Car Review 2013

The Jaguar XF is a mid-size luxury car / sports saloon produced by British car manufacturer Jaguar Cars. The car, which replaced the Jaguar S-Type, was launched at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show following the public showing of the C-XF concept in January 2007 at the North American International Auto Show. Designed by Jaguars design director Ian Callum, it was a significant change to its predecessor.

The XF went on sale in 2008 with a range of V6 and V8 engines and customer deliveries commenced in March 2008.

The styling of the finalised production XF varies from that of the C-XF, most notably around the front lights and nose, which incorporates an oval mesh grille harking back to the original XJ of 1968. The boot lid retained the S-Types chromed blade to its edge, but also included a "leaper" Jaguar logo as well.

The XF was developed at Jaguars Whitley design and development HQ in Coventry, UK and is built in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, UK. During its development the XF was known by its code name X250

The interior included some unique features such as the air-conditioning vents which are flush-fitting in the dash, rotating open once the engine is started, and a rotating gearshift dial called the JaguarDrive Selector which rises out of the centre console.Another departure from the traditional Jaguar cabin ambiance is the use of pale-blue backlighting to the instruments, switchgear, and around major control panels. Some minor systems, such as the interior lighting, are controlled simply by touching the plastic light covers. The glove compartment also opens to the touch. Unusually the XF has no cloth interior option, with even the most basic model being fully trimmed in leather to even areas that have employed plastic on previous Jaguars. Real wood veneers are available, but have been joined by aluminium trim to create a modern look to the passenger compartment.

The car body was developed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) before the car ever saw a wind tunnel. Every area from the outer skin to the lightweight, composite undertray to the cooling airflow (even the shape of the exterior mirrors) was optimised using this process. The higher, squarer tail is more efficient aerodynamically than a lower, rounded one, and the XF’s coupé-like roofline and raised bootlid lip improve airflow over the rear of the car. As a result, the XF has the best aerodynamic performance, in terms of drag, of any production Jaguar ever and is better than the race-bred, limited edition XJ220 supercar.

The XF’s drag coefficient is 0.29, and the front-to-rear lift balance is precisely zero. This aerodynamic performance minimises wind noise, reduces fuel consumption, and aids strong high-speed stability and handling.^{[citation needed]}

The basic sub-structure of the XF has been carried over from the S-Type, although the body has been stretched to meet crash safety requirements, and heightened to provide additional headroom while still retaining the "saloon within a coupé" proportions. The suspension and mountings are the same as that used on the XK, while the engine line-up is basically similar to that used in the S-Type.

Sound and vibration insulation is provided by the addition of a special underbody tray and engine mounts, a tuned exhaust system, and a double bulkhead between the engine bay and passenger compartment.

The XF was launched with a 2.7 L V6 diesel, which was replaced 2009 was replaced with a new 3.0 V6 diesel AJ-V6D Gen III^[8] in two states of tuneThe diesel engines are a product of the joint venture between Ford and Peugeot-Citroën. ^[10]

The XF featured two petrol engines at launch, 3.0 L V6 and a 4.2 L V8. The launch V8 supercharged derivative was called the SV8,^[11] and in some export markets such as the US, it was known as the Supercharged.

A new 5.0L V8 AJ133 GEN III engine was launched in 2009, which replaced the 4.2 V8 in most markets. The north American market retained the 4.2 L V8 as an option until 2010, as the 3.0 V6 was not made available. The supercharged version of the new V8 engined was used in the new XKR sports model.

The XF was launched only with automatic transmission, with no manual option. The ZF 6HP28 six-speed automatic with torque converter lock-up, which was programmed to shift 10% quicker than before,^{[clarification needed]} and can be manually selected using paddles behind the steering wheel. Gear changes are made using a rotary dial that rises from the centre console once the engine start/stop button has been pressed.

The XK was launched with a variety of models called, depending on country, Luxury, Premium Luxury (or Premium), Portfolio (or Premium Portfolio), SV8 (or Supercharged) and XFR. For the UK market, a company car friendly Executive Edition with a lower tuned 3.0 L diesel was launched in 2011.

The 2008 4.2 supercharged engined was replaced by the new 5.0-litre supercharged engine rated 470 PS (346 kW; 464 hp), and came with Adaptive Dynamics (computer controlled continuously variable damping) and Active Differential Control (electronically controlled rear differential).

The XFR was announced at the Detroit North American International Auto Show in January 2009 as a new performance derivative of the XK range, and featured the new 5.0-litre Supercharged AJ-V8 Gen III engine rated 510 PS (375 kW; 503 hp), a revised front bumper and spoiler and 20-inch (510 mm)-inch alloy wheels.

On November 7 2008, a modified XFR was driven by Paul Gentilozzi of Rocketsports, who prepared the car, to a new Jaguar record of 225.675 mph (363.189 km/h) on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The new record beat the previous Jaguar record of 217.1mph in a XJ220 in 1992 Changes to the stock vehicle included low-mounted rear spoiler, increased power to 510 PS (375 kW; 503 hp) by a remapped ECU, a modified air intake and exhaust system and revised supercharger settings.

A special version of the XF Diesel S was announced in 2009 for the UK police car market, with the first police force orders in 2010. It included a roof-mounted light bar with 3,600 light elements, side alley lights, blue and white strobing LEDs in the grille and blue flashing LEDs along the side of the car, blue and red flashing LED lights in the rear light clusters.

The Jaguar XFs standard audio system comprises a 140 watt amplifier driving eight speakers and, dependent on the specification of the model chosen, there are two other audio options available. The "premium" system consists of a 9-speaker (including subwoofer), 320 watt non-branded Alpine stereo system.

There is also an optional surround sound audio system developed in conjunction with the renowned British speaker company Bowers & Wilkins (B&W). At its core there are 14 speaker drive-units (including a subwoofer) which (with the exception of the aluminium high-frequency tweeters) employ B&Ws distinctive yellow DuPont Kevlar composite speaker cones. Each front door contains a 168 mm (6.6 in) woofer, a 100 mm (4 in) mid-range speaker and a 25 mm (1.0 in) dome tweeter (the latter two wired in parallel with a crossover), while each rear door houses a similar 168 mm (6.6 in) woofer and 25 mm (1.0 in) tweeter. As a centre speaker there is a 100 mm (4 in) full-range driver, similar to the two 100 mm (4 in) full-range "surround" speakers located on the rear parcel shelf. The subwoofer in this vehicle is located beneath the space-saving spare wheel under the trunk floor, and was believed to be the largest OEM-fitted subwoofer at time of the XFs introduction.^{[citation needed]} It is a 250 mm (10 in) driver in a 35 litre sealed enclosure. These are powered by a 440 watt Class AB DSP amplifier that uses the Dolby Pro Logic II 7.1 algorithm to give 7.1 surround sound from any stereo source.

The B&W system has been reviewed by journalists at Autocar magazine, who proclaimed it the best in-car system they have ever heard

The XF was crash tested in the end of 2010 by EuroNCAP and it gained a four star () rating. The XF´s result (78% Adult Occupant, 65% Child Occupant, 43% Pedestrian Protection and 71% Safety Assist) was seen as a disappointment by many car magazines

Jaguar C-XF was awarded 2007 North American Production Preview Vehicle of the Year Award

In January 2008, the XF was awarded What Car? Car of the Year award, as well as taking away the prize in the executive car category. It won the executive car category again in 2009.

The XF was also awarded Car of the Year in 2008, as well as Best Executive Car in 2008 and 2009, by What Diesel? magazine.

The XF awarded "2009 Semperit Irish Luxury car of the Year", beating the Volkswagen Passat CC.

The XF 2.7 V6 Diesel Luxury won the 2009 What Car? Best Executive Car award.

The XF 3.0D Luxury won the 2010 and 2011 What Car? Best Executive Car award

The Jaguar C-XF (for Concept-XF) was a concept car that was designed to showcase the preliminary styling cues of the upcoming Jaguar XF. The C-XF project was led by Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum and Head of Advanced Design Julian Thomson. It included a 4.2-litre supercharged V8 engine, a 6-speed automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift, single slim-wedged headlamps which have evolved from the twin-lamp motif seen on past Jaguars, performance-themed interior, JaguarDrive Selector, Dual View screen, and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system.

The vehicle was unveiled in the 2007 North American International Auto Show.

A prototype with a body styling that was based on the S-Type had also been built, but was rejected before the C-XF concept was finalised.