Thursday 21st March 2013

2013 Jaguar XF Diesel S Sportbrake | Review

PH doesn't make diesel estates. But if we did...

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Yup, it’s a diesel estate. There, I’ve said it now. We’ve got that bit out of the way. Diesel estates are, of course, necessary evils; they’re the Wellington boot of the car world – capacious, practical, comfortable and waterproof. Well, maybe not that last thing, but still...

Trouble is, like a welly boot, most of them just aren’t all that exciting. Or weren’t.

Enter the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Ostensibly a rival for the BMW 5 Series Touring, Audi A6 Avant and Mercedes E-Class... um... estate, it has one toe in the slightly desolate territory also populated by the Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake. It’s also available only as a diesel – for now, anyway.

A schlep across Europe is perfect for letting the Jag stretch its legs, first into Belgium and then across northern France. And first impressions don’t disappoint. It’s a rakishly handsome car – the front end square-jawed and scowling, with an elegant, tapering rear that belies its size. Inside surprise-and-delight touches like the knurled gear selector still … surprise and delight despite the novelty being a few years old now and there’s that same feeling of contemporary luxury that you might expect from a swanky London hotel. The touchscreen controlling the majority of the car’s functions hasn’t had universal praise but, for these digits, seemed instinctive and logical enough.

This XF’s a Diesel S, which means it gets a 275hp version of the JLR 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel. That gives it a 0-62mph time of 6.6 seconds, and a top speed electronically limited to 155mph, although it never feels as fast as it is. It’s not that the Diesel S is slow by any means; it’s just so refined. It simply goes about the business of gathering speed in such an unfussed manner that you don’t sense it overtly. There is, nevertheless, a satisfying glob of torque whenever you hoof the throttle. Don’t bother with the kickdown though – it simply spurs the eight-speed ZF box into too low a gear, the engine spinning uselessly up to the redline. Much more effective to use a touch less throttle, keep the gearbox unruffled and rely on the in-gear torque.

A quick punt on a Champagne country road reveals the Sportbrake to be a useful thing, if lacking in ultimate sharpness. There’s a touch more roll than the saloon, too, most likely as a result of the estate’s air suspension at the rear, but otherwise the XF’s well-controlled. Turn the traction control off and it can let its hair down with bouts of languid oversteer too. It’s no Elise, of course – but it isn’t designed to be, and the levels of involvement and satisfaction it does offer are plenty enough.

What it is designed to be is cosseting, isolating and endlessly refined. And in those respects, whether nosing through town or smearing along an autoroute, it excels. Cocooned within, few sounds from the outside world reach you; instead, the superb audio system bathes you in music of your choice, while the XF’s super-comfortable combination of suspension and seating swaddles. Only the occasional minor vibration upsets the S, most likely thanks to its standard combination of 20-inch wheels and low-profile tyres. Five’ll get you 10 the smaller wheels and chunkier tyres fitted to lesser models remove even that whisker-thin criticism. But even on the rutted roads of Belgium, progress is – most of the time – impressively serene.

While it might lack the precision of a 5 Series or the ultimate solidity of either of its rival Mercs, the XF Sportbrake is probably 95 per cent as good in any of those respects. But it does have its own trump card, something it does better than any car in its class. It makes you feel special. From the moment you move off to the moment you come to a halt again, the XF provides you with an overwhelming sense of wellbeing. It looks superb, inside and out; it’s remarkably well thought through; it drives effortlessly. Yes, it’s still a welly boot at heart, but it’s one that’s made of calf leather with a sheepskin lining, and at the moment, there’s none that’s quite as satisfying to wear.

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SPECIFICATION | 2013 JAGUAR XF SPORTBRAKE DIESEL S LUXURY
Engine: 2,993cc V6, twin-turbo diesl
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power (hp): 275@4,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 442@2,000rpm
0-62mph: 6.6 sec
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,880kg
MPG: 46.3mpg (combined)
CO2: 163g/km
Price: £44,355 (base)

[toppstuff]

What a lovely car.

More desirable as any of the Germans. And probably more reliable too if the surveys are anything to go by.

Well done Jaguar.

I do wish they would do it with a rip roaring 550 Bhp V8 though. They could if they wanted to.

XFR-S Sportbrake would really take the fight to AMG IMO. I know I would rather have one to a Merc.

[toppstuff]

Elroy Blue said:

I love the look of the XFs. I like the way they drive. I just can't get past the unreliability of the cars we have on our fleet. They do seem to break down a awful lot more than the BMWs.

Thats interesting. Jaguar have been doing well in the JD Power surveys here and especially in the US - better than the Germans in many cases. Sorry to hear of a different experience.

What do you think of the dealers, if I may ask? I've had a positive experience of my local one. This can make a big difference.

[toppstuff]

Elroy Blue said:

They arrive with a blue light on them

So the Rozzers are in Jags ! Awesome. I bet this estate would make an excellent bit of kit for their purposes. A lot of room for kit and guns !

[toppstuff]

Elroy Blue said:

We've had them for about three years now. (We get them VERY cheap before the usual 'taxpayers money wasted' comments start appearing). The first one we had on trial had a TV in it. It was very nice eating my sarnies at 3am watching the boxing. Sadly, this function was removed when the actual job cars appeared.

You would not see me complaining about tax payers money being spent on good kit for the BiB. You'd have XFR's if I had my way. With a union flag on the roof.

O/T, but I saw a Citroen C4 police car the other day. Who on earth thought that was a good idea?

[toppstuff]

Krikkit said:

I said it on the other thread and I'll say it here too - the infotainment system is the worst bit about the car. It's clunky and slow to use, the screen feels too small for the layouts, and it doesn't have simple features that the Germans have (e.g. It doesn't automatically reconnect a bluetoothed phone that's been out of range). .

I know that Chris Harris had a similar grumble when he was running an XF. I was hoping/ thinking this had been fixed with some new firmware by now? Is it still a problem even with new cars? Having your phone bluetooth connect automatically when you get in the car should surely just be a firmware thing?