Some versions are up to 265 pounds lighter than the previous XF-but have better rear-seat room, by far, though the new car is a touch shorter. Built from aluminum, the XF trades some of its curb weight for better packaging. The XF's interior is neatly finished and spacious the rear seat is finally friendly to adults, and the trunk's huge. The result? A supple-riding car with direct but light steering and forgiving handling-a rival for a Cadillac CTS VSport or an Audi S6/S7, with less of the overwhelming firmness.
A set of adaptive dampers are available, and a set of driver-selectable programs can tailor the XF's ride quality, electric power-steering assist, throttle, and shift timing and speed through the usual sport and comfort modes. Jaguar claims ideal 50/50 weight distribution. The XF rides atop a suspension with twin wishbones at the front wheels and an integral-link setup at the rear. Power is distributed as needed with the help of Jaguar's Intelligent Driveline Dynamics system the XF also gets a novel traction control system that governs the brakes and throttle in low-friction launch scenarios, as the similar system does in the F-Type. The engine's been fitted with a balance shaft for smoother operation, but there's no mistaking it for a burbling V-8.Īll-wheel drive will be an option on some XF sedans. The combination makes for strong acceleration, though the quick 0-60 mph times of 5.0 seconds for rear-drive, 380-hp sedans are joined by the usual V-6 thrumble. An 8-speed automatic will be the sole transmission to start.
In either case, the manual transmission found in the XE sedan and now the F-Type too, is absent, at least for the first model year. As in the F-Type sports car, the same basic engine design is tuned to produce two different outputs, either 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, in the lower-output edition, or 380 hp and identical torque in the uprated version.
Power in the XF comes from either of two supercharged V-6 engines. In other ways-the clean rectilinear shapes, the rotary control placement-the XF is the XE's fraternal twin.īalance is the XF's hallmark it's quick and nimble, and somewhat more softly tuned than its rivals. Some versions drop conventional gauges for a digital panel display atop the steering wheel, and the air vents are slimmer and turned up at the corners to leave more space for a larger touchscreen display atop the center stack. In the XF's cockpit, Jaguar's toned down the jazzy, glitzy notes of the past XF and traded it for a layout dominated by touchscreens and pared down of details elsewhere. The rear fascia cuts through some of the bulk of the rear end with a steep cutline. At the rear of its roofline, the XF breaks away from the XE with a longer roofline and forward-canted roof pillars that give it the space to tuck in a third window behind the rear doors. It's subdued but sporty in the same way that Jaguar's next sedan, the compact XE, carries off well, and that's no surprise, since from the fender vents to the tilt of the front glass, the XE and XF are near-twins. The grille pulls forward from the car, flanked by slim headlamps that arc upward in a "J" shape, and sit on big air intakes. The XF's well-wrought and handsome, with a straightforward style that's elegant, and spare. As it stands, with a choice of V-6 or coming diesel power, the XF is an excellent effort, with-finally-competitive interior space to go with its forgiving, supple dynamics.