While Jaguar’s XF reintroduced this
illustrious carmaker to the psyche of luxury-car shoppers, it is the XFR that
has future classic written all over it
It’s hard to believe that, until as
recently as 2007, iconic British marque Jaguar was very much in the doldrums.
With a product strategy that revolved around an archaic design language, Jaguar
had become a cover band of its own greatest hits. A fresh approach was needed
and had been for some time, but Jaguar had never had the conviction to step out
of its comfort zone.
Until the successor to the stodgy S-Type,
the XF. Previewed as the C-XF concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, the XF
will likely be remembered as a watershed product in the history of Jaguar.
Designed under the watchful eye of Ian Callum and penned mostly by its youthful
rock-band guitarist designer, Wayne J Burgess (also in charge of the F-Type),
the XF not only wowed crowds at Frankfurt, but set the sales charts alight,
proving that the revitalized design strategy was working.
Not
only is the XFR the class leader, it is also exceptional value compared to
rivals
The XF has also been successful in South
Africa, where it has been the third-best-selling executive saloon (following
the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series) for years, in the process finding
more homes than cars such as the Audi A6 and Lexus GS.
But, is the XF’s appeal merely superficial?
Is there depth to its ability? Would its undeniable visual appeal wane with
prolonged exposure? And what about reliability and aftermarket service? These
are still questions in the minds of many shoppers in this segment. Happily,
Jaguar South Africa made a flagship XFR available for a 20,000 km test so that
we could find out.
Our test unit, one of the first of the
facelifted models, arrived with 1,364 km on the odometer and, with its white
exterior and black leather interior, immediately tugged at the heartstrings …
hard.
The
interior is both elegant and well-built. A rotary dial replaces the old stick
shifter
The changes brought by the facelift
actually make the car appear similar to the original C-XF concept, and in the
eyes of many – including yours truly – the XF remains the most attractive car
in this segment.
The interior has aged well, too, although
there are issues. While the minimalistic facia design and the tasteful use of
wood, leather and aluminium – not to mention the suede rooflining in our test
unit – appeal to the senses, there can be no denying that the XF lags behind
the class leaders in certain respects. One of these is space. Rear legroom is
certainly tighter than in rival German and Japanese executive saloons and the
boot is smaller, too, measuring only 304 dm3. Further hampering practicality is
a relatively narrow boot aperture, which proved problematic when loading a
bulky baby stroller.
The
front seats are supportive and comfortable over long distances
The rear-seat accommodation could also have
been further improved by the fitment of climate controls and side-window blinds
(a rear-screen blind was fitted to the test unit).
Upfront, comfort levels are significantly
higher and the list of complaints is short. I’ve generally been a fan of
Jaguar/Land Rover’s touchscreen infotainment systems in the past, but I fear
the time has come to adopt a BMW iDrive-like system that, in its latest guise,
is user-friendlier. The touchscreen in the Jaguar can at times be slow to react
and is clumsy to use while driving, as a bump in the road may result in the
pressing of the wrong “virtual” button. Finally, I’d have liked a more
comprehensive trip computer – the system in the XFR can display average fuel
consumption, but not a real-time figure.
