I had an a4 2010 not an a7.
I think the navi and tech were miles ahead of my 2012 xf.
It annoys me so much that I need to have 15 steps just to get an addy into the navi. The voice controls are reliable. But seriously?
Phone
Call contact
John
Cell
Yes????
Too many steps!

I felt that the technology while detailed in the Audi was just soooooo much better
I imagine the tech in the a7 is similar.
If you are in a snow area. Quattro with winter tires really helped me out.
I got stuck a lot in my xf this year! Looked good doing it. But still got stuck proper! Lol
Cons:
Don't know if you golf. But the a4 a6 and a8 can't fit golf clubs horizontally into the trunk.
You have to out them in on a diagonal. Kinda lame cause last time I checked a civic could get two sets in no problem. I think the a7 has a lot ,ore trunk space?

I agree with many of the members here if I wasn't driving my xf I would be driving the a7. But the price premium just isn't worth it?
Jag > exclusive and perceived value than an Audi

I don't buy a car just for the drive. Cause if i did, then theres really nothing wrong with the vw cc or a Toyota Avalon. I buy a car for the perceived status that it brings me.

Buddy of mine just bought a 5 series. Nice car but does it turn heads? Not really cause in that same head turn there's a 3 series and that ugly x6! So common.

That being said I'm very intrigued by the Tesla! I wouldn't mind going to test drive one.

 

The S7 cannot be ordered in a seven passenger configuration. The S7 is a four passenger configuration only. The Model S is the car that can be ordered with the 7 passenger jump seat configuration.

 

Jaguars awd system beats Quattro handily. I've driven both and my new awd XF is a much better drive than any Audi I want to afford. Honestly, I am fed up with Audi in Canada after owning just one. The stories I hear coincide with my experience so never again for me.

 

If it makes any difference, I waited an entire extra year for the XF AWD to be made avaliable, so that I could compare it against the A7, Panamera S and A7. I'm a certifiable car guy, having started at 23 with a Ram Air Firebird 400, and having 3 BMW's (the last being a M5) and 4 Audi's (which is now a 5th, a '13 A7 Prestige Sport/LED's etc etc). Along the way I've had a 'Vette, Supra and other "hot iron".

Since I commuted for many years in the NY tristate area, I liked AWD cars and now that I'm in Delray Beach FL, that hasn't changed (as the roads here can get VERY slick during/after frequent rainstorms).

For almost 9 months, I built and rebuilt the XF AWD, to a price around $70k, which is what I paid for the A7. I drove it, compared it against the Panamera 4S (too pricey), CLS 550 (too big) and the Tesla S (not enough range, but a stunner - I also didn't want to be tethered to a technology that has me worrying when I'd run out of juice).

Here's why I DIDN'T purchase an XF:
1) The Body style is now 4 years old; its time for a refresh (as STUNNING as it is) and frankly I didn't want "last years "look;
2.) The resale of the car leaves a lot to be desired;
3.) The interior is pretty but not as pretty as the A7's;
4.) The on board technology in the XF doesn't hold a candle to the A7's, in my opinion anyway;
5.) I know the car is stil built in England, but its parent is Indian - not German;
6.) If you want AWD, go with the guys that developed/perfected it;

There are more, but I'll stop with the above.

I understand and accept that when we spend serious money on a ride, we all want/need (?) affirmation that we made the right choice. I know I did every time I get the "once over" X 2 by XF drivers that pull up along side of me here in the Boca Delray area of Palm Beach County.

And before you start going crazy, I think the new F type is the sweetest 'Vert since the Z8 BMW back in the day, and am considering buying one as the "fun" ride.

Best Regards,

Rick Pardo

 

To reply:

Body was refreshed in 2012

Audi interiors are ergonomic nightmares. Pretty perhaps but full of Teutonic bonkers layout.

Technology in the XF is in the chassis.

Parent company is irrelevant. Much of VAG product is made elsewhere. German engineering is inferior to British engineering regardless of whose money is buying it.

Audi awd is very primitive and actually based on Austrian military "technology". Oddly, the Jaguar awd you turn your nose up at IS German (and Austrian) but uses British software derived from Land Rover (who really did invent modern awd). The best awd systems in the world are British. Even Audi had to change to keep up. Th earliest Quattro drive relied on electronic locking rear and center differentials. Land rover had those long before Audi.

In fact, Audi is a fake company. The brand went broke in WWII and the name only was purchased by NSU, itself a derivative of DKW. Only when VW nearly went broke building antiquated air cooled vehicles did they seize on nearly bankrupt Audi to provide some primitive water cooled hardware.

The BMW story is similar.

Both companies were saved by Americans who thought the Beetle was more technically advanced than a Chevy, which it was but only as an ox cart is better than a dog sled.

German cars are just not very good especially considering the price. They certainly aren't innovative or well engineered but they sure are ugly.

 

While some/all of this may be true, people are voting with their wallets all over the world for the VAG product line, while Jaguar still struggles for market share. While they have a cachet in my former area (just north of NYC in Westchester County) they were rarely seen in the winter, until they figured out that they had to offer an AWD sedan, just to stay even. By the way, I didn't turn my nose up at your AWD system, as you so haughtily point out, its just that Jaguar hasn't won any Pikes Peak hill climbs in a very long time, oh wait a moment, that's...since...NEVER!

All marques have their ups & downs, and Jaguar has experienced that as well.

You are sir, what we call a "homer" for the marque, while I make my buying decisions independent of Brand; I have a multiple criteria formula where price is generally the last determinant to a buying decision.

As a wise man once said..."Opinions are like a**holes, every body has one and most of them stink".

 

A wise man also said better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought a fool...

But, of course I'm a Jaguar fan, check out the web address of this board.

The real question is why all the Audi fans are here?

The German car industry has been fooling a lot of people for a few decades, since about 1968 is all though. They don't build very good cars but nobody ever went broke underestimating the American consumer, well except for GM and Chrysler of course.

 

If you read my original post, I said many nice things about your car, where you had nothing positive to say about Audi.

Is your NAV system Google Earth?, Can you enter information to it 3 different ways? Can you connect (while rolling) up to 8 wi fi enabled devices, simultaneously? Can you tailor 3 or 4 variables, four different ways for ride/transmission/etc? Is your standard sound system a BOSE surround sound w/14 speakers and 600+ watts? And, you totally glossed over the resale issue...wisely. Alpine Jaguar in FT Lauderdale advertised a '13 Claret/Barley AWD/SC w/3k mileage for $47k in yesterday's Sunday paper. And, you skipped over the fact that despite the XF having beautiful proportions, the minor changes to the front end clip are just a "placeholder" for the eventual change in styling, which will come sooner than later.

I accept the fact in advance that you're a JAG fan, and I'm more than fine with that. I can tell you though, that after being on your site for the last several years vs. AudiWorld, the end user issues and post sale issues/dealer oversight is vastly different - and not for the better, unfortunately. AudiWorld user group mostly deals with programming and performance enhancements to customize an already very good car. Notice I said, very good, not great. There are very few cars I'd call great in the $70 to $100k range. There are limitations to them all.

I wish you continued good luck with your car and hope you get to enjoy it for years to come.

Regards,

Rick

PS Can't we all get along?

 

Jaguars have the best interiors out of any German cars and always had.

Audi is the worse one. There is no continuity, no detail work.

 

I believe that it's possible to like another vehicle besides the ones linked to this particular forum. Being an owner of both an XFSC and an Audi A8L, I believe that valid points have been made by Pkwy Kid as well as by XF owners. I agree with Pkwy that technologically, the XF after 5 years (although somewhat improved) still leaves some things to be desired in the area of it's multi-tainment interface. It's lacking things in 2013 that my A8L had covered in 2004. In the area of interiors, Jag has always made nice interiors, but I've loved Audi interiors equally. In my opinion those 2 brands make the best interiors in that price point. Also one can't deny that Audis have always been attractive cars. Whether it was A4, A6, A8 or their "S" models. The XF (in my opinion) has to be a Supercharged or XFR to even be in the conversation. The rest of them with the smaller wheels tend to look a little Buick-y to me. It all comes down to personal preference. I like both of them, but I'm not going to criticize one of them to build the other up.

 

I'm guessing this is just a grammatical thing but just in case...you are aware that Jaguar is not a German brand, right?

Also, Audi is known for their interiors so calling them the worst doesn't really seem authentic. It's a preference but still....

 

No, it's not a grammatical error.
The comparison was being made to the German cars, BMW, Merc and Audi as a whole......meaning interiors in the Jaguars are nicer than the interiors in any BMW, Merc or Audi.

I was recently in a Merc dealership and sat in a S600 on the showroom floor. I didn't find it very extravaggant and made me appreciate the interior in my XF even more. And, the S600 costs about $35,000 more.
A family member of mine drives an A6, still nothing special.

I am not exclusive to any brand. I had stated in an earlier post i liked the A7 and it's a quite good looking car.
But, i like nice things and Jaguar is the only one that is befitting to me, with the most ostentacious interior.

The only thing that comes close to it is a Bentley, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, all of which are British.

And, yes, Jaguar is a British.

 

I don't think Audi is the worst?
I specifically bough an Audi because of the interior. Very nice fit and finish.
Merc was nice but the bmw to me looked soooo cheap and simple?
Hands down BMW had the most uninspiring interior.
I would have to agree. Jag does have the nicest interior.

 

Jaguar has in effect copied some of the ways in which Audi builds such good interiors. One of the most impressive things about about Audi build quality is the engineering of the fit and finish. Jaguar is doing the same thing with large multi surface panels fixed in place with a few fasteners and lined up carefully.

It's under the skin where Audi is inferior. Their mechanical engineering is just awful and always has been. For example, my dealer totally ruined a cast iron upright trying to replace a rubber CV joint boot. A CAST IRON suspension upright. The front suspension may be double wishbone but the hub carrier is enormous and weighs around 15 lbs per hub. That is ridiculous. And that's just the beginning. VAG does not deserve its reputation for engineering prowess, their design and manufacture are very ordinary. The ergonomics are truly appalling, but then German engineering tends not to be cutting edge. BMW is almost as bad. Of the German Marques only Mercedes deserves their reputation for innovative and competent engineering. But, really, do you want to drive a Mercedes?

MacDonalds is similarly popular but don't try their steak dinner.....

 

Audi did switch to aluminum uprights around 2001. Second, from your previous posts it sound like you had a bad dealership experience with Audi. It sounds like, at least in part, that has tainted your opinion of the brand. In contrast, my Audi dealership experience has been nothing but stellar - going on 11 years now across various vehicles. My Jaguar dealership experience has been disappointing and has given me second thoughts about buying another. So there are two sides to every coin.

As far as engineering, how long was Jaguar using the same v8 across its model lines? Also, Nikasil liners? Again, two sides to every coin.

When did Jaguar introduce direct injection? How about a small, but powerful and efficient engine? In my opinion, the new turbocharged engines from Audi and BMW are some of the most impressive pieces out there. Flat torque curves and massively underrated power. The S6 can realistically run to 60 in under 4 seconds. That's impressive.

Interiors, I agree Jaguar's is prettier. Heck, so is the whole car. But I find my Audi far more intuitive, easy to use, and feature packed.

On all wheel drive, I don't want it for performance, I want it for mobility. I understand the old torsen center diff Audi system wasn't the best for dry performance, but it was a tank and predictable, at least for me, in the snow. In a way, I kind of miss the old systems while acknowledging the new ones provide far better all around performance.

I am not advocating one over the other here, but I am also not going to sit quiet while one sided views are espoused. I don't expect everyone to agree to me. But the fact is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle and Jaguar is not the best ever/Audi the worst ever, or vice versa.

 

Well then yes, it was a grammatical thing because your sentence structure places Jaguar in the same categories as the others, aka a "German car".

I do understand your appreciation for the XF as it is shared by myself and many others but it just seems odd that you're so dismissive of other vehicles which are known for their high quality interiors. Audi, as stated, has been known for their interiors for several years. It's other places they fall short. The S600 comparison is baffling because it's supposed to be right below an entry level Bentley (it also starts at $160K which is far more than $35K more than your car but that only bolsters your point). Calling the interior of an A6 nothing special and stating that after sitting in an S600 you better appreciated your XF rings more than a little biased.

But then again, this is a Jaguar forum!

 

Well, I'm sure I'm a dinosaur in these matters, but I own two German cars, and their driving dynamics are simply excellent. My 930, although admittedly modded, has the most direct and honest road feel of any car I have ever owned. My M3, especially after some suspension tweaks, is a beautifully balanced machine.

So I don't buy the German cars are crap meme at all. Maybe they've all become crap, since my two cars are 15 and 35 years old, but somehow I doubt that.

As for Audi, my only seat time with Audi cars of any significance has been at the track, and I found them too heavy with too much understeer for those purposes. But I could hardly say they were crap. I thought their interiors were pretty well done as well.

My 2010 XKR has been a revelation, if only because my two previous experiences with Jaguar were in a 2007 3.0 X-type and a 2004 XJR. The X-type was ok, and the XJR was better than that. But the XKR is a whole different level. It is cool to see that Jag can make cars like this.

I bought the XKR because I had my XJR in for service and my loaner car was a base model 6 cylinder supercharged XF, stripped down. I was impressed with that car's balance, and especially that tranny, so when I noticed the same dealership had one XKR on offer, I drove it, and was sold.

Personally, I don't really care about the country of origin. I'm prepared to accept that many different countries can make good cars, and that in fact some countries and manufacturers can make both good AND bad cars at the same time, depending on the model.

 

Each of the brands has their strenghths and weaknesses and within model line ups. There is no one answer.