Jaguar XF Ultimate Test: Complete three-part review

DESIGN
Imagine coming across the proverbial classic car in a barn. Rich in heritage, but in desperate need of restoration, you take it home and begin the long, laborious process of bringing it back to life.

Years later, after considerable sweat, blood, and huge financial investment, your project nears completion. But by then a harsh economy has seen yours bills pilling up. To add to your dilemma, your spouse is pressuring you to get rid of any superfluous expenses. Your project has to go.

If you can imagine this scenario, you might be better able to empathize with Ford Motor Company and its recent sale of Jaguar, a brand with a heritage that few other car companies can match. After acquiring Jaguar in 1989 for $2.5 billion and sinking even more money in over the next nearly 20 years, Ford - under increasing financial hardship and pressure from its shareholders - unloaded Jaguar just as its newest and best model was being launched.

That car is the Jaguar XF Supercharged. The XF has a lot riding on its steel shoulders as it represents a fresh start for the British marque - not just in its new ownership, but also in its fresh take on Jaguar design. The XF's styling seems to be the cars number-one talking point. So let's get to it.

Whatever you may have heard, the XF is a beautiful car. Period. Unfortunately, it doesn't photograph particularly well because of the subtly of its surfacing, but in person it really comes alive.

At the front is the car's most controversial element: its headlights. They're not the most successful part of the XF in my opinion. The C-XF concept, which previewed the XF, had much more Jaguar-appropriate front light graphics.

The sculpting of the XF's hood is beautiful and very "Jaguar," as is the front grille. Below, on the lower intakes, we see some more sculpting in the horizontal blade that splits the opening. It's a nice detail that owes nothing to past Jags, and that's just fine.

The side view of the XF has all of the elegance that was missing from its predecessor, the S-Type - every line flowing beautifully. The shape of the blister that starts below the front fender vent has to be seen in person to be appreciated. Viewed from above, it has a lovely flaring line that disappears as the cars body tucks away from you. It is very Aston Martin-like, as you might expect when you realize that the man responsible for the design of the XF was also the designer of the Aston Martin DB7 and Vanquish. His name is Ian Callum, and you can see more of his past efforts in the rear three-quarter view of the Jaguar XF - my favorite angle of this car.

The C-Pillar flows down from the roof and blends into the surprisingly wide rear quarter panel, turning toward the trunk in the most graceful and refined surfacing on the entire car. You really do have to see the XF for yourself to truly appreciate it.

So it's job-well-done for Jaguar's design team. The XF is a refreshingly new look for the company, while still looking like a Jaguar. It offers customers of luxury mid-size sedans a real alternative to the sea of E-Class Benzes and 5-Series BMWs.

But how will this newest Jaguar fare against those competitors? And will the new XF represent a freshly restored Jaguar under its new ownership? Hard to tell, but just like that classic car in the barn, there's a sense of British class and charm to the XF that most of the cars in this segment will find difficult to match.

INTERIOR & USER EXPERIENCE
If there's one thing that has remained a constant throughout Jaguar's tumultuous history, it's the company's interiors. A combination of burl wood veneers and rich Connolly leather, not only have Jaguar interiors smelled fantastic, but they've always felt and looked great as well.

Nowadays, the leather is no longer by Connolly, but the aroma, the feel, and especially the style are still first-rate. Nowhere in the Jaguar product lineup is this more evident than in the new XF Supercharged.

While it's exterior design's success is definitely something that can be debated, the interior leaves less room for argument. It's just beautiful. There is a real sense of occasion that you just don't find in many cars today - at least not many in this price range. The Germans do somber and purposeful like no one else, but only the Brits seem capable of really moving you with their interiors.

From the air conditioning vents and gear selector that come "alive" as you start the car, to the combination of leather, wood, and aluminum accents in the correct proportion, the interior of the XF is the place to be.

That rotating gear selector is probably the most interesting element in the interior of the XF in that it is essentially a redesign of something that didn't really need redesigning. Now, most of the time, the results of such an undertaking aren't good - as anyone who's driven a current 7 series BMW can attest. But in this case, not only is it an elegant solution that takes up less space than a conventional gear selector, but it is also very intuitive in its interface.

As far as space is concerned, there is plenty of it both front and rear - including headroom, something that couldn't be said of past Jaguars. That newfound headroom is the result of the overall vehicle height being increased versus past efforts. Another resulting bonus is that it is much easier to get into and out of the XF than has been the case with past Jags.

The quality of the interior is another area Jaguar has focused on improving. Ford's parts-sharing efforts were obvious in its predecessor - the Jaguar S-Type - with much of the switchgear looking and feeling far too cheap for a Jaguar. With the new XF, there isn't much evidence of this parts sharing at all, and everything you touch has a premium quality feel befitting a Jaguar.

Having lived with the XF Supercharged for a week, I have to tell you that I think Ford really dropped the ball by selling Jaguar. Now, that's easy for me to say because Jaguar wasn't bleeding my bank account for years. But if I could have played Ford CEO for a day, I would have sold off Volvo (sorry Swedes) and kept Jaguar as my halo brand. But hey, that's just me, I could be wrong... But I doubt it.

PERFORMANCE
Grace, Space, and Pace. The new Jaguar XF Supercharged has all the qualities Sir William Lyons envisioned for his famed brand back in its early days. For this new XF, we've covered the "Grace" portion in our design review. And we discussed its "Space" when we looked at its gorgeous interior. Now in our performance review we will focus on my favorite part of that famous Jaguar equation: Pace.

That the Jaguar XF is the company's best car since Ford began influencing the Jaguar product line is without question. You can argue about its design, or its ride quality, but this car is more competitive within its segment than any other Jag in the last twenty years.

Mainly up against the BMW 550i, the Mercedes-Benz E550, and the Audi A6 4.2, the Jaguar XF Supercharged brings significantly more power to the party than any of those competitors. The 4.2-liter supercharged V8 makes a strong 420 hp and 413 ft-lbs of torque. That's 60 more horsepower than the BMW, 38 more than the Benz, and a whopping 70 more than the Audi.

Now you might be thinking that the supercharged version of the XF should go up against the performance versions of those three cars - the M5, the E63 AMG, and the S6, respectively - but that's a job for the upcoming Jaguar XF-R. The XF Supercharged is in fact positioned appropriately. And although its base price is higher than its three key competitors, you'll find that when you option those three cars to match the Jag, all but the Audi cost more than the XF. But enough about positioning, let's get back to its performance...

Firmer than you might expect a Jag to be, the ride is nonetheless complaint enough to wear the leaping cat badge on the trunk. Surprising, given it rides on big 20-in. wheels and correspondingly low-profile tires. But Jaguar has a mastery of the black-art of combining performance handling with luxurious ride quality going back to the mid-'50s and the Mark 1.

So it rides well and it handles even better, with little roll and seemingly never-ending grip from those big Pirellis. The only thing slightly disappointing with the handling is that there just isn't enough feel through the steering wheel. But we shouldn't forget that this is a luxury car first, and a performance car slightly second, so the steering being a bit isolating is understandable.

As I mentioned, the power is fantastic - getting the car up to speed in a hurry. And once you realize that your license is in jeopardy, you can save yourself a back seat ride in a black-and-white by pressing on the firm brake pedal and feeling those 14" rotors rein in the speed. We had the Jag on a mountain road that was closed off by two of California's finest - thanks CHP - and as you can imagine, I wasn't especially kind to the brakes. But they took their beating without complaint, remaining effective throughout. The only signs of abuse being a bit of noise and the brake pedal getting a little long.

A lot has been made of Jaguar's six-speed automatic. It's even been called the best automatic in the world by some motoring journalists. While I won't go quite that far, I will say that it seems perfectly judged in this application. The transmission is both smooth and quick. It fits the character of the XF due to this duality - smooth at a cruising pace, and very quick when you're driving more aggressively - just like the car. Speaking of driving more aggressively, in its manual mode the gearbox will match revs perfectly, just as a good driver would. This is a welcome trend that we're seeing in the newest performance-oriented automatics. And in the case of the XF, those shifts are actuated by paddles that are located correctly on the steering wheel itself.

So it's a true Jaguar in the mold of the original formula, with Grace, Space, and most definitely Pace. It delivers everything this famous British marque stands for better than any Jaguar in the past twenty years, finally giving Jaguar a competitive, no-excuses entry into the highly contested mid-size luxury sedan segment.

Watch the video

Jaguar XF Supercharged

Performance
- Acceleration: Builds speed effortlessly while supercharger whines away sounding great
- Handling: Amazingly composed for such a heavy car - TONS of grip
- Braking: Very good - repeated abuse makes for a soft brake pedal

Design
- Exterior: Potential candidate for most beautiful 4-door sedan - has to be seen in person
- Interior: Even stronger case for most beautiful automotive interior (under $100k)

Utility
- Comfort: Trades a tiny bit of Jaguar's slinky smoothness for sporting intent - comfy seats
- Space: A Jag with rear-seat headroom? Yes - quite comfortable front and rear

Safety
- Dynamics: Perfectly judged luxury sports sedan moves
- Technology: Everything you'd expect at this price point

Value
- Price: When compared with equal options, very competitive
- Mileage: Decent as long as you stay out of the throttle

Emotional Appeal
- Heart thumpin' factor: Finally a 4-door Jaguar that you wouldn't be crazy to consider
- Fun to spank: It can certainly handle it, but you'll feel guilty beating on this beauty rather than just cruising along elegantly

SPECIFICATIONS

Layout: Front engine / Rear wheel drive
Engine: 4.2 liter, supercharged, DOHC V8
Power (SAE): 420 hp @ 6250 rpm
Torque: 413 lbs-ft @ 4000 rpm
Redline: 6250 rpm
Gearbox: 6 speed automatic
Curb Weight: 4160 lbs.
0-60 mph: 5.0 sec.
1/4 mile: 13.5 sec.
Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited)
Mileage: 15 city / 22 highway
Base Price: $62,975
Competitors: BMW 550i, Mercedes-Benz E550, Audi A6 4.2