Jaguar is a brand with a long and tumultuous history. Yet, despite the challenges of being part of British Leyland through the 1970s and 1980s and then two decades under the Ford umbrella, Jag is still with us. In fact, the brand actually seems to be thriving better than ever under the stewardship of India’s Tata Motors. Case in point is the second-generation XF that arrived in 2015. I recently spent a week with a particularly unlikely variant that in seems both ill-suited and yet perfectly suited to American driving.
Jaguar certainly had its struggles during the Ford ownership period, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying in most respects. The model lineup was expanded, new technologies were added and at times the brand seemed on the verge of a breakthrough. Yet, they perhaps stuck with the retro-styling theme of the old XJs for too long and the X-Type was just a total miscalculation.
However, it should not be forgotten that the transformation into the Jaguar of 2017 actually began during the Ford era. The 2003 XJ kept the classic design but used the first aluminum intensive structure in Ford history. Many lessons of that car were incorporated into current generation Ford trucks. Jaguar’s modern design ethos debuted in 2007 when the XF replaced the S-Type and the 2009 XJ reinforced that.
While the first XF was transformational for Jaguar, the second is very much iterative from an aesthetic standpoint and personally I’m just fine with that. The rounded rectangle grille, slim headlamps and fastback profile are aging very nicely. The front fascia is a bit more upright than before and the rear part of the greenhouse has been expanded just a bit to aid rear headroom. The new XF is less than half an inch shorter overall and slightly wider but the wheelbase has been extended by two inches. In doing so, the overhangs are shorter and everyone inside has more space to stretch out with an extra two cubic feet of passenger volume, now at 97 cubic feet.
My tester was finished in a shade officially described as British Racing Green. It’s a great looking color but compared to any classic BRG this is a substantially darker hue. The traditional BRG is lighter and with a hint of yellow to it, but I digress.
Inside, the new XF is an evolution of the prior rendition. The rotary shift knob that rises from the center console when starting the engine has now become a staple of all Jaguar Land Rover products with an automatic transmission and it continues on this new XF. The motorized dashboard vents that rotate into position continue at the outer ends of the dash but the central air portals are now fixed, slimmer horizontal units to better accommodate the larger 10.2-inch central touchscreen.
As expected in a Jag, the front seats are both comfortable and supportive and finished in a mix of black and white leather with contrasting stitching on the R-Sport that I drove. The rear seats are now more accommodating to taller adults as well. The InTouch infotainment system is the same one found in the F-Pace I drove last fall as well as other contemporary JLR models and it’s far cleaner and more responsive than prior systems. Unfortunately it still lacks support for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay so my Nexus 6p rode along with me in a vent mount to utilize the phone version of the system.
After years of trying to establish a place in the American car market for the diesel engine, the German brands have now all but abandoned the concept in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal. For JLR, their timing couldn’t have been either better or worse as it launched its first diesels in Range Rovers in the fall of 2015, followed by Jaguars a few months later. The Range Rovers get the same Ford-built 3.0-liter V6 that’s going into the 2018 F-150 and which also saw use in previous-generation European market Jags, the new models get downsized.
The XF, XE and F-Pace all offer a Jaguar designed and built 2.0-liter four-cylinder that is part of the new Ingenium engine family. In U.S. spec form this engine cranks out 180-hp and an impressive 318 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and my test car had the optional all-wheel-drive.
The diesel XF isn’t going to win any stop-light to stop-light drag races with its somewhat leisurely launches, on the go it feels much more responsive and easily merges onto freeways and makes passing maneuvers. Where this powertrain really excels though is fuel economy. The EPA rates the AWD diesel XF at 30 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 34 mpg combined. I saw 35 mpg in my week of driving that included plenty of stop and go traffic and brisk back roads. If you’re in need of a slick midsize sedan for road trips that has more endurance between pit stops than your bladder, the 700 mile highway range of the XF 2.0d may be for you.
While the XF diesel may be a less than ideal sprinter, the chassis certainly seems up to the task of handling whatever curves life throws at you. At just over 4,100 pounds, it’s obviously not as svelte as an F-Type, but it demonstrates all of the composure you expect of this brand both in terms of absorbing rougher pavement and keeping things under control during directional changes. The steering provides better feel than the latest BMW 5 series and the transmission responds quickly to taps on the shift paddles and robust diesel torque hauls the car out of the curve and down the road.
In the search for a midsize premium sedan with sporting pretensions, BMW has long been the default choice. But as BMW has moved more mainstream and high-tech, it’s always worth considering alternative choices that may be a bit less commonplace. I’ve long been a fan of diesel engines and it’s not clear how much longer they will be with us as more regulators crack down on their emissions. According to Jaguar spokesman Nathan Hoyt, since the XF and other diesel models launched, between 10 and 15 percent of customers have opted for the compression ignition engines, so there is clearly some demand for this type of propulsion. I would guess that by the time the next-generation XF rolls around sometime in the early 2020s, this engine may well be supplanted by a gasoline and electric plug-in hybrid. But for today, if you want a combination of style, handling and excellent fuel efficiency, XF 2.0d is absolutely worth putting on the shopping list. The XF diesel starts at just over $49,000 and the R-Sport model I drove was priced at $62,295 delivered.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2017/06/20/2017-jaguar-xf-2-0d-awd-r-sport-a-cat-that-burns-oil-on-purpose/
2017-06-20T12:10:00+00:00