I'm looking for a car in the price range of the Jaguar XF Premium.

About me: I'm in my early 30's, single, no kids, no wife. I'd like to get a car that is somewhat practical, but a head-turner. Something that is fun to drive and also impressive to people. I was considering a G37 because I've always owned Japanese luxury cars. However, I've started to realize that everyone and their mom drives that car and to me, it looks like a Hundai.

My father insisted i take a look at the XF and I did and was impressed. My main problems are as follows: Reliability. Even the 2010 models seem to get mixed reviews on reliability, specifically from edmunds.com.

Most of my friends are telling me to get a 2 door coupe, the Audi A/S5 or a Porsche. I'm not a huge fan of German cars. I liked driving the G37 and I liked the technology that was inside. However, it certainly did not command the attention that I kind of am seeking.

So anyone can help point me in the right direction...

 

I would say go for XF , it's a more eye catching than all the Germans and two doors aren't as practical as 4 door sedans .
If not you can also try Cadillac CTS but my vote is for XF .I was very impressed with the interior quality when I got in it .
We have a bunch of XF owners hopefully will point you in right direction too

 

I've had my 09 for 6 months now, so not a very long time. However, the 09s are reported to have more problems (first year run in the US). So far I've never been stranded, took a couple of ECM updates to fix a software problem lighting the CEL (no performance or driveability effects), and replaced a coolant return hose for a slow small leak (I suspect because it was sitting on the dealer lot for a whole year and Utah is not the most forgiving weather state). Compared to my Accord (which was supposed to be uber reliable according to reviews) it has been in the shop fewer times in the 1st 6 months by a big margin, so take those reliability reviews with a grain of salt.

Otherwise it is pure joy to drive, quiet and smooth when you want it, and can take a corner like it's on tracks when the mood takes you. Acceleration for a 4000+lb car is spectacular (and I have the 300HP 310lb.ft torque 4.2L V8 not the newer 5.0L version or the S/C). Also, definitely a head turner, people in considerably more expensive cars will crane their necks for a look. They're not a dime a dozen on the road either like some mercs, or other german autos (Audi...etc.).

 

I so go and test drive one! After that you will probably be hooked. As for the reliability, I know a few people that drive them, and I can't say they are worse than any of the Japanese cars that are out there.

 

Having worked with both Infiniti and Jaguar in the past 12 months, I'll go ahead and advise that they are equally reliable, at least in the short-term. There weren't many high-mileage G37's when I left that car line. They have their own issues, specifically with muffler rattles. Infinitis are notorious for having bad seat rails - no pain while it's still under warranty, but a $1000 fix once you're out.

The XF has had some issues, mainly with the shifter recall and a few ECM glitches as mentioned above. We've had one car with a bad nav screen, one XFR with a bad seat switch, and various other oddball repairs. Nothing really terribly unusual for production at this stage. But honestly, that's what the warranty is for. 4 year, 50k miles, free scheduled maintenance for the 2011 models.. there's quite a few things going for the XF.

Once you're out of warranty with either brand, I think you'll find mechanical repair costs fairly similar. Body parts are very high for the entire Jaguar lineup, but insurance companies usually pay for those.

Having said all that, both cars are gorgeous and perform very well, but the Jag is a step above, IMHO. The G37's in my area are fairly common to see - the XF, not so much. It's unique, it performs, and dare I say it - it's reliable.

 

That is funny that you mention everyone drives one. We live in a rural area, so when we go on a road trip or to a large city the family plays a game of counting how many BMW's, Lexus, Infinities, Mercedes, Porsche and Jaguars we see. The BMW's, Lexus, Infinities are dare I say "A dime a dozen". They are every where and do not stand out at all. My wifes XF turns heads everywhere, especially after putting some aftermarket rims on it. Even my STR turns a lot of heads.
And the XF is a dream of a car to drive.

 

No I was saying that everyone drives a BMW, Lexus, Infiniti etc.

I have never seen a XF on the road in Boston.

 

Yes, I knew what you meant and was agreeing with you. In our "game" we consistently see more BMW's, Lexus and Infinities. The Mercedes are a little more rare, but seems they are always silver, is it just me that notices that? The Jaguar's and Porsche's are the least common. And the XF is extremely rare.

 

Jaguars are pretty reliable now. The main reliability issue was with the X Type now discontinued. The early S Types were also problematic but fixed long since.

Japanese cars are reliable and dull. The ones that aren't dull are just ugly.

No Japanese car drives remotely as well as the XF. The new XJ is even better than the older XJ by a long way.

The ,atest 5.0 V8 is one of the very best engines made anywhwere by anyone. The older 4.2 was developed to the n th degree in the over 15 years it has been built. ZF makes the excellent and reliable transmission.

Check the details on tose allegations of reliability problems with the XF. Almost all the complaints are veryminor and easily fixed under the warranty.

 

OK so maybe I am late to this conversation and a newbie to the board. Just bought an XF Premium, you have probably made your choice by now, but I thought I'd toss in my .02.

First, it is not about impressing anyone but yourself, second I have had many German cars and feel that they are among the best engineered cars in the world. I agree with the comment that many Japanese cars are like automotive appliances (Toyota, Nissan, and the like). I have an Infiniti G 37 and find it full of "gee wiz" electronics, but there are better handeling and more involving cars in that class. I went to the G from an S4 and will probably go back.

I went from many years in several Mercedes E class cars to the XF. The E Class is nice, but very expensive to lease (which I do for business reasons).

But since this thread is about reliability, Jags have taken many "hits" throughout the years about reliability. The improvement in the build quality and standard equipment in this car is amazing, although my car was delivered with 55 pounds of air in all 4 tires. One auto magizine drove the XF 47000 miles without any problems. Time will tell, but I am enthusiastic about this car.

 

I bought a 2010 XF Premium about 8 months ago for my wife and she loves it. No problems except those created by uninformed salesmen and clueless service people. Many still don't know that the service interval on the 5.0 L engine is 15,000 miles and not 10,000 miles.

The car is a joy to drive on long distances. THe mileage on highway if you drive sedately is quite good. Only complaint- the speedometer goes to 180mph, so most of the time you are operating in the bottom third of the scale- it is hard to read your speed accurately. Wish they had the max speed of say 140 mph on the scale since the speed is electronically limited to 121 mph anyway.

 

I wondered why they would put a speed limiter of 121 on a car of this magnitude, then ruin the cars ability to handle agressive driving by putting "H" rated tires on it. Sheesh. I wonder if there are any tuners that have managed to modify the ECU?

We had a E350 4Matic with the same size tires in "V" rating. I did check Tire Rack and sure enough, they have higher speed rated tires, ah food for thought.

Otherwise, it is a good well built car.

 

H rated tires are OK it is the all season rating that ruins them. It was not so very long ago that H rated was the top of the line. Some tires are the same if H rated and V rated in reality.

Interestingly, the XF suspension is so good it compensates for the lousy tires we have to put up with. My car handles beautifully on the Pirelli Sottozero winter tires also.

Another "feature" of the rev limiter is it acts as Italian cruise control. You just put your foot on the floor and the car goes at 200 km/hr, up hills, down hills, round corners, no matter what, the speedo is sitting at 200 km/hr and you go that speed always!

 

Hi Fellow Jag owners,

So I have the XF Premium with a max speed of 121 MPH. Where does one drive fast without worring about getting a speeding ticket. I would like to max it out at least once. :-)

I live in South East Pennsylvania.

 

Try a race track !! All governments and so on are now **** about speed, yet seem relaxed about trains going 200 mph for hundreds of miles continuously, (at least here in Europe). It's too good an earning (£/$) opportunity.