Wife wants a new XF. Trading in her GMC xl so it quite a switch but she likes the XF I had on loan when my XK was being serviced. That being said, which engine would be better the 4 or 6. I have heard good reviews of the turbo 4 but I find it may be a little under power for her. She is not a speeder but will take a trip or two. Most driving around town. Any helpful info. As she always says, You Want Me To Be Happy Don't You!!

 

I've had the turbo 4 a number of times as a service loaner and I wouldn't buy one because of the throttle response from low rpm. My GF has a Kia Optima and because of the weight difference, the turbo 4 works just fine. In the XF, from a stop, you push the gas and wait, then the power comes on fairly quickly as the turbo spools up. It's also terrible if you want to move around someone going 30, even is sport mode. You push the gas...wait...then it kicks in too hard. If there is a hill involved it's worse. I would only recommend the turbo 4 if you were doing mostly freeway miles, because at those speeds the weight is more irrelevant and it works pretty well once you have some RPM present. Drive it and you'll see what I mean.

 

No question at all for me - go with the 6. Being in FL, I presume AWD won't be high on your list and it seems like the RWD 6 is getting very close to, if not equal, real world fuel economy with a night and day difference in performance.

 

I have a 5.0 XF and driven both the 2.0 and the 3.0 on loan. I would definitely go with the 3.0 as it has better throttle response than the 2.0 which has a turbo lag that I found bothersome. When it came to MPG the V6 was near identical to the 4, both very good.

Albert

 

Olde adage (and, yup, you can all sing along...): there is no substitute for cubic inches
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons

 

You'll be very happy with the V6. I am. I have no complaints about performance.

 

With our fuel prices go for the V6. You'll be much happier. The four isn't much better in economy because the XF is pretty heavy.

 

I have to agree, I have the 2012 8 and love it, but the gas mileage is not what I would like. Even so, the 6 is the only other motor I would consider. I had a preconceived notion about the 4 and given the comments, am apparently right.

Good luck with your search.

 

I drove the V6 AWD yesterday. What a brick. The 2 wheel drive has much better response and handling.

 

I drove both before buying the AWD V6, and while I agree the RWD V6 is a little quicker, calling thr AWD V6 a "brick" is a little much, IMO. I suppose it depends on what you're accustomed to? I drove a '96 XJR for 14 years before, and I find the AWD V6 quicker than the inline-6 R, though both are rated 0-60 in 6.1 secs, while the RWD V6 XF is 5.7. I went with the AWD because I live in the midwest, and as I look out the window this morning, at an accumulated 5" of snow overnight, I'm smiling knowing that I can get around today in that car with no problems! I find that peace of mind more satisfying than the once or twice a year I'd noticed the diff in acceleration. But then, if I wasn't in the snow belt, I agree, I'd go for the RWD V6 XF. The V6 doesn't sound as good as the V8, but it's an impressive performer considering the mpg it delivers.

 

i was in the same dilemma recently until I decided to splurge for the 6. The 4 is great compared to other makes, but to me it leaves me wanting a little more. The supercharged V6 with the 8 gear paddle shift is worth every penny over the 4.....trust me!!

 

I owned a XF 5.0, 5.0 SC and drove a V6 AWD. For Florida, the straight line driving and no traction issues, AWD is not very useful along with a heated windshield. I got 18-19 city and 26 hwy easily with the 5.0 liter V8. 2012 is the last year for that before the start/stop tranny and the V6.

The 5.0 sounds great and drives great. The 5.0 SC or XFR is scarily fast. When you want to feel a supercharger spool up, mash the pedal on that car. The V6 is ok, the start/stop is annoying, but in Florida that maybe a useful feature because the traffic lights are so long. However, with the A/C running the car will unexpectedly restart, when your foot in on the brake, while you're still stopped at the light. The Mrs. may not be enthusiastic about that.

Find a lease turn-back or traded 2012 XF Portfolio 5.0, 6 speed transmission, excellent mileage, nothing sounds or drives like a 5.0 V8, someone else paid the depreciation, 2 years of maintenance left and most importantly she will LOVE you.

I would still have my XF 5.0 SC, but I had a chance for a factory fleet White XJL Portfolio 5.0 that sat in a garage in Matawa, NJ for a year. The thought of a V6 and star/stop in an XJL for the future made me ill, so I just jumped at my dream car, the last 2012 5.0 V8 with 415 miles on it. Not building anything like this again.



You can always buy her a Subaru they're sensible.

 

That is a nice looking car edobernig!

 

I agree that the eco start-stop can be annoying, especially when it cuts off the engine just as I go to put the car in park. When this happens, one has to restart the car with the starter button since the eco start-stop won't restart it in park. In 6 weeks of driving th car, it's happened numerous times while dropping my daughter at school. That said, the eco start-stop is easily disabled by a button on the dash. I now turn it off when I anticipate it'll be an annoyance, but leave it on (or activate it) when in traffic where I sit for extended periods. So it's no problem if one wants to avoid it.