same platform as the F-Pace, I'm 1000% In agreement.or the V8 for that matter
The I6 (Or the I4) Paired with a PHEV Hybrid battery (There's plenty of space in the sub-boot...) would've been great for their BIK Numbers & around town refinement.
And...
Given there's a V6 (Wide) and an I4 (Long)...
There's definitely space for a V8 Up front
I have partially planned an EBay fish in a few years time to see if there's an F Pace SVR Drivetrain going cheap so I can do some science. There are some whispers that the E-LSD from the RWD F-Type might fit too...
You may be able to still order one but I wouldn't expect it to actually come through. My dad ordered one with a reasonable deposit and 9 months later they still couldn't give him a build slot and said the car may not arrive until Q4 2025 for a car ordered in Q1 2023. All he ordered was a Jag XE P300 in a normal red colour and they were stating 2.5 years atleast for delivery, laughable. He cancelled and bought one second hand in the end as the dealer couldn't have given any less of a s
t if they tried about the situation
A friends parents also cancelled a RR Sport over the same thing offered a 6month from order to delivery schedule and after 6 months were told all the slots were gone for the year and wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
They make some nice cars but they really need to sort the behind the scenes out as it is an absolute mess
t if they tried about the situation A friends parents also cancelled a RR Sport over the same thing offered a 6month from order to delivery schedule and after 6 months were told all the slots were gone for the year and wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
They make some nice cars but they really need to sort the behind the scenes out as it is an absolute mess
These were fundamentally great cars hampered by poor engine choices, particularly the estate which was never offered in petrol V6 form in the UK, despite being able to get it in the saloon. There were also some odd combinations of engine and drivetrain, like not being able to choose awd or rwd variants of the petrol engines.
I worked at JLR when this was being developed and still couldn't get a straight answer as to why the v8s wouldn't fit either. Imagine a v8 Sportbrake with the facelift interior, lovely.
I worked at JLR when this was being developed and still couldn't get a straight answer as to why the v8s wouldn't fit either. Imagine a v8 Sportbrake with the facelift interior, lovely.
Haltamer said:
Nice to see them get some recognition- 60K Owners review? :P
Engine
The 2L Petrol (In the 250 / 300PS) Variants is a boring engine, but it gets the job done reasonably well - And (Knock on fine wood veneer) - Has been perfectly reliable after I dealt with a couple of minor faults that really should've been done under goodwill / recall (Software update & VTC Actuators - Nothing expensive or showstopping) which is a nice touch for JLR.
64L Tank & ~38MPG on a run; I've managed London to Aberdeen 3 up with 75% of a tank in the past, which is nice on longer trips.
It's extremely serviceable - There's a mountain of space in the engine bay, and designed for suction oil changes / Top mount oil filter means routine services take all of 10 minutes.
Transmission
ZF8 is a ZF8. There's no huge tuning weirdness that I've noticed; gear change behaviour befits the car & powertrain, and it's prompt enough up and down the box when used manually.
Dynamic / Sport hanging onto gears usually feels a little fruitless - As the engine is making peak torque from 1500 - 4500, 4500 - 6500 is a bit of a noisy plod up the RPM, so I don't usually bother ripping to redline (There's the Civic for that uncouth behaviour)
Whilst I mention Dynamic mode, the throttle is much too touchy - You can tell they've turned the sensitivity to 200; Cars with configurable dynamics can turn that down (I think I have some programming to do...)
Handling
A shame they don't have a proper LSD on the RWD Cars; Even the 250 Could benefit from it on occasions - The handling is surprisingly nimble for the size of car; I do remember reading an engineer interview somewhere that mentioned the standard car had ~51:49 Weight distribution, but the Sportbrake a ~49:51 so it's technically a Porsche, too - Doubly so if you stuff the boot
The suspension is fantastic - The non-adaptive standard dampers are well tuned as you'd expect, and the rear air suspension is fantastic for load hauling - I don't think I'd want an Estate without it now! - You can get an occasional firm thud in big potholes when slow moving, but at speed it is like driving in a marshmallow (Passenger comment )
The car starts to thrive with a bit of load (See Porsche notes above) - Suspension tuning feels best with a couple of passengers and luggage.
My car has the very hefty 18" Wheels:- I'd say stick to 18s; They use the common 245/45/18 so there is a plentiful selection of Touring, UHP, All season and winter options at non-bonkers prices
(I am intrigued to try a lighter weight aftermarket wheel - the JLR ones are VERY heavy; I imagine a lightweight wheel would be the final touch, but it's hard to find ones to suit)
Driving Electronics
In normal driving, TC / DSC is very proactive and keeps everything in perfect order (as you'd expect) when I've provoked it for a test.
TracDSC cuts it down a reasonable amount to allow some slip, and DSC OFF Does mean DSC Off - Spin around to your hearts content.
Lane keeping is a bit annoying; They use steering vibrations that do more to unsettle the car than promote safety - It's easy enough to turn off though (Oddly, the button is right next to the boot open button so I am always slightly scared to press it on the move - I don't want to know if the boot will open at 70mph )
Left foot braking is possible; You can get some power on too to balance the car - Trying to rolling-brake boost will upset it though
Brakes
Brakes are a slight annoyance for me, again being picky - They're powerful enough, but being single pots and very servo'd aren't the last word in feel; The rears can corrode a bit IME, unless you get some big boot loads & big braking events in.
There are some ducts / deflectors for brake cooling on the lower control arms - Never had any issues even with fully loaded enthusiastic driving (With some intentional heat-loading to see how they'd hold up)
Interior
The interior is very nice, quiet and refined - Honestly, whilst it would be nice, I'm more than happy with the Pre-20MY InControl Touch Pro headunit - Plenty of size and less IPad scale.
In winter, Heated screen (Pre conditioning too!) is a great touch. Heated seats are decent, and the engine gets up to temp quickly for warmth.
The AC is very impressive in summer - Hands start to freeze very quickly! - Useful, as I've found the interior gets super-duper hot when parked (Black leather no tints)
There are some minor irritants; The seats could be a little softer / more supportive, and the gauges could dim a little more - Most strangely, despite the large center tunnel, the storage boxes / spaces in mine always seem small for the scale of car - Perhaps I'm used to the Civic where you can drop all the supplies you need for an all-day drive in the center console
Beware if you give drunkards a lift home; I have had to carefully explain that the gear selector is NOT a volume knob...
Space
Loadspace is good but also bad - It never quite seems as large as it should - The boot is very long and flat, but not very tall - Larger holiday loads quickly start needing you to pile above the window line, which is sort of what estates are for, but I'd rather not.
The roof line is also quite low at the rear, which makes loading taller items annoying, as once you've spent an age carefully squeezing it past the pinch, there's a mountain of space above it.
That may sound quite negative - But I have done "all in one" flat moves for friends with it, and the rear load rails & adjustable tiedown points make for a very versatile loadspace.
In summary?
Quiet & refined cruiser with surprising handling competence and oodles of style.
Bonkers value second hand.
P300 Models are quite expensive (IMO) and all AWD - Great if you want AWD, but I don't think I'd want to sacrifice the MPG, Tyre wear, Complexity, Weight Etc.
Stick to the P250 with RWD - You still get ASPC, pair with all seasons and you're set.
There are some plug in tuning devices that will take the P250 to P300, as you'd expect, though it is worth noting the engines have hardware differences - compression ratio & turbocharger revisions on the P300.
Good to hear from an actual owner… interesting… thanks for posting Engine
The 2L Petrol (In the 250 / 300PS) Variants is a boring engine, but it gets the job done reasonably well - And (Knock on fine wood veneer) - Has been perfectly reliable after I dealt with a couple of minor faults that really should've been done under goodwill / recall (Software update & VTC Actuators - Nothing expensive or showstopping) which is a nice touch for JLR.
64L Tank & ~38MPG on a run; I've managed London to Aberdeen 3 up with 75% of a tank in the past, which is nice on longer trips.
It's extremely serviceable - There's a mountain of space in the engine bay, and designed for suction oil changes / Top mount oil filter means routine services take all of 10 minutes.
Transmission
ZF8 is a ZF8. There's no huge tuning weirdness that I've noticed; gear change behaviour befits the car & powertrain, and it's prompt enough up and down the box when used manually.
Dynamic / Sport hanging onto gears usually feels a little fruitless - As the engine is making peak torque from 1500 - 4500, 4500 - 6500 is a bit of a noisy plod up the RPM, so I don't usually bother ripping to redline (There's the Civic for that uncouth behaviour)
Whilst I mention Dynamic mode, the throttle is much too touchy - You can tell they've turned the sensitivity to 200; Cars with configurable dynamics can turn that down (I think I have some programming to do...)
Handling
A shame they don't have a proper LSD on the RWD Cars; Even the 250 Could benefit from it on occasions - The handling is surprisingly nimble for the size of car; I do remember reading an engineer interview somewhere that mentioned the standard car had ~51:49 Weight distribution, but the Sportbrake a ~49:51 so it's technically a Porsche, too - Doubly so if you stuff the boot
The suspension is fantastic - The non-adaptive standard dampers are well tuned as you'd expect, and the rear air suspension is fantastic for load hauling - I don't think I'd want an Estate without it now! - You can get an occasional firm thud in big potholes when slow moving, but at speed it is like driving in a marshmallow (Passenger comment
)The car starts to thrive with a bit of load (See Porsche notes above) - Suspension tuning feels best with a couple of passengers and luggage.
My car has the very hefty 18" Wheels:- I'd say stick to 18s; They use the common 245/45/18 so there is a plentiful selection of Touring, UHP, All season and winter options at non-bonkers prices
(I am intrigued to try a lighter weight aftermarket wheel - the JLR ones are VERY heavy; I imagine a lightweight wheel would be the final touch, but it's hard to find ones to suit)
Driving Electronics
In normal driving, TC / DSC is very proactive and keeps everything in perfect order (as you'd expect) when I've provoked it for a test.
TracDSC cuts it down a reasonable amount to allow some slip, and DSC OFF Does mean DSC Off - Spin around to your hearts content.
Lane keeping is a bit annoying; They use steering vibrations that do more to unsettle the car than promote safety - It's easy enough to turn off though (Oddly, the button is right next to the boot open button so I am always slightly scared to press it on the move - I don't want to know if the boot will open at 70mph
)Left foot braking is possible; You can get some power on too to balance the car - Trying to rolling-brake boost will upset it though
Brakes
Brakes are a slight annoyance for me, again being picky - They're powerful enough, but being single pots and very servo'd aren't the last word in feel; The rears can corrode a bit IME, unless you get some big boot loads & big braking events in.
There are some ducts / deflectors for brake cooling on the lower control arms - Never had any issues even with fully loaded enthusiastic driving (With some intentional heat-loading to see how they'd hold up)
Interior
The interior is very nice, quiet and refined - Honestly, whilst it would be nice, I'm more than happy with the Pre-20MY InControl Touch Pro headunit - Plenty of size and less IPad scale.
In winter, Heated screen (Pre conditioning too!) is a great touch. Heated seats are decent, and the engine gets up to temp quickly for warmth.
The AC is very impressive in summer - Hands start to freeze very quickly! - Useful, as I've found the interior gets super-duper hot when parked (Black leather no tints)
There are some minor irritants; The seats could be a little softer / more supportive, and the gauges could dim a little more - Most strangely, despite the large center tunnel, the storage boxes / spaces in mine always seem small for the scale of car - Perhaps I'm used to the Civic where you can drop all the supplies you need for an all-day drive in the center console
Beware if you give drunkards a lift home; I have had to carefully explain that the gear selector is NOT a volume knob...
Space
Loadspace is good but also bad - It never quite seems as large as it should - The boot is very long and flat, but not very tall - Larger holiday loads quickly start needing you to pile above the window line, which is sort of what estates are for, but I'd rather not.
The roof line is also quite low at the rear, which makes loading taller items annoying, as once you've spent an age carefully squeezing it past the pinch, there's a mountain of space above it.
That may sound quite negative - But I have done "all in one" flat moves for friends with it, and the rear load rails & adjustable tiedown points make for a very versatile loadspace.
In summary?
Quiet & refined cruiser with surprising handling competence and oodles of style.
Bonkers value second hand.
P300 Models are quite expensive (IMO) and all AWD - Great if you want AWD, but I don't think I'd want to sacrifice the MPG, Tyre wear, Complexity, Weight Etc.
Stick to the P250 with RWD - You still get ASPC, pair with all seasons and you're set.
There are some plug in tuning devices that will take the P250 to P300, as you'd expect, though it is worth noting the engines have hardware differences - compression ratio & turbocharger revisions on the P300.
Edited by Haltamer on Tuesday 5th March 11:31
It’s a ‘mindset’ thing but I always feel that Jaguars of any stripe seem to be half a generation behind their competitors in looks and tech.
Interiors appear, as someone else put, to have suffered from the lack of a decent development budget, all of which means I’ve never owned one, let alone wanted one
Interiors appear, as someone else put, to have suffered from the lack of a decent development budget, all of which means I’ve never owned one, let alone wanted one
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