Just got into my new loaded 3.0 AWD yesterday. Coming 'down' from my great 2011 5.0 S/C, I have few observations:
1) going from normal to Dynamic - do you feel/hear any differences? I don't so far
2) some engine/radiator cooling fan(s) always stay on for few seconds after I shut her off. This blows hot air under the car and at my feet when I open the door. Anybody else can confirm this is normal?
3) MPG is not any better than my 5.0 S/C around town so far.
4) The eco mode is rubbish
5) ride quality with the 19" is same as the 20" , maybe slightly better. This I felt also before when going from my 2010 5.0 NA with the 19" to the 2011 S/C with the 20". Also the S/C has active suspension, the AWD does not.
6) steering is lighter, but quicker, with less feel (different weight distribution?)

 

1) It shifts quicker and is a bit more "aggressive" with dynamic mode. I usually always drive in dynamic mode for this reason.
2) As we've entered into the summer months, I've noticed the fan running longer after my drive. Seems normal, as my 3 previous vehicles did the same (all either turbo'd, sc'd, or higher displacement).
3) While I can't compare to another Jag, I can say without a doubt, that this is the most gas guzzling vehicle I have owned since my '75 T-Bird. But with that being said, on weeks where I do more hi-way than street, I get much more driving per tank. But that ties in with how I feel going into your point #4
4) I hate it as well. I wish I could default it to off and turn it on when I want to use it. The way I see it, if I were concerned about MPG, I would have bought a Prius or if I needed luxury, a Tesla.
5)Again, can't compare to another Jag, but I'm sure the Active Suspension has a lot to do with that.
6) I love the steering on the car, much better than the newer 5 or E that it stole my heart away from. The only car I can compare it to is the '09 CTS I had.

 

Next month I'll have had mine for a year. As far as dynamic mode goes, when in D I don't notice much of a difference, but there is a difference in S with it on and off. That seems par for the course, this engine seems to run hot, but without a gauge(first car I've had without one) it's hard to tell where in the band it's at. I average around 23mpg. You have to figure it's a brand new car, this usually improves as the engine is broken in. That said it is rated at 19/26 I believe. The Eco mode is the first thing I turn off, I just don't like it. From my experience the winter mode appears to be the true Eco mode as it makes the car...lethargic. I don't like it but they're forced to increase FE and maybe it does but for my driving there's not enough stop and go to bebefit from it. I'm on 20" wheels, it's not the smoothest but I've never found it harsh either.

 

1 Yes

2 Yes, supercharged engines can run up underhood temperatures a bit so cooling fans can run on, less than for turbos though

3 Should be a little better but the SC does tend to get you to put your foot down a bit more often, awd carries a 150 lb permanent weight penalty, the more you engage the awd the more fuel you use. Fuel economy on the highway is better than my 4.2, can't say about the 5.0.

4 No, it's actually a very fine system. Just leave it on and ignore it, you'll soon get used to it, the heavier the traffic the more fuel you'll save. Nice and quiet too. Doesn't operate at below freezing temperatures

5 Jaguar updated the bushings and dampers when they developed the awd system. All Jaguars benefit from the revised settings. More comfort and better wheel control, sharper steering too.

6 Magnificent job they did to preserve and actually enhance the steering when fitting awd. Revised front uprights are stiffer. All Jaguars benefitted from steering developments resulting from the F Type development.

There is 150lb weight penalty for the awd system, most of which is in the front half of the car. I doubt that accounts for the different steering feel but it is definitely different and better.

Winter mode locks out first gear and softens throttle response and shift points. It doesn't improve fuel economy. You should only use winter mode for snow and ice, it is pointless to use it any other time.

 

Going off of Jaguar's site it looks like the increase is actually closer to 250lbs, though I haven't actually seen any instrumented tests comparing a XF 3.0 to a XF AWD with all of the same equipment so I can't really say how accurate that is and I've seen discrepancies from the weight they use to the weight in the real world; sometimes it's a lot(F-Type) and sometimes it's pretty close(XJ) I'm sure some of the difference is due to options and equipment, however. And no, I wouldn't recommend using winter mode under normal driving circumstances but it would seem that it's easier on gas as everything is softened.

 

The transmission is already programmed to start out in second gear. Unless you floor it on getaway it won't downshift to first anyway.

Softening the shifts and slowing down the electronic throttle isn't beneficial for fuel economy as BMW discovered decades ago when developing their weird little eta engine.

I guess the awd cars are 100 kg heavier not 150 lbs as I had thought.

I know they are slower to 60 by about 0.3 seconds or so.

 

After first full weekend of driving, what I can further say is:
1) I think the car always starts in 1st gear, not 2nd. In 8th, 70MPH comes at 1500 rpm, where my 2011 V8 S/C did it in 2000 rpm (6 gear tranny). New tranny is noticeably smoother and even more refined
2) The V8 S/C never-ever ran any cooling fan after shut-down. I think the V6 is running much-much hotter, maybe is lacking some of the additional heat exchangers the big cat had . (for example, both side grills by the front grill were active with coolers in them, exhausting into the wheel wells via louvers). Could be cost reduction.
3) 10% town, 90% Highway run of about 50 miles, I got 27.5MPG. Not a bad starting point after all
4) Per Jagular suggestion, I decided to leave the eco system do it's thing for a while. What I noticed, is the re-start when I lift off the brake pedal is usually smooth and almost unnoticeable, but when she decides to re-start on her own against the braking pressure, the torque converter jerks/judders into gear, trying to jump forward against the brake.This is the annoying part.
5) I agree now with my wife who immediately after 5 minutes in the car said when compared to the 2011 V8 SC, the ride is smoother, much quieter inside, less engine and tire/road noise getting into the cabin.
6) I like the new quicker and more direct steering action, compared to the 2011. However, this tends to amplify the softer suspension set-up. I was doing about 60mph and sudden tug, trying to evade a pothole, the car weaved and pitched side to side noticeably - this would never happen with the big cat. I think the AWD cars sit higher off the ground, compared to the non-AWD.
7) New seats provide decent thigh and side bolstering - finally. This is a noticeably improvement.
8) I'm really-really surprised the engine behaves almost like a old turbo set-up - feels like boost lag under hard acceleration off the line. The V8 S/C was a freight train. On the other hand, now I can hear faint supercharger whine (which I like). The engine has plenty of power when needed, and speed sneaks up on you as she is much quieter and smoother at speed than the 2011 V8 SC.
9) The AWD system is totally transparent so far - very impressive, the car behaves like a proper rear-wheel drive sports sedan on the dry. The turning circle however is wider, as I immediately noticed when making the sharp 90* turn into the garage on my driveway
10) Playing the IPod, The mid-level Meridian audio system sounds even better than the top-of-the-line Bowers & Wilkins did. AM radio reception is much improved (listening to morning talk radio)

 

I'm pretty sure the transmission starts off in 2 nd unless you floor it. You'll feel the downshift if you do. The 6 spd was the same. To get first for a getaway you need to select it manually with the paddle.

That "lag" you feel isn't from the supercharger it is a result of the new 8 spd which can skip shift, from 8 down to 2 if necessary. If it does skip shift a downshift it can feel like it takes a while. However, if you try to beat it with the paddles you cannot because the paddles don't skip shift, you need one pull per gear. The actual shift times are noticably quicker, one gear at a time. Also, bear in mind that off boost you have only 3.0 litres of engine, not 5.0, moving the same car so until boost reaches maximum the engine is undersized by North American standards. If you are already boosting then acceleration is very rapid indeed.

The reason the eco restart is rougher if it does so while you are on the brake is because you are on the brake, the torque converter has to give a bit of a shove when the engine restarts. If you're off the brake to restart then you don't get this shove. Same thing happens if you shift from neutral to D when on the brake.

The V6 is 2/3 the size of the 5.0 so heat loading will be a lot less. The supercharger will be smaller and the intercoolers smaller also. Less need for underhood venting. The cooling fan running on will be to assist engine longevity.

Ride height is a little higher with the awd, however, the new springs and shocks are not softer.

What tire pressures are you running? Factory spec for the all season 245/40 x 19 is 35 psi.

The body roll on the new XF is better controlled than on the old 4.2 XF, though I am not sure what roll bars were fitted to the 5.0 SC originally.

 

I'm sure now the car starts in 1st gear. Same was always with the 6 speed. Only way she starts in 2nd is winter mode, or paddle up at rest . I even counted the gear changes today checking with the tach going 0 to 70 in normal acceleration in D.

I'm running 36 PSI all around.

Thermal stress is actually higher when a smaller engine is tasked to do the same work as a bigger engine in the same vehicle. In addition, the AWD car is heavier than even the V8 SC, and the AWD system further reduces total drive-line efficiency from engine to wheels.

She definitely exhibits boost lag starting off the line with heavy foot, or after down shifting and accelerating from low rpm. This was also felt by more than one magazine tester. I think this may have more to do with the ECU software, and can be 'rectified' with proper ECU tune.

 

Ignorance is sometimes bliss, but these arguments can largely be avoided by such steps as reading the manual for the manufacturer's instructions and information. I believe the ZF8 operates identically to the ZF6 in this regard, in that the transmission ALWAYS starts in 2nd in either S or D unless 1st has been manually paddle selected. The difference in winter mode is that 1st is locked out and even hard acceleration will not kick it down to 1st.

 

confirming with my long time Jaguar tech: from dead stop, car starts in 1st gear. From rolling start (5 mph and over) starts in 2nd.
Regardless, one can hopefully count gear changes without having to look at some book.

 

If you don't like the stop/start feature, just disable it by disconnecting the secondary battery in the trunk next to the spare tire.

 

The car starts in 2nd. If you floor it, then it goes from 2nd -1st -2nd-3rd-4th etc. Your mechanic doesn't seem too knowledgeable.

Go out and try it for yourself. Put the car in S and tap right paddle. It will still shift in auto, but you will be able to see the gear changes. It never drops below 2nd....unless of course you pull back the - lever.

And, the winter mode is marketing twist. All it does it softens the throttle. No affect on gear start.

 

Still don't agree. By tapping the right paddle in S as you said, or in D for that matter, you just shifted from 1 to 2 while at rest. You can also feel 'in the seat of your pants' the slight bump as the transmission shifts to another gear while at rest and with foot on the brake.

Another way to check: In auto D, or auto S accelerate very slowly from rest, and at about 15mph tap the right paddle. You will note the RPM dropping as expected with an up-shift, and the display shows 2nd. This means you just up-shifted from 1st to 2nd.

And regarding winter mode - it's definitely not a marketing twist . It also changes Rear/Front initial torque split bias at rest from 90%/10% to 70%/30% , among other things in AWD XF discussed here.

 

Different models and different model years sometimes behave differently, the engineers love to tinker. It is always possible that Jaguar has changed the way this works for yidal's particular model and model year from the way they made it work for everyone else's car (whether XF, XJ, XK, etc.).

 

Apologies, should have been a little more specific. My XF is 2012 with the V8. The paddle shifting is only available in S.
In order to avoid shifting with the paddle, it's best to do it on the highway. As you a cruising just put into manual mode and leave it as it will shift on it's own. As you slow down, you will notice the car shifting down and it never goes into 1st.

 

My last 2011 V8 S/C (6-speed) behaved exactly the same as my new 2014 AWD with the 8 speed. In D or S (not manual mode), car always takes off from rest in 1st.

 

My 10 XFR only takes off in 2nd unless I downshift it manually. My friend's 11 XF SC behaves exactly the same way. So not sure why you thought your 11 went to first. Not trying to be argumentative, but it just won't do that.

 

As Kyanite re-stated, it doesn't go into first, unless you floor it or manually put it into first gear.

I don't think any mass produced car actually uses first for take off. It's been that way for the past 10 years. You will find that feature on more cars now, as they do that for fuel economy. No reason to have programmed for the tranny to take off in 1st gear so the engine screams under normal driving conditions, that is just wasting fuel.

 

I've noticed the "lag" too, it seems as if the computer is thinking..."oh, you want to go faster, give me a sec."