Hear The Jaguar XF Jingle Its Bells At German Luxury
In the midsize luxury spot sedan realm, there are two types of cars: the incumbents and the strivers. The incumbents are the obvious choices, the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, probably the Audi A6. The strivers are basically everyone else: Hyundai Genesis, Cadillac CTS and yes, the Jaguar XF.
Unlike BMW and Benz, Jag doesn’t have decades of experience to draw on. This XF is the second generation, and the previous car—the Scream-faced S-Type—dated to the Ford ownership years. So this is really New Jag’s first stab at a midsize sport sedan. I’m not sure it’s going to send Audi scrambling for an emergency redesign, but it should definitely woo some new buyers—as long as they get interested enough to take a test drive.
These days, Jaguar feels like Cadillac’s British counterpart. If Jag had a motto, it might be “handling first.” And that’s smart, because you can enjoy great steering at 30 mph, but it’s far easier to cram 5,000 horsepower under the hood and draw up a billboard for the new Megasedan 5000. Intangibles are hard to market.
The XF relies on finesse rather than brute strength. Yes, the supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 (in either 340 horsepower or 380-horse flavors) feels well matched to the car, but a BMW 550i sports a probably underrated 445 horsepower out of a turbo V-8. Then again, the BMW is a big fatso, weighing about 500 pounds more than the Jag, which uses a new aluminum architecture that keeps weight about as low as it can practically get in a car like this (again, shades of Cadillac philosophy). Jag says the XF’s entire body-in-white weighs the same as that of a Fiat 500L. If we look at the 535i as a more direct competitor, the XF S has 80 more horsepower while weighing 187 pounds less. That’s a nice combo.
Up in the mountains around Jerome, Arizona, the XF S was a load of fun, nimble and balanced, the supercharged V-6 surrendering no thrust to the thin air. The brakes are strong, too—they got hot and indeed smelly, but never faded. But you’ve got to remember that the brakes are working even when you’re running uphill, on account of the brake-based torque vectoring system. They’s better be stout, because they never get much of a rest.
In addition to torque vectoring and optional adaptive surface response (which automatically adapts steering, throttle, and stability control systems to the road conditions) all XFs have the new All-Surface Progress Control, which is like the world’s least-dramatic launch control. If you’re on a slippery surface, you just dial up your speed with the cruise control buttons and the car will gently apply torque to get you moving. It’s proactive—instead of the traction control sensing slip and cutting power, it tries to avoid breaking traction in the first place. I tested it on patchy ice with a rear-drive S and it worked great. Pair that system with winter tires and there’s probably no practical need for the AWD model unless you live somewhere that regularly gets bumper-level dumps of snow.
If there’s an aspect of the XF that needs more attention, it’s probably the interior. The car’s cabin is functional enough, but the materials and design will not cause rending of garments over at Audi. Jag’s new in-dash electronic interface, InControl Touch, uses an 8-inch touchscreen flanked by hard buttons.
In terms of usability, it lands somewhere between Cadillac’s smooth-as-a-Ken-doll CUE and the superior scroll wheel systems (Audi, BMW, Mercedes… Mazda) that seem to be the best solution to the infotainment problem. The optional system, InControl Pro, uses a slightly wider screen—10.2 inches—but, instead of buttons, Jag says “all the functionality has been neatly integrated into the bottom section of the touchscreen.”
That sounds like a nightmare. But I didn’t get to try InControl Pro, so I’ll leave further drastic pronunciations until I do. Thus far, Tesla is the only company that’s done OK with the no-buttons gambit, and that’s because its screen is big enough to display instant relays and ersatz crowd-noise decibel meters at professional sporting events.
But hey, I’d rather have great steering than great trim. And one of those things is a lot easier to execute than the other. Jaguar’s mastered the hard stuff—weight loss, handling, harmonious powertrain-chassis matrimony. Now it just needs everyone to notice.
