I agree to an extent. To take things a step further, all we really need in a car is a large touch screen that replicates our smart phone screens, together with a few "hard" buttons to control volume etc. Add in a decent amp and speaker system and the car doesn't even need it's own music playing facility. The problem is that this suits a lot of drivers but not all, and mobile phone tech moves so quickly that it would be hard to make something universal that will not be obsolete by the time it came out. Anyone managed to get an iPhone 5 cable for their XF yet?!

 

I'll stick with my 'hard' buttons, it kind of boggles my mind that we pass laws to make it illegal to use a phone while driving then turn around and put something into a car that demands that you look away from the road...my 2 cents.

 

The touch screen is probably the biggest thing I'd change, to echo a few people here. The entire system is pretty unintuitive and not to mention slow. Not something you'd want to fiddle with in the middle of traffic, for sure. Also, as a personal preference and not a hit against the car at all, a true manual option would have been nice. There's just something that shifting with a shifter and clutch that I just don't get with paddle shifters.

Oh and hi! New to the forums and glad to be a part of it.

 

All touch screen control systems in cars are bad. Carmakers are driven to add nab systems and then go crazy. Oddly, the Germans started all this. German ergonomics are generally appalling.

When they start using touch screen controls in airplanes I may change my mind but for cars, shaped buttons/switches properly located are essential for safe driving.

BTW check out any SAAB built after 1978. Each dashboard control is a different size or shape. Each rotating switch has a taper to the operating ridge letting the driver know which way it is pointing by touch alone. Each font window switch has a ridge to differentiate it from the rear window switch, or is oriented in a different direction and so on. Now that's ergonomics.

 

Same size tires on front and rear of the Supercharged with 20" wheels! Improved NAV system, true with all Vehicle Manufactures. Not a big deal, just my wish list!

 

Actually, having very wide front wheels is no good. They tend to follow the dips in the road and give you feeling as something is wrong with your steering.

 

How would the handling be effected if I went with the front tires on the rear? The two tires seem to have the same tread width touching the pavement.

 

I suspected you want to up the size of the front wheels/tires, since the rears are 9.5" wide and the front ones are 8.5".

If you want the narrower size all the way around, it shouldn't affect it.

 

Audio controls are as slow. HVAC controls are much quicker using the buttons but fan speed knob is just as slow.

Improve the XF. Well, shorter and lighter, two doors instead of four, who needs back seats? Maybe a smaller and more fuel efficient engine. Hey, that's an F Type!

 

Seat heaters are not the quickest of any car.

I agree that the ventilated seats are weak. A little more thought into interior conveniences such as a sensible place to store loose change, a cell phone, etc.

 

I think the car is PERFECT! Yes, it may have a slow software system, that's very minor.

If i was driving a E550 Benz with a quick responding operating system, i know i would be complaining about the brakes or the handling. It's not even comparable to how much better the brakes on the XF are.

No car is perfect and i am sure we can all agree, we would find glitches in every car regardless of their make.

 

I think this thread was intended to be about what we would see improve the XF rather than picking defects to complain about.

By that measure not much seems to be capable of improvement.

I know I look forward to driving my XF every time I think about a drive. A sublime car.

 

The option of a manual transmission would be great!

 

That s the F Type again.

Seriously, no 4 or 5 litre V8 could benefit from a manual shift box these days.

The manual box is going the way of the dodo bird. the new double clutch boxes are quicker.

The latest automatic (Mercedes) is doing away with a torque converter and uses a computer controlled lockup clutch only.

 

When I responded to the Jag survey I was sent, and given the '12 improvements, I believe the XF needs refinesments in a few areas, not any drastic changes.

One area that my wife noticed is the feel of the door handles. She stated "they feel like plastic". I think the feel of the wiper stalks, and controls could have a more solid feel. Rotary shifter also. I have used the '12 controls and they have improved some.

Love the car overall.

 

Bluetooth streaming audio...

Yes I know that later models have it, but my '10 does not. Stereo I installed on my XJ-S earlier this summer does, and I miss that function dearly.

Cheers,

- Will

 

Yes but some of us still enjoy driving a manual transmission equipped car, nothing to do with whether it is quicker or not.

 

While a manual transmission is nice on my 1965 CJ-5 completely pointless on the XF. I don't understand on a car that does everything for you why anyone would want a extra peddal to fiddle with.

IF you want you can put it in S and Dynamic mode and press on the left foot rest when you pull the peddles

 

After about 25min of NY traffic, I would probably drive my car into a wall if it was a manual.

09superXF, isn't having paddle shifters sufficient? I know one wouldn't get the entire experience, since the 3rd brake pedal isn't there, but...

 

also crawling down I-10 in Phoenix every morning bumping my gangster rap. I am Michael Bolton from Office Space!