Just wondering how reliable is the SC 3.0litre V6 petrol XF? I'm considering a 2018 model as a daily driver? I do have a 2008 XKR convertible as a toy and currently Infiniti Q50s hybrid as my daily.

Any gotchas that will get me stranded on the side of the road?

 

The V6 is a development of the V8. Both are good engines with few problems. There were some timing chain and water pump problems on some engines around 2011 but nothing recently I believe but you do have to keep an eye on the plastic water pipes which are prone to crack with age.. I have two V8s and love them.

 

The main problems on the early V6 (2012 to 2017) are the coolant system pipes especially the two large cross-over or Y pipes at the front of the engine, one on top and clearly visible and the other under the supercharger. Those two pipes are two piece with plasti-welded seams and those seams eventually split leading to a massive coolant leak. You can now get those two pipes in aluminium alloy, several sellers on Fleabay.
The heater/manifold pipe at the rear of the engine (behind the SC) also has the same problem and an alu version should be coming soon.
In 2017/18 JLR updated the two front cross-over pipes to one-piece (no seams) but still plastic, and so far there are few if any reports of those failing like the early pipes.
This means you should get the later improved pipes on a 2018 model but easy to check, just whip the engine cover off and have a squiz at the top cross-over pipe to see if it is smooth (good) or has a horizontal seam (bad).
All AJ133 (V8) and AJ126 (V6) have a dodgy expansion tank hose and it has never been updated. One or both of the two small plastic tubes on the front end that connect to the cross-over pipes go very brittle with age and heat cycles and crack/split/leak, this happened to me but the good news is this part is cheap, readily available and fairly easy to replace.
The V6 got the improved timing gear - chains, guides and tensioners - from the get-go in 2012 and then another minor update in 2018 so you should be good to go on a 2018 model year.
Another potential problem is the supercharger coupler / torsion isolator, quite common for it to wear and rattle on the early V8s and V6s. Apparently JLR/Eaton came out with a revised version around 2018 so again you should be OK. Plenty of threads and posts around here about this problem, just search on "supercharger coupler".
Easy enough to check, just cold start the engine and listen for a loud metallic irregular rattle, like marbles in a tin can, from the top front of the engine. The big give away is a loud metallic "clonk" when you shut the engine down so listen for that as well.

 

I believe the v6 and v8 both have the same oil capacity which with filter is like 7.7 quarts! Which is a huge amount for a v6 (almost a quart more than the BMW M3). So from that perspective...

 

Yep, same oil capacity, 7.25 litres for a RWD and 6.5 litres for an AWD.

 

hey everyone! i have a 2018 XE S….production date is 06/17, do you think this has the updated part?

 

I bought mine 3 years old and have now driven it three more years with no need for any service other than oil changes.. The dealer wanted to clean the crankcase for an extra $160 on the last oil change but I declined and felt offended that they would think I was so stupid.
P.

 

So from that perspective what? What does oil capacity mean to you?

 

More oil the better.