Welcome to this executive summary of 2008’s best XF reviews. Our corporate team of Oswynne Salins and Heath Stubbs have provided a summary of three excellent class leading auto magazine reviews of the all new face of Jaguar; the XF. You may wish to access the full versions on the websites provided.
(All information is the property of their respective owners and all rights are reserved by them).

WHAT CAR SAYS...
Jaguar XF offers the best of all worlds. The XF takes the best qualities of its rivals and then adds some true Jaguar sparkle. Make no mistake. Jaguar’s achievement in taking on and beating the big guns in this elite class is staggering. The result is a car that out-drives a 5 series, betters an E-Class for refinement and eclipses an A6 for wow factor. The sheer theatre of the XF’s interior cannot be overstated.

MOTOR SAYS...
In a world where German luxury dominates, Jaguar’s crucial XF does a Bradbury. As a sports sedan and a driver’s tool, it performs beyond expectation. Indeed the XF SV8 is a bloody hard car to fault.

WHEELS MAGAZINE SAYS...
“If you are about to buy a competitor, don’t...until you have driven this graceful brit.”

© WHAT CAR MAGAZINE
(WINNER ‘CAR OF THE YEAR 2008’; WINNER ‘BEST EXECUTIVE CAR 2008’. Audi A6 vs BMW 5 Series vs Jaguar XF vs Mercedes E-Class)

(Please visit www.whatcar.com for the complete article. All rights reserved. This is but a brief highlight summary of an outstanding article by Europe’s pre-eminent English auto magazine on Jaguar’s amazing new XF sports sedan)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
It takes real talent to beat BMW, Mercedes and Audi at their own game, but the XF has it in spades. From 3985 contenders and 17 class winners, one car blew all the competition away – the JAGUAR XF. Jaguar has created a car to beat the best that BMW, Mercedes and Audi have to offer.

What we admire most about the XF is the way in which it is still very much a Jaguar but altogether more modern. The piece de resistance is the choreographed start-up procedure. A rotary gear selector and fresh air vents emerge from their resting place to the accompaniment of a pulsing red starter button and the glow of blue mood lighting on the instruments, in the doors and around the controls. Please don’t judge it from the pictures alone, in the metal it’s a stunner. Jaguar has not forgotten that its cars must always be lusciously refined and calmly sporty. The XF more than meets its brief. It out drives the previously unbeatable BMW 5 series, which is saying something but it is also more supple on poor surfaces. It’s all the more impressive when a new Jaguar (XF) matches a Mercedes for refinement, a BMW for driving dynamics, and an Audi for wow factor.

Select drive, set off down the road and immediately it’s clear that you are behind the wheel of something very special indeed. Around town the steering is limo light and the ride, although taut, has a smooth, unflustered quality that belies the ensuing agility as speeds increase. Precision steering, immense grip and wonderful body control make it the perfect companion for a press-on blast across the country. Scythe through a series of corners and those dozing in the rear will remain blissfully unaware. They’ll also be extremely comfortable The BMW is the fastest, the Audi almost matching it, the Jaguar has a genuine thirst for speed and the Mercedes has immense mid-range pull.

RIDE AND HANDLING

XF’s steering is fabulously light and parking is an absolute breeze because the wheel can be spun from lock to lock simply by using the palm of one hand.  Try this in the BMW and you’ll risk ending up with friction burn.  Both cars generate masses of grip but the XF is so eager to turn in to corners and zip from apex to apex that it makes the 525d’s steering feel positively clumsy.  The A6 has tight body control, firm suspension and quick steering, but the front wheel drive makes it feel nose-heavy with a tendency to lose grip earlier than any of its rivals.

WHAT ARE THEY LIKE TO LIVE WITH?
The Mercedes is best at blocking out road noise although its engine is rather rattly under acceleration.  The XF is next best at suppressing road noise and suspension thud.  Its engine is the smoothest and quietest when accelerating.  The BMW has annoying wind roar from the top of the windscreen.  The Audi is the worst long distance cruiser producing lots of tyre and wind roar and a whole gamut of suspension patter.  Where the Jaguar feels modern and high tech, the Audi although robust and classy looks slightly old and stark.  The BMW is simply business like and purposeful with sharp angular buttons and switches working in a tough cultured action.  Mercedes ignores all the new-age swivelling and central control malarkey for a more traditional old school feel.  Its park brake is more awkward to use then the BMW or the electronic ones of the others.   All four cars have decent driving positions although only the XF has full electric seat adjustment as standard.

SPACE AND PRACTICALITY
The Jaguar’s interior feels more intimate with the most shoulder space in the front, and joint largest in the rear.  Rear headroom was identical to the Mercedes but 3 cm shorter than the BMW and Audi.  At 540 litres the Jaguar’s boot is the same size as the Mercedes and larger than the BMW.  (Added – OS and HS can confirm the XF boot will take a full sized golf bag loaded straight into the car boot. If more space is needed for a cart, both rear seats fold down in a 60/40 split.  Try this with the competitors).

EQUIPMENT
This is the Jaguar’s trump card.  Each of the other cars comes with the level of equipment you would expect, but the Jaguar trumps its rivals by adding satellite navigation and electrically adjustable seats as standard.  Part leather trim is also standard.

QUALITY AND RELIABILITY
The look of the XF’s cabin may shock current Jaguar owners but it’s unlikely to disappoint with metallic trim, high tech features, wood and leather.  There’s a solid feeling overall.  Our 2007 JD Power customer satisfaction survey makes fine reading for Jaguar ...with 6th overall, above all of its rivals here.

© MOTOR MAGAZINE – Nathan Ponchard,  March 2008)
(Please visit www.motor.com.au for the complete article.  This is but a brief highlight summary of an outstanding article by one of Australia’s pre-eminent auto magazines)
What matters here is the striking visual impact of Jaguar’s career-defining XF when seen cruising the streets.  This make or break sedan has presence.

The XF is as modern as an ipod Touch...as cool as anything in its class and that includes Mercedes-Benz’s CLS.  Park an XF next to a BMW E60 5 series and the contrast is almost laughable.  The Jaguar simply annihilates the upright BMW for sex appeal and makes it appear instantly dated.  You’d swear the Jaguar was much lower and 10 years newer.  Enter the cabin and witness post-modern Jaguar.  XF’s interior your foot on the brake and the centre console’s start-stop button pulses red, mimicking a heart beat.  Press it and the round transmission selector rises in Doctor Who fashion from the cocooning centre console and four rectangular aluminium faced sections rotate 180 degrees to reveal air vents.  It’s a moment of theatre that is unrivalled in the car world – one that animates the XF’s persona.

No Jaguar has ever steered this well...the harder you push, the greater your confidence.  The creamy, precise progression of its perfectly weighted steering wheel, the wide planted feel of its chassis, and the assuredness of its superb balance.  The XF SV8 has cohesion to the way it corners that marks it as Jaguar’s most polished driver’s car yet.

Match the SV8’s fine engine to the almost flawless operation to its six speed ZF automatic and the need for a proper manual is negated.  The XF’s transmission holds gears when you want, throttle blips beautifully when you request a downchange, and then up shifts when you’re done.  Cheers, thanks a lot.  (Added – the automatic double declutching (throttle blip) allows for almost seamless gear shifts that make driving just sublime).

Even on 20” rims, the XF remains quietly composed with excellent body control and a connected calm approach to bump-cushioning and is an enormous pleasure after the disappointing ride in so many other sporting sedans (E60 5 series and Peugeot 407, to name but two).

The new generation Jag isn’t quite as exotic as the Mercedes CLS, but as a sports sedan and a driver’s tool, it performs beyond expectation.  Indeed the XF SV8 is a bloody hard car to fault.  The XF makes a statement all of its own.

© WHEELS MAGAZINE – Peter Robinson, March 2008, pg 68 general news)
 (Please visit www.wheels.com.au for the complete article.  This is but a brief highlight summary of an outstanding article by one of Australia’s pre-eminent auto magazine)

Don’t pass any style judgement on Jaguar’s new sports sedan until you have seen it on the move.  Only then will you appreciate just how gorgeous and contemporary it is.   Where the rival Mercedes Benz  CLS is contrived and fussy, the simplicity of the XF, especially the flowing rear three-quarter view, is breathtaking. 

The XF glides over bumps that cause confusion for its BMW and AUDI rivals.  The chassis, like the engine is deceptively good and doesn’t need to shout its abilities.  The more interesting the road, the better the XF behaves.  It is an impressively balanced machine for its size with huge reserves of power and ability to change direction quickly and without fuss...generating near neutral handling that graduates to gentle oversteer, flattering the driver in fast corners.

We are mightily impressed with the XF and see it offering a credible alternative to its German rivals.  It looks great, feels modern, and drives with a precision and fluency that is at least as good (and probably better) than anything in its class. 
“If you are about to buy a competitor, don’t...until you have driven this graceful brit.”

TEST DRIVE THE JAGUAR XF - 2008 CAR OF THE YEAR
If you are interested in test-driving the Jaguar XF, please call Oswynne Salins or Heath Stubbs to book a no obligation test drive on the numbers on the top of the page.