Ooooh ! a naughty word just got past the swear filter .
And he didn't use a question mark !
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 28/12/2007 at 21:47
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I saw two on public roads in November - a grey one on the Buckinghamshire M40 and a metallic red one turning out of my own street as I was turning in. I first saw the grey one from behind and the red one from the front; neither time did I think, "Gosh, that's the new XF!" Both times it was more like, "What's that? Oh yes, that peculiar-looking new Jaguar."
As for rubbishing what we've not tried, we're only commenting on the styling so far. That's fair enough, because no-one's going to choose a Jaguar on grounds of pure ability - there's got to be an emotional pull to make non-owners want one, and styling is a big part of that. I know the S-type has a couple of admirers here but I'm not one of them, purely because of the fusty styling. This one is certainly bold, but it looks awkward to me - as if Jaguar thought, "We know we can't do mock-Tudor again, so we'll have to go Modern - but we don't really know how."
What I've seen of the interior, incidentally, looks far more encouraging. I may take myself along for a closer look some time.
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Trying it out tomorrow I hope.
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I couldn't be bothered in the end - too tired after my Christmas wanderings. I saw a very pretty one in the metal though. The only thing I dislike is the grille - swap that with a nice black one and I reckon its definitely got "it"
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missed opportunity PU, one you're bound to regret methinks
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Oh I may go tomorrow or Monday - just tired today ! In the words of Homer (Simpson that is)
I give you loads of money you give me shiny car !
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I think it looks rather anonymous, the illegitimate love child of a Volvo and a BMW. Still, better than the "old gent with pipe and slippers" image of some of the previous Jags.
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methinks, its sexy lexus looks will help it garner good sales in US and Asia. They have good customer service networks in the US in place - witness the JD Power ratings. An appealing product will aid things further.
We are really suffering from the Sierra shock - folks said things about the sierra but it went on to be a hit >
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I genuinely don't understand the negativity shown towards it. Even if it isn't your cup of tea for whatever reason... e.g. financial...as an absolute minimum it's a desirable, pretty reasonable looking car that comes in a good package... the diesel engined variant for example has an engine that a couple of years ago was hailed as the best of the lot and is still up there or there abouts.
It might not be the best car in that segment, who knows.. we'll have to wait for unbiased comparison tests... but i'd wager it's pretty good, if not the best.
The fact that it is built here, by British workers coming from a British heritage ought to instil pride...and if it doesn't I can't understand why.
Comments about Ford (or Tata) also confuse me...why? Who moans about VW owning Bentley. If someone offered me a Bentley i'd snap their hand off and be grateful it was backed up by a big enough company that can afford to develop it properly. The same goes for an XF... and even though i'm a Jag fan, i can still allow myself to see the merits of a BMW/Audi/Merc/Lexus etc.
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Autocar seem to like it....they reckon it was better than the BMW 5 series in a road test
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Just back after doing a 20 miles or so of mixed driving in one thanks to our local dealer having a 'show off the XF day'. Urban to motorway, 4 miles of motorway then back.
We passed a Ford dealer on the way and in profile it is similar to the Mondeo, but it is very different. I doubt you get a thumbs up from motorists waiting at roundabouts in a Mondeo - it is a headturner. It is a big car - wider than the XJ and only slightly shorter (alomst 5 metres), but having more boot space. I can't see why anyone would now buy an XJ, unless they want a 'retro' Jag.
Model I drove was a 2.7 diesel - all models have leather, satnav, auto box, this one was the mid spec (heated seats, keyless entry and start etc) and also had a few other extras such as front parking sensors, rear parking camera, top of the range stereo, sunroof. I reckon about £40,000 worth.
No idea it's a diesel unless you look at the rev counter. Car unlocks as you approach and no need for key to start. Press start button briefly and all electrics power up - airvents open up - very swish. Press again and car starts, gear 'stick' which is a rotary dial more akin to the timer knob on our microwave rises out of the console. Select D and off you go - electric handbrake of course.
Very quiet, smooth ride. Auto lights in a tunnel revealed it's 'night look' - an amazing array of cyan coloured lights picks out dash and console switches and there are similar cyan downlighters in the doors to illuminate the window switches. One of the best interior lighting schemes I have seen.
We swapped drivers half way and I sat in the back for the return - the model we were in had a very annoying rattle from around the C pillar area and the DAB radio had failed.
On the motorway the shortcomings of the diesel in such a heavy car became apparent. 60 in 6th, apply power and not much happens, a double shift using the paddles to 4th and it accelerates, but even then it doesn't feel quick. To get to 80 seems to take a while. It delivers power far differently to my Audi 170PS which requires no downchanges once you get to 60 in 6th.
IMHO thisn is it's only shortcoming. It feels underpowered (Autocar figures show it is the slowest in their test of the Audi A6, BMW 5 and Merc E class)- another 50bhp or so could have this sorted.
It raises the stakes for BMW and especially Audi on interior appearance. I'd have one over the other major marques of luxury motors, but I would want a bit more poke. 4.2 supercharged should do - although the fuel computer on the one on display showing a range of just 250 miles when the gauge was just below full did make me think twice!
PS One very anal observation of the 3.0 V6 is the engine looks very 'messy'. No nice plastic covers on this model hiding everything - the exhaust manifold sits over one bank of cylinders - I only hope the spark plugs last for many thousands of miles as getting to three of them looks a nightmare!
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Went to an unveiling at a local hotel two days ago... i want one as well. Didn't get a proper look because the event was heaving, they badly under estimated how many people would turn up, causing chaos in the car park and main road outside.
One thing that did stick in my mind was how big the boot was....absolutely enormous.
For me, a darker colour and light leather, 2.7 diesel and a sunroof....now how to afford it!
Read somewhere the other day that Jag has 7,000 pre-orders which is pretty good for something no one's driven until most recently
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This car has one of the nicest interiors I've seen on a car in recent years. I love the rotary transmission selector - why has nobody thought of this before? So space efficient. Otherwise it just smacks of quality based on the photos I've seen in the press.
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Forgot to add - this is a car which shakes the trilby, pipesmoking image of Jags well and truly off!
As for colours the nicest colour I saw today was "winter gold" which would probably have been called 'champagne' a few years ago. The black one I drove was OK, but the car has plenty of chrome trim and in dark colours it looks a bit bling, despite this I really liked the Botanical Green, a very dark green which looks almost black - green is not one of my favourite colours but this worked well with this car . In the lighter colours the chrome doesn't add anything, but in the slightly darker colours it looks the business.
Another interseting observation is none of the models have front fog lights - that should put off the boyracers graduating from their Corsas!
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I don't appear to have commented - how remiss of me!
Well, the Jaguar XF looks to be spot-on for the market it's aimed at. At last they've ditched the retro look.
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Havent seen one closely in the flesh though in the pics it looks fine.
>>PS One very anal observation of the 3.0 V6 is the engine looks very 'messy'. No nice plastic covers on this model hiding everything - the exhaust manifold sits over one bank of cylinders - I only hope the spark plugs last for many thousands of miles as getting to three of them looks a nightmare!>>
IIRC you have to remove the manifold to do the plugs on this engine.
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I have a customer, Jag XJ owner who came up behind an XF last week and thought he was looking at the new Mondeo, which as he rightly said, spoilt it completely and he said he knew there and then that Jag had lost their way and he wouldnt be buying one.
And he is right - no matter how good it looks in isolation, when a Jag owner mistakes it for a Mondeo, thats a huge mistake for Jag.
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You're right in that the design is no longer retro and will not be to the taste of some Jaguar drivers. But they do not sell many to them compared to how many cars Audi/BMW/Mercedes-Benz sell. And the problem will only get worse when some of the older buyers are no longer buying - or even alive.
This car appeals to a lot of people that would normally have gone down the obvious route and end up in Audi/BMW/MB. I think it will sell well and is priced competitively considering the standard specification.
The future re-modeled XJ will also go in this design direction. Might lose a few customers but gain many more.
I know if I could afford one I'd buy one I think.
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I saw one on the road in the west midlands earlier this year - and instantly recognised it.
I'm not a jaguar fan - they haven't made anything since 1968 that I've remotely liked, but I do hope this new XF succeeds. I do like the look of it , but I'm not in the market for a car of this size.
Jaguar have come a long way under Ford ownership - especially with regard to reliability. It will be interesting to see if that reliability continues under new owners.
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>>You're right in that the design is no longer retro and will not be to the taste of some Jaguar drivers. <<
I think my customer pointed out that aside from it being a bit Mondeo-ish from behind, the fact that they had abandoned the twin headlamps at the front, a feature which he felt really separated a Jag from other prestige makes on the road and made it instantly recognisable, was what had spoilt it for him.
He doesnt have the current XJ because he thinks its got too bulky looking, which it has and he praised the sleeker look of the XF, but I think his concern is that it has become just a little too detached from previous Jaguar styling cues and keeping a few of them, albeit in a contempory way, would have shown its lineage.
He said he was sure it would drive brilliantly and he said the interior is a work of art and I agree, but he doesnt own the Jaguar he has now because it was the most spacious or the best driving large saloon, but because it has 'that look' - otherwise he would buy a Lexus, the choice of any obsessive compulsive luxury car owner!
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