The Good
You got to love the British. Not only do they have a way with iconic cars, but also iconic words. Take the word whinging for instance. As used in the following comment posted on my recent video review (see below) of the XF.
"Brilliant car, but this guy is just whinging about trivial stuff,
personally i think the radio turning off whilst reversing is a great
idea by Jaguar!!!"
"To complain in a moaning manner," that's what whinging means when spoken with that distinct British accent.
To be honest, there is so little to whinge about when reviewing the Jaguar XF that it could make for a pretty boring car review. I could easy gush on about the exceptional handling of the big cat, and how it easily makes you feel like Lewis Hamilton on a tear at Silverstone when the road turns and twists.
I could write hundreds of words about the zen like blend of beauty, form, and function that the XF exudes as easily as James Bond sips a shaken martini just before blasting the bad guys.
And to be certain my test car's 300 HP 4.2 liter engine is getting a
bit long in the tooth, but somehow it seems to blend seamlessly with the
XF's 6 speed paddle shifting transmission. Too bad we don't get the very popular diesel engine available in Europe.
I could go on for hours about how the car seems to fit perfectly like the best custom hand tailored suits from London's Savile Row, and yet somehow retains the athletic easy going manner of David Beckham from his early days at Manchester United.
But that would be oh so boring, so I have to whinge about something, and in the case of the Jaguar I picked the complex touch screen user interface.
The Bad
Now if you happen to do a Google search for recent reviews of the XF you'll find glowing reviews of how well and cleverly Jaguar packaged all of the complex controls of the car into the touch screen user interface.
Many reviewers will go into great detail about how much better the Jaguar system is when compared to BMW's iDrive, or the Mercedes or Audi systems.
To my way of thing that's like saying that Madonna was a much better wife to Guy Ritche when compared to all of the other possible diva pop stars the British movie director could have potentially married and divorced.
Let us face facts, at least as wives all of singer pop star divas have their substantial problems. It is the same way with the Jaguar touch screen interface. It may be the best of the worst, but that's not saying much.
Until the iPhone came along most consumers were happy with tiny cell phones with tiny buttons that pretended to be smart, but in reality could barely handle email, let along open web pages.
So it is today with every current generation automotive user interface devices no matter what clever marketing words the manufactures invent. They work, but not without a 200 page instruction manual and dozens of confusing sub menus that are about as user friendly as Japanese street signs.
The Ugly
If you squint really hard, and the sun is just right, you might find the headlights of the XF to be somewhat out of place with the rest of the design. Oh yes, I almost forgot, the chrome grill is really a wee bit on the cheap and plastic side when seen from up close and personal.
But that's about all I could think of to whinge about when it comes to the styling of the Jaguar XF.
I have no doubts that the XF will go down in history as one of Jaguar's most iconic cars. I would put it right up there with the design of the brilliant E type. This is a car that any modern day Inspector Morse would be proud to drive to his next murder investigation at Oxford.
And what's probably the most amazing performance feat of all for the Jaguar is that it just comes filled to the brim with about every possible option, drivers aid, and creature comfort for a very reasonable price of $58,850.00 as tested.
Now I know that $58,850.00 and the word reasonable don't usually go together in a sentence, but when you cross shop it with the German competition the Jaguar is the bargain of the century—and that's certainly nothing to whinge about.
2009 Jaguar XF Premium Luxury
Price as Tested: $58,850.
Engine, Transmission: 4.2 Liter V8 6 SPD automatic/paddle shift transmission
Horsepower: 300
PocketDyno Test Data
1/4 Mile: 15.62 second at 97.67 mph
0-60 mph: 7.10
Max Acceleration: 0.46 g's
EPA Fuel Economy Estimates
City: 16 mpg
Highway: 25 mpg
Combined: 19 mpg
As tested: 22.7 mpg
CO2 per year: 11,738 lbs
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