First drive of an XF...
Discussion
My car's in for some warranty paintwork this week , dropped it off this morning, so I was dreading doing the 80+ mile round trip all week in the usual little s
t heap diesel X-types I've had the last couple of service visits.
However, top marks to the salesman there as it would appear he'd managed to sell the service loan car over the weekend so he had to give me his car... and XF diesel. This suited me fine as I'd been wanting to try one out just to see how "civilised" they are with a view to buying an XFR in a couple of years time.
Well, after a few moments of general confusion around getting going and sussing out the radio I was almost immediately into the M4 queue of traffic. Car was all very smooth, very quite and well mannered. Traffic cleared a little at one point and 70mph felt very, very comfortable in the XF, and 90 still incredibly unflustered. The car always seemed to have plenty of power, ok maybe not the same as the XJR, but certainly sufficient to make the car more that usuable as an everyday motorway muncher. Less engine noise than the XJR too, much less, I could bareley hear the diesel engine even when accelerating hard, unlike the XJR which I believe must have 'tuned' exhausts so you can hear the V8 when using the fast pedal.
So all in all very impressed with the 'drive'.
Not so impressed with the interior though. It was all wonderfully modern but I thought some of the moldings where the door and dash merge a little clumsy, and some of the finishing pieces needlessly fussy... but the main impression for me was that the visible switches , all done in silver, chrome or variations thereof, seemed a bit... well... 90s Amstrad Stereo
Mainly it looked like cheap bits of plastic sprayed over in a thin layer of silver paint which is almost guaranteed to wear away after a few years. Maybe I'm wrong and the switches will continue to look good, but the best this will achieve is the keep the switch gear pristine and still looking like a 90's HiFi. 
However, I'm being picky, the car was very civilised and easily as accomplished as the XJR with regards to handling, noise, harshness, vibration etc... things Jaguar have always done well.
Bodes well for an XFR or maybe a new style XJ in a wee while! I look forward to either of these.
t heap diesel X-types I've had the last couple of service visits.However, top marks to the salesman there as it would appear he'd managed to sell the service loan car over the weekend so he had to give me his car... and XF diesel. This suited me fine as I'd been wanting to try one out just to see how "civilised" they are with a view to buying an XFR in a couple of years time.
Well, after a few moments of general confusion around getting going and sussing out the radio I was almost immediately into the M4 queue of traffic. Car was all very smooth, very quite and well mannered. Traffic cleared a little at one point and 70mph felt very, very comfortable in the XF, and 90 still incredibly unflustered. The car always seemed to have plenty of power, ok maybe not the same as the XJR, but certainly sufficient to make the car more that usuable as an everyday motorway muncher. Less engine noise than the XJR too, much less, I could bareley hear the diesel engine even when accelerating hard, unlike the XJR which I believe must have 'tuned' exhausts so you can hear the V8 when using the fast pedal.
So all in all very impressed with the 'drive'.
Not so impressed with the interior though. It was all wonderfully modern but I thought some of the moldings where the door and dash merge a little clumsy, and some of the finishing pieces needlessly fussy... but the main impression for me was that the visible switches , all done in silver, chrome or variations thereof, seemed a bit... well... 90s Amstrad Stereo
Mainly it looked like cheap bits of plastic sprayed over in a thin layer of silver paint which is almost guaranteed to wear away after a few years. Maybe I'm wrong and the switches will continue to look good, but the best this will achieve is the keep the switch gear pristine and still looking like a 90's HiFi. However, I'm being picky, the car was very civilised and easily as accomplished as the XJR with regards to handling, noise, harshness, vibration etc... things Jaguar have always done well.
Bodes well for an XFR or maybe a new style XJ in a wee while! I look forward to either of these.
Piersman2 said:
Not so impressed with the interior though. It was all wonderfully modern but I thought some of the moldings where the door and dash merge a little clumsy, and some of the finishing pieces needlessly fussy... but the main impression for me was that the visible switches , all done in silver, chrome or variations thereof, seemed a bit... well... 90s Amstrad Stereo
That's coz you iz like too old man? Jags iz for young dudes now.
Simpo Two said:
Walnut, my friend. Or possibly a nice burr elm. Anything less is for reps
For the more sporting Jaguar motorcars, wooden faced dash boards are quaint reminder of those mid 50s days before such anachronisms were superseded by the more modern leather(ette) appearance. Of course in saloon motorcars, then fine timber work is perfectly correct.I'm about to change my XJR for a diesel XF.
To be fair, if it wasn't for the problems I've had with it I probably wouldn't. Still, I must admit, the XF drives very well, and the gearbox makes the XJR's seem antiquated.
Still, it can't help but feel like a trade down. Also, while the XF looks good, it does look like any normal modern car. The XJ feels like a different cut.
To be fair, if it wasn't for the problems I've had with it I probably wouldn't. Still, I must admit, the XF drives very well, and the gearbox makes the XJR's seem antiquated.
Still, it can't help but feel like a trade down. Also, while the XF looks good, it does look like any normal modern car. The XJ feels like a different cut.
I went from XJR to XFR.
XFR is hugely more capable/better to drive but XJ will always be the daddy.
I still like the XF interior but there is always room for improvement.
It will be interesting to see whether the facelift makes me want to upgrade......but I'm very happy with the car I've got (now 18 months old with 9k on the clock)
XFR is hugely more capable/better to drive but XJ will always be the daddy.
I still like the XF interior but there is always room for improvement.
It will be interesting to see whether the facelift makes me want to upgrade......but I'm very happy with the car I've got (now 18 months old with 9k on the clock)
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