XF...How much better than the S-Type is it really.......
Discussion
Recently our 2007 S-Type D visited the body shop for some repairs as a result of a non-fault accident. We got a free equivalent hire car for the duration of repairs so were supplied a 61 plate XF 3.0D.
I can't tell you enough just how good the car looks both in and out, and when parked outside the house it does look simply gorgeous. The interior is just lovely and the moving air vents, sunken gear selector and pulsating start button make it very special and a real sense of occasion when you start it up.
However..... Just a few things i noted compared to the S-Type.
The interior both driver and passenger sides feels cramped at the front, and in the back. Very little knee room for rear pasengers with front seats back 2/3rd of the way and practically none when i set the drivers seat up for me.
There is definately more knee room in the back and front of the S-Type, and it just feels generally more opened up. Perhaps that's because i feel like i'm sitting lower down/closer to the floor, than the XF?
I prefer the seats in the S-Type as they are firmer and shaped to keep you there, the XF seats are very supple and no doubt excellent on long journeys but going around corners was a very different experience and i didn't feel supported enough, although the XF seats seem less prone to submarining and general slipping and sliding due to the finish of the leather but i imagine in time they will shine up.
Ride feels much firmer and we felt more aware of road noise however i think that's probably due more to the runflats which i didn't like at all. It certainly goes around corners better than the S-Type but then for the kind of car it is i think i prefer the suppleness of the S-Type's suspension as it spends most of it's time either on the motorway or on badly surfaced/potholed roads around town, spending very little if any time on country B-roads.
I felt the engine on idle and low speed was more audilbe in the cabin although it had a very nice V6 rumble to it when you squeeze the throttle. I was expecting that to carry on at speed so we were pleasantly surprised at how quiet it was on the motorway with none of the wind noise you get with the S-Type, although the tyre noise was still more instrusive than i would have liked.
Engine wise i didn't think there was a heck of a lot in it from a getaway however, once on the move the extra ponies and grunt from the 3.0D could be felt and before you know it the motorway speed limit has come and gone, and then some. mpg's seemed to struggle a bit not seeing any more than around 37-38ish at steady motorway speeds but i expect due to the low mileage it would probably improve with more miles on the engine as per the S-Type.
I don't have any comments to make about the flappy paddle gearshift as we used it once and left it in auto thereafter. I wasn't very sure about it or the point of it in an auto. The point being it's an auto box, you set it and leave it, and that's the way we like it.
All in all i really wanted to chop the S-Type in for one of these and having had one for a few days and given it a jolly good test drive i'm not sure if i do any more.
On the one hand I do because of the way it looks, who wouldn't want one parked outside their house, and in terms of asthetics the S-Type really is looking old now although we still love it to bits and people still make nice comments about it.
However, from a drivers point of view although i think it's still a very good car i'm not sure the car has moved on significantlly in the right direction for me to want to part with the S-Type just yet.
I imagine the XJ is a better bet for interior space and more wafty ride comfort. I'd love to test drive one. Maybe i'm considering the wrong car, or is it just because we are that comfortable in our well worn but super supple old shoes that we don't really want to chop it in, and maybe the XF has moved on enough but we just don't get it? Or, is there something in what i've said.
Your thoughts please.
I can't tell you enough just how good the car looks both in and out, and when parked outside the house it does look simply gorgeous. The interior is just lovely and the moving air vents, sunken gear selector and pulsating start button make it very special and a real sense of occasion when you start it up.
However..... Just a few things i noted compared to the S-Type.
The interior both driver and passenger sides feels cramped at the front, and in the back. Very little knee room for rear pasengers with front seats back 2/3rd of the way and practically none when i set the drivers seat up for me.
There is definately more knee room in the back and front of the S-Type, and it just feels generally more opened up. Perhaps that's because i feel like i'm sitting lower down/closer to the floor, than the XF?
I prefer the seats in the S-Type as they are firmer and shaped to keep you there, the XF seats are very supple and no doubt excellent on long journeys but going around corners was a very different experience and i didn't feel supported enough, although the XF seats seem less prone to submarining and general slipping and sliding due to the finish of the leather but i imagine in time they will shine up.
Ride feels much firmer and we felt more aware of road noise however i think that's probably due more to the runflats which i didn't like at all. It certainly goes around corners better than the S-Type but then for the kind of car it is i think i prefer the suppleness of the S-Type's suspension as it spends most of it's time either on the motorway or on badly surfaced/potholed roads around town, spending very little if any time on country B-roads.
I felt the engine on idle and low speed was more audilbe in the cabin although it had a very nice V6 rumble to it when you squeeze the throttle. I was expecting that to carry on at speed so we were pleasantly surprised at how quiet it was on the motorway with none of the wind noise you get with the S-Type, although the tyre noise was still more instrusive than i would have liked.
Engine wise i didn't think there was a heck of a lot in it from a getaway however, once on the move the extra ponies and grunt from the 3.0D could be felt and before you know it the motorway speed limit has come and gone, and then some. mpg's seemed to struggle a bit not seeing any more than around 37-38ish at steady motorway speeds but i expect due to the low mileage it would probably improve with more miles on the engine as per the S-Type.
I don't have any comments to make about the flappy paddle gearshift as we used it once and left it in auto thereafter. I wasn't very sure about it or the point of it in an auto. The point being it's an auto box, you set it and leave it, and that's the way we like it.
All in all i really wanted to chop the S-Type in for one of these and having had one for a few days and given it a jolly good test drive i'm not sure if i do any more.
On the one hand I do because of the way it looks, who wouldn't want one parked outside their house, and in terms of asthetics the S-Type really is looking old now although we still love it to bits and people still make nice comments about it.
However, from a drivers point of view although i think it's still a very good car i'm not sure the car has moved on significantlly in the right direction for me to want to part with the S-Type just yet.
I imagine the XJ is a better bet for interior space and more wafty ride comfort. I'd love to test drive one. Maybe i'm considering the wrong car, or is it just because we are that comfortable in our well worn but super supple old shoes that we don't really want to chop it in, and maybe the XF has moved on enough but we just don't get it? Or, is there something in what i've said.
Your thoughts please.
It had no spare tyre or bottle of tyre gunk.
During handover the hire chap said this car comes with run-flats so if you get a puncture on the motorway or main road you can still get off and to a place of safety like motorway services or a lay-by. You call the number on this card and recovery will come out to you and change the tyre.
During handover the hire chap said this car comes with run-flats so if you get a puncture on the motorway or main road you can still get off and to a place of safety like motorway services or a lay-by. You call the number on this card and recovery will come out to you and change the tyre.
I haven't had an S type but did own a 3.0D XFS for a few years... mine was very quick off the mark and I struggled not to spin the rear wheels when pulling away quickly. Maybe thats what the XFS brings over the standard XF?
I had the sports seats in the XFS and despite having a million ways to adjust they never felt comfortable, i.e. the bolster always pressed on my right leg and I'm not wide fella, but then again I am 6'2" and I never had a problem with space front or rear.
Overall my XFS was a great car and I only traded it because I was seduced by the XK... which is in a different league again (apart from really having space issues now)
I had the sports seats in the XFS and despite having a million ways to adjust they never felt comfortable, i.e. the bolster always pressed on my right leg and I'm not wide fella, but then again I am 6'2" and I never had a problem with space front or rear.
Overall my XFS was a great car and I only traded it because I was seduced by the XK... which is in a different league again (apart from really having space issues now)
chimpanzee said:
There is no Jaguar on sale today that comes with run flats as standard.
In which case they have been changed by the Car Hire Company. Even so, i don't think it will be the only XF on runflats as a chap posted on the Chris Harris - Cold Start thread that his ex-Jag managememnt owned XF came with RunFlats.There is a significant difference in suspension set-ups across the Jaguar range, with an S-Type with SE suspension feeling 'more supple' for example, than an XF with sports suspension. My wife's late model S-Type handles very well with it's sports suspension, but it'll probably get changed for an XF next year.
Not necessarily because the XF is a better car, but simply because her company car rules state the car must be less than 5 years old, so she'll swap it for it's modern equivalent, ie S-Type 4.2 V8 Sport > XF 5.0 V8 S
Here's hoping anyway, 'cos they're great cars with lovely engines.
Not necessarily because the XF is a better car, but simply because her company car rules state the car must be less than 5 years old, so she'll swap it for it's modern equivalent, ie S-Type 4.2 V8 Sport > XF 5.0 V8 S
Here's hoping anyway, 'cos they're great cars with lovely engines.
ScoobieWRX said:
I don't have any comments to make about the flappy paddle gearshift as we used it once and left it in auto thereafter. I wasn't very sure about it or the point of it in an auto. The point being it's an auto box, you set it and leave it, and that's the way we like it.
Your thoughts please.
Put it in Dynamic mode - then drive the car under full manual control in "S" sport mode. That is what the extra position on the rotary selctor is for Your thoughts please.
The XF is the car the S-Type should have been at Launch/then 2004 reskin.
FWDRacer said:
ScoobieWRX said:
I don't have any comments to make about the flappy paddle gearshift as we used it once and left it in auto thereafter. I wasn't very sure about it or the point of it in an auto. The point being it's an auto box, you set it and leave it, and that's the way we like it.
Your thoughts please.
Put it in Dynamic mode - then drive the car under full manual control in "S" sport mode. That is what the extra position on the rotary selctor is for Your thoughts please.
I'm fully aware how to use it, changes up were fine but it didn't change down when i wanted it to so i reverted to auto and left it at that which was perfect for me.
Yep...i read the user manual...and your point is??
Trick is to use the one paddle on the left to Downchange under the full manual control of "Dynamic Mode" + 'S' on the rotary selector. In full dynamic sport mode this how to get the downshift and manual intervention/control you want, providing you aren't going to grenade the engine through excessive rpm (The system won't let you 
...)
Evidently you didn't read the manual.
...)Evidently you didn't read the manual.
FWDRacer said:
Trick is to use the one paddle on the left to Downchange under the full manual control of "Dynamic Mode" + 'S' on the rotary selector. In full dynamic sport mode this how to get the downshift and manual intervention/control you want, providing you aren't going to grenade the engine through excessive rpm (The system won't let you ...)
Evidently you didn't read the manual.
You're obviously not reading my posts. I said...I read the manual!!...)Evidently you didn't read the manual.
I know which one is upchange and which one is downchange, I know where the gear selecter had to be in order for manual gearchanges to work as they should have done, and it wasn't being gunned. Far from it in fact.
I also said, upchange was fine, downchange didn't change when i wanted it to. Whether it was an issue with the car or they are all like it i have no idea, but it didn't change down at the point of flipping the downshift paddle, it change a few seconds after.
What bit of this are you not getting?
....The bit where you understand how to use the car.
Scooby - I've an XF Diesel a daily driver. Downshifts manually in Sport+Dynamic mode on command from the left hand paddle. My last Diesel S did the same. 6sp or 8spd ZF Auto, they are all the same.
User interface issue I'm afraid. Next time you get the opportunity to have a go - trust me.
And back to your original question. XF is a considerably better all round vehicle, better body control and more accurate steering. At the end of the day Jags have a reputation as sports saloons - not motorised armchairs. The models churned out in the 70/80's - really wasn't a kind period to Jag. Perhaps the biggest single improvement - the 2.7 to 3.0D powertrain step, perhaps the most noticeable with considerably more 'beans'.
Scooby - I've an XF Diesel a daily driver. Downshifts manually in Sport+Dynamic mode on command from the left hand paddle. My last Diesel S did the same. 6sp or 8spd ZF Auto, they are all the same.
User interface issue I'm afraid. Next time you get the opportunity to have a go - trust me.
And back to your original question. XF is a considerably better all round vehicle, better body control and more accurate steering. At the end of the day Jags have a reputation as sports saloons - not motorised armchairs. The models churned out in the 70/80's - really wasn't a kind period to Jag. Perhaps the biggest single improvement - the 2.7 to 3.0D powertrain step, perhaps the most noticeable with considerably more 'beans'.
ScoobieWRX said:
chimpanzee said:
There is no Jaguar on sale today that comes with run flats as standard.
In which case they have been changed by the Car Hire Company. Even so, i don't think it will be the only XF on runflats as a chap posted on the Chris Harris - Cold Start thread that his ex-Jag managememnt owned XF came with RunFlats.FWDRacer said:
And back to your original question. XF is a considerably better all round vehicle, better body control and more accurate steering. At the end of the day Jags have a reputation as sports saloons - not motorised armchairs. The models churned out in the 70/80's - really wasn't a kind period to Jag. Perhaps the biggest single improvement - the 2.7 to 3.0D powertrain step, perhaps the most noticeable with considerably more 'beans'.
Thanks niva441 said:
Yes there certainly shouldn't be run flats on a Jaguar. They were quite happy to let BMW take the lead on that advancement.
I'm going to have to go back to the car hire people and ask them if their fleet buyers specifically ask Jag to supply them with RunFlats or if they replace the original tyres with runflats themselves.I'd also like to know why then a Jag ex-management owned car from a poster on the other thread also has runflats.
I'm really glad they don't come with runflats as standard as those things really spoil the ride and are just too noisy. Give me a full size spare anyday.
Simpo Two said:
FWDRacer said:
At the end of the day Jags have a reputation as sports saloons - not motorised armchairs. The models churned out in the 70/80's - really wasn't a kind period to Jag.
Thought it was 'magic carpets' but never mind, I'm old.It's the models they churned out in the 70's that gave them the reputation for building some of the best executive/sporting saloons and sportscars on the planet. Maybe reliability wasn't a strong point but when they worked they worked beautifully well and they were much loved.
I know they've had their ups and downs but it's fair to say so has every other car manufacturer on a global scale, but thankfully Jaguar have kept their heads above water for long enough to make it to the 21st century, and today they are still churning out beautiful machines that drive supremely well.
They don't do old style 'magic carpet' any more though and i do miss it. Perhaps that's why i like the S-Type so much as it's still got some of that 'old style' magic about it, but then today's driver wants a different kind of 'magic carpet' that gets around corners quick too and maybe that's where i'm not so sure about the XF. Maybe i'm just getting old
If i want to go around corners quick i've got a Subaru for that.
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