Discussion
Finally after some paperwork issues I received the car 2 days before going on holiday (typical). 1st off, at low speed and in traffic, the suspensions are fantastic, clearly I was not going to push the car out of the go, but I never thought I would be able to pass off this car as an executive saloon to the non car fanatics, it is really (nearly) that good.
Second the overall "inside experience" is somewhat surreal. If you combine the B&W sound system with a good quality signal, iPod or otherwise, you really are cocooned in there, including any noise coming from the exhaust by the way as well! For 99% of people this is the real focus, they have never seen such interiors, and with a black on black and black headlining the words are usually "lounge" and "cockpit".
And now for the power, after having settled comfortably in the car and finding some space for its pace. It is brutal in the 1st 3 gears, seemsless after that with a constant push. The difference is that the acceleration continues into numbers unholy, you need to add 100kph to what you know to get the feeling. The gearboox is extremely good, although not that fast. On the other hand Athens / Greece offers some fast driving combined with twists as specific points (as with every developing country they built roads to suite the topography even if it means drastic speed differentials sometimes), so on normal setting I found the car pushing hard on its "soft" suspensions quite alarming. Granted all such cars have different manual settings but it is just a pointer that the supple suspension needs either time to shift to a sportier mode (since I believe it adjustes to driving style) or you need to select it. Incidentally sports mode is not bad anyway either, unlike a PASM equipped 911 for example!
The shape, at least for Greece, is completely novel as Jaguar is a very niche player here. If fact most people have no idea whatsoever it is such a powerful car and just comment on the lines and the fantastic interior.
One word of caution, Greece is know for it "smooth" roads, but which I mean the marble content of its older tarmac. I therefore have the traction control lighting up all the way to 100kph under in-gear acceleration, and certainly side one as well, i.e. acceleration when not driving in a straight line, so no antics such as removing all the electronic wizardry. I shudder to think what could happen in the rain on such surfaces.
Another little thing, the Jaguar handover was top class, they had a sheet of paper asking for all settings such as radio, mobile phone and so on, and took 1 hour to explain every little detail, most of which would be known to anyone, some which would not.
In a word ELEGANCE!
Second the overall "inside experience" is somewhat surreal. If you combine the B&W sound system with a good quality signal, iPod or otherwise, you really are cocooned in there, including any noise coming from the exhaust by the way as well! For 99% of people this is the real focus, they have never seen such interiors, and with a black on black and black headlining the words are usually "lounge" and "cockpit".
And now for the power, after having settled comfortably in the car and finding some space for its pace. It is brutal in the 1st 3 gears, seemsless after that with a constant push. The difference is that the acceleration continues into numbers unholy, you need to add 100kph to what you know to get the feeling. The gearboox is extremely good, although not that fast. On the other hand Athens / Greece offers some fast driving combined with twists as specific points (as with every developing country they built roads to suite the topography even if it means drastic speed differentials sometimes), so on normal setting I found the car pushing hard on its "soft" suspensions quite alarming. Granted all such cars have different manual settings but it is just a pointer that the supple suspension needs either time to shift to a sportier mode (since I believe it adjustes to driving style) or you need to select it. Incidentally sports mode is not bad anyway either, unlike a PASM equipped 911 for example!
The shape, at least for Greece, is completely novel as Jaguar is a very niche player here. If fact most people have no idea whatsoever it is such a powerful car and just comment on the lines and the fantastic interior.
One word of caution, Greece is know for it "smooth" roads, but which I mean the marble content of its older tarmac. I therefore have the traction control lighting up all the way to 100kph under in-gear acceleration, and certainly side one as well, i.e. acceleration when not driving in a straight line, so no antics such as removing all the electronic wizardry. I shudder to think what could happen in the rain on such surfaces.
Another little thing, the Jaguar handover was top class, they had a sheet of paper asking for all settings such as radio, mobile phone and so on, and took 1 hour to explain every little detail, most of which would be known to anyone, some which would not.
In a word ELEGANCE!
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