I'm seriously considering the 2012 XFR this fall, among other prospects (E63 AMG, CTS-V coupe) and was hoping XF owners could answer a few questions to help.

1) When parallel parking the vehicle, do you sometimes 'accidentally' rotate the transmission dial to 'P'ark when trying to put it in 'R'everse? Or does the system have a method of avoiding that?

2) Primarily in regards to the XFR (although, I'm not sure the transmission is different in the other XF models)...are the upshifts quick in response to using the paddle shifters?

With my current CLS63 AMG, there is a noticeable delay (about 0.8 seconds) from the time I pull the paddle to the time the clutch engages the gear. Not really happy with that.

3) When downshifting with the paddle shifters, does the system rev-match for you?

Thank you for any feedback.

 

1. Foot on the brake is required to select or de-select Park. D to N or N to R and back again needs the brake on also unless you do so fairly rapidly as when "rocking" the car.

2. The transmission is the same across the range. In D the paddle shifts are smoother and feel slower than when Sport is selected. I understand the XFR also comes with Dynamic drive which is reputed to crisp up the shifts noticeably over Sport setting. The ZF shifts more quickly than a manual shift car even in lazy D. In Sport the shift is acceptably quick and much quicker than a driver could shift.

3. Yes, although that is pretty much irrelevant with a torque converter to smooth the shifts. The DSC and the transmission software work together to assist in modulating engine braking effects if slippery conditions prevail.

This ZF is widely recognized to be among the very best autoboxes available.