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Jaguar is a local prestige so that was a great bonus. I got this car for a good price in a private sale. And for that:
The ride comfort is amazing, even on 20" wheels (portfolio standard). The feature list was impressive - from motorway cruising (active cruise) to very hot days (cooled seats, awesome). The practicality was also stunning - I've moved flat pack bookcases inside the car with all doors closed. The interior for a 7 year old car is still gorgeous.
And of course probably the best part - the 5L NA V8. It just leaves pretenders in a dusty wake.
I will admit to preferring the facelifted exterior, which I think will date much better, but I think the original XF look will become a bit of a classic - especially with what it has meant to Jaguar as a whole.
I should mention that there are in hindsight a couple of downsides, the ride is a bit jerky (known early model issues on downshift/coming to stop), and as others have noted there is quite a bit of body roll (non-XFR).
Also the fuel consumption is terrible, but that was somewhat unexpected and probably partly my fault...
Did the Brits get the bigger motor before North America, at least? I thought that, at first, most of the tech-bits were inherited directly from the S-Type including the 4.2 engine.
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)
Past Ours: '05 X-Type 3.0/auto Jaguar Racing Green
Did the Brits get the bigger motor before North America, at least? I thought that, at first, most of the tech-bits were inherited directly from the S-Type including the 4.2 engine.
The UK car brochure I have says "March 2009 Price List", so I guess we got it earlier. The engine was designed/built in Wales as far as I know, so geographically us getting it earlier would make sense.
I loved the styling interior and exterior and the fact that I didn't see many on the road, which is starting to change now, but still not as many as BMWs, Mercs or Lexus. I honestly never even looked at the other brands just kinda went straight for the Jag and loved it plus the price point on the 09 when I bought Q1 of 2012 was just right for my budget so I figured why not. It was a great addition to my Accord Cpe as my daily driver at the time and the XF to play and look good in on the weekends. After meeting my now wife (which I believe the Jag played a role in...lol) and her driving it on several occasions she fell in love with it so we ended up getting here an 11 in 2014 after production on the Merc CLA we ordered was taking entirely too long. People young and old always compliment us both on the cars and getting that same WOW that's a Jag as some of the others stated. Funny how after 7-8 yrs since the new styling some ppl still don't know what it is, not something you can say about the other Luxury car brands. I'm still on the fence about the 16 XFs, they look good, was fun to drive and love the new tech but seems like a mix between Audi and BMW (exterior) and one thing I've hated since the 13s came on board is the v8 no longer being standard.
I'd be lying if I said Top Gear didn't play a part in my decision, but specifically the XF because my local dealership was clearing out their loaner cars and had some deep discounts on CPO XFs with AWD. Otherwise, I was waiting for the XE to come out.
Also, my dad owns a '68 E-Type, he bought it back in the '70s and some of my earliest memories are him driving my sister and myself around the block in it, and X-Type, and my uncle owned a '85 XJ-S. So I guess you could say we are a Jaguar family.
I'm with you Lew!
The first time I saw an XF on the road I thought "faaaark, that's a good looking car, I wonder what it is?"
I did my research and within a few months I bought one.
Always wanted a Jag since first seeing an XK140 when it was almost new. I've now been lucky enough to own an XK150 drophead for over 20 years.
I've owned a couple of S types over the course of a decade (2004-14), and wow how good each looked in the garage next to the 150. I do a relatively high mileage commuting so I buy secondhand, a couple of years old with low mileage, but I do wear them out.
I must admit I wasn't so keen on the XF styling when it first came out but it has certainly grown on me. I don't like black, white or grey cars so when a blue XF sportbrake came up at a deal I couldn't refuse, that was it. The bigger change for me was in fact moving to a 2.2 turbo diesel, something I would have just said 'you must be joking' until I went for a test drive. Tows my race car better than either S-type ever did. Brilliant car to drive, especially on New Zealand's winding roads.
Wouldn't consider Audi, BMW or Merc. Rather have another Nissan (in addition to my 350Z Roadster and Triump Dolomite Sprints!!).
Wow, a Jaguar wagon, wasn't aware that one was produced since the end of the X-Type wagon.
Please post a picture.
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '08 S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)
Past Ours: '05 X-Type 3.0/auto Jaguar Racing Green
I've owned 2 XFs, a 2009 Supercharged and a 2015 5.0 Supercharged. I originally was attracted by the styling, (thank you, Ian Callum!) but oddly enough what sold it was the seat. The bottom cushion goes in and out, and my wife is only 5' nothing, so it turned out to be the most comfortable car she'd ever been in. I told her she needed the power of the SC to get out've any problems and she believed me - sorry guys, this gal's taken! The styling has shown it has the power to draw many people in over the years with comments about it being a beautiful car, and I'd have to agree. In addition, it has a unique ability to anticipate the driver's every need and desire - if you have one, you know what I'm talking about. It's almost a supernatural knack for creating that fusion between man and machine, and is unusual in the extreme. I can remember washing it and getting lost in its curves, finding new and subtle details for months after the first time I'd seen it. No Merc, Bimmer or Audi comes close to this mystical ability to mesmerize me. I ignored the new XF - no V8? No way!
I was rear-ended in my Lexus SC 430 and needed a replacement. Like many have said before - the uniqueness is what attracted me initially as BMW, Audi and Mercedes are on every corner. I test drove the 5.0L base XF and love the ride and styling; SOLD.
2 years later I needed a better "high", so I set my eyes on an XFR and it's the most beautiful car and more fun to drive than anything else I have had.
I must say I also liked the SC430 and they are also not common around here. I was guaranteed to get comments in Wal-Mart parking lot when I was lowering my hard top into the trunk.
Had BMW 320D SE Touring was an OK car nothing special Purchased Xtype Sov Estate and friends and family were that a nice car bought a 2015 XF Sportbrake didn't get nice got a wow.
I love the look of the XF the way it drives I like the new jag look very different from anything German and you never get wow that is a nice BMW/Audi/VW there far to common Jaguar have that something...........
The first XF I got: I had 2 X350's and when my lease was coming to an end in 2009, the X351's had not been out yet and i didnt want ANOTHER X350......so i got a great deal on an XF. after that lease ended i went back to the XJ's
The second XFR: the lease ended on my X358 and got an incredible deal on another X358, but the 3L AWD model. a few months of ownership and I wasnt completely satisified with the downgrade in power, so i got an XFR
I don't currently own an XF, but I'm going through a process similar to some that have been outlined by other posters. Earlier on in the year, I was toying with the idea of getting an S-type R, however my car trying journey has made me realise that it isn't just an engine upgrade I'm after...
Everyone over there thinks the current Jaguar don't seem visually distinctive and don't really see anything that sets them apart from Audis, BMWs, Mercs, Teslas. No one can figure out why someone would own a Jaguar if nobody knew what it was...
For me, the interior makes driving the original XF much nicer than in any BMW, Merc or Audi I've tried (can't afford a Tesla, but they don't look that special IMO), and also why (along with some other reasons: newer engine; flappy paddles; keyless entry; continuously adaptive suspension; nicer external styling) I've decided to up my budget quite considerably to be in the market for an XFR rather than an STR.
Playing devil's advocate here: I'm not sure what S-Type owners think makes the S-Type visually-distinctive over the equivalent german offerings of the time. I reckon there are as many similar styling cues between the S-Type and Merc E-class (W211) as there are between the XF and its most visually-similar rival (probably the Audi A7 and Tesla). The BMWs in my eyes look as similar now as they did back in the early 00s. Even a VW and the S-Type could be said to look similar from certain angles (Polo 9N from the front, anyone?)!
I suspect the original comment r.e. similar styling stems from the same place that makes people say 'all that music sounds the same to me' (when talking about genres they don't like) - if someone doesn't like something, they focus on the similarities they don't like and group them together, rather than when they like something they focus on the differences to affirm their feeling.
It's quite simple for me, I'm just not interested in owning other makes. Nothing excites me like a Jaguar. And as a new owner of my XF, I'm absolutely thrilled to drive it every day. I love the older, classic designs but also am in love with the new direction the brand is taking. I think it's smart and I want Jaguar to have success.
I had a Cadillac STS-V when looking to replace it in 2013. Looked at all the models that you would expect - Audi S6, M5, AMG. One of the things I liked best about the XFR was its uniqueness. In more than three years I have only seen one other XFR in Charlotte. I see lots of M5s and AMGs.
