Posted by Greg Fountain at 10:00AM on Thursday 20 March, 2008 10 Comments
The 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine is as compatible with the Jaguar XF as Hillary Clinton is with Barack Obama. Hoping they'll work together for the common good is simply folly.
The 238bhp V6 is underpowered and overstressed, and has the unhappy knack of making the car feel heavy and slovenly which, in both its diesel and V8 guises, it surely isn't. Choose wisely.
But like most drivers, my first XF experience is centred around the interior packaging, which has been touted (and in places lauded) as a modern, sassy lurch away from Jaguar's fusty wood veneers towards the alloy modernity so beloved of BMW and Audi customers.
Sorry, but I fear it is mostly trinketry. The automatically folding air vents, strange self-raising gear-selector knob and disappointingly flat mouldings of aluminium-coloured plastic do little to mask a fairly ordinary feeling inside. The XF is no more special than a Mondeo - maybe less so.
I recognise that the gaudy central control screen (backed up by manual buttons because it's too complicated to be used without crashing) and the lack of an ignition key (which means you need a big fat warning light to remind you the engine's running when you park up) are only as useless and annoying as those of the Jag's rivals.
But the optional 'blind spot monitor' - which is basically a form of parking radar offering randomly flashing orange lights in your wing mirrors - is my nomination for the most pointless gadget of the year. It is utterly without merit, plunging us yet further into a world where the driver doesn't have to bother to stay alert.
I really fancied the XF, but I think it's fair to say we've had a fairly disastrous first date. It was the automotive equivalent of not being asked in for coffee. I hope when we meet again she'll at least be wearing her best engine.
10 Comments for "Jaguar XF 3.0 V6"
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"I really fancied the XF..."?? You have not mentioned one positive comment about the XF and you claimed to like the XF in your conclusion. Very contradicting.
FINALLY, someone has come to their senses. I have never understood why journalists and people alike have given this car such wide acclaim. The styling is certainly a grower; it is bolder than an A6 and sleeker than a 5 series, but it will always feel slightly Korean or, dare I say it, French!
Then to the interior, even photographs can't disguise the poor quality. I also can't help but feel that the air vents and screen were lifted from a Vauxhall.
Jags will never compete in sales with the German equivalent, so why have they thrown away the Jag heritage?
Quote: "The automatically folding air vents, strange self-raising gear-selector knob and disappointingly flat mouldings of aluminium-coloured plastic do little to mask a fairly ordinary feeling inside"
Eh? Ordinary?! If the XF is ordinary inside, may I ask to what car you would say was interesting or opulent?
Quote: "I recognise that the gaudy central control screen (backed up by manual buttons because it's too complicated to be used without crashing) and the lack of an ignition key (which means you need a big fat warning light to remind you the engine's running when you park up) are only as useless and annoying as those of the Jag's rivals."
Translated: "These new fangled controlled screens are far too complicated, why can we not just have three push dials and be done with it! Don't even get me started on the ignition! There is NO KEY! What heresy is this? The devil's work I tell thee, give us our metal keys at once."
Typical Fountain, every one says the interior is brill, but he has to 'be different' again. Worse than a Mondeo? - grow up Greg.
Maybe the v6 is no good - I've driven the diesel and the SV8 - will the interior feel better with a more agreeable engine, Greg?!
I'm sorry but I don't agree! Jaguar have simply patented the interior, and I think the gear-selector knob, the electric-folding air vents, the touch-screen display system and the B&W audio system are all really cool.
You'll never get bored of that pulsating Engine Start button; so much better than the vulgar Aston Martin equivalent. And the engine is awesome. Supercharged! Can't wait for that XFR to come out - I'll bet Jezza's driving that one!
I heartily agree. First time I saw all the techno-gadgetry like the flipping air vents and the pop-up joystick, I thought, "What's the point of that? It's just another thing to break in a few years."
Understated simplicity and cool efficiency will sell luxury cars faster than annoying gadgets.
I am looking forward to the expiration of my 2007 XK lease this year in order to transition into the XF. I think this review is from a 'car guy' who does not appreciate the interior enjoyment of gadgets and 'trickery' for us novice drivers.
I would not buy a car that required a key, and I am eagerly anticipating my first view of the air vents and gear shifter. From everything I have seen of this car, I can't wait to buy it.
Greg, considering the price of the 3.0 XF there will be little competition that provides the refinement and packaging the XF offers.
The blind spot monitor is used to WATCH YOUR BLIND SPOT not as a parking monitor, hence the use of the word BLIND SPOT (it's actually very effective). Mondeo comparisons are just silly... stick to reviews of the Kia.
Well, I must say after reading that article you have certainly given Jaguar a blast that it surely doesn't need considering.
It's a remarkable brand, although with poor sales, because it still designs cars that are, well to be honest, desperately out of date.
I like the Jaguar XF and the XKR think with a few adjustments to the simple things like fewer impractical gadgets and old fashioned electronic aerials, the cars might do better.
Greg - I applaud you.
In the midst of the almost universal fawning over the XF, I have been consistently underwhelmed - albeit without the benefit of driving the thing.
Is it just me or do all Jag's cars give the sense they've been designed on a shoestring? I can't help thinking that if you jumped into an XF after a particularly bad day at work, all the vent twisting and auto raising controls would just be plain annoying.
Also grateful am not the only one who thinks this looks like a Mondeo. We can only hope Tata furnish the design bods with a decent budget...