After test driving my racing sponsor's BMW M5, his brand new Lexus and my dealer loaner Jaguar XF we both concluded that the top choice would be the Lexus. Unfortunately, the interior and the electronics of the Lexus made the XF look like an economy car.

Today, I swung back to pick him up in my XJL and basically his mouth dropped open. He said that there was no doubt that the XJL was in an entirely different class in term of looks, exterior and interior. He was taking pictures after pictures and kept calling out all his employees to see the most gorgeous car he had ever seen. He claimed that none of the present crop of BMWs or Mercs were even close. I agreed with him!

His final words were: "I have never seen this Jaguar XJL before. Now that I have, I feel that I'd made the wrong choice (Lexus)".

Albert

 

LOL, that makes me feel old! Mind you, I've had some looks in mine when I've pulled up at a stop light and I've got Orbital or DJ Shadow or suchlike thundering on the stereo.

 

With the X300/X308 you also get to be self deprecating and say that you got it for about the price of a used Hyundai too.

You can see their eyes light up and the gears turning as they ask whether they are expensive to repair. Unfortunately, in order to keep them from leaping into a giant money pit, you have to tell them yes it is.

 

Pizzaz, Style and Grace !

 

Which model was the Lexus?

 

The 2013 GS 350 with the Sports package.

 

I find it a little contradicting that you guys both found the Lexus to be superior than the XF, but not as ostentatious as the XJ. When, both (MY12XF) and the XJ resemble one another quite a bit, especially the front end.
If i parked 3 white Xfs next to 3 white XJs, one couldn't differentiate them from 30 feet back.

Also, much of the interior features a very similar.

If you look at the interior of the XF and the GS, you could clearly see the Lexus is behind times and on the contrary, resembles a economy car signifcantly. Lexus uses a convential shifter that has been around for years (no innovation-shame), where the XF features it's sophisticated Jaguardrive gear selector.

 

We did find the Lexus interior and the electronics to be superior to the XF. Heck, it even had much more extensive electronics than the XJ. The XF lacked some features that should be standard in a luxury class car, such as rear-view camera, blind spot monitor, voice control, etc. The screen display size, resolution, response time and selection is way above both Jags. The Lexus shifter provided more options than either the XJ or the XF, as well as more driving mode options. The perforated leather in this particular Lexus looked more luxurious than the plain black, almost vinyl-looking leather in my loaner XF.

The dash of the Lexus looks better to me that the XF. The long featureless aluminum does absolutely nothing for me. Sorry, but it looks cheap. The nice leather dash cover in the XF does not make up for it.

As to the XJL vs. XF differences; the XF is a mid sized sedan the XJL is a far larger one with a presence that is very obvious when viewing them side by side. The XJ(L) interior is also quite upscale comparing it to the XF. When I first opened the door of an XF more than a year ago, I found the inside much too spartan for my taste.

As to the exterior design; one could convince me that the XF looks better than the Lexus GS but, the GS is probably the best looking Lexus to date. As far as the drivetrain; the XF has a great V8 and a better transmission than the Lexus but, the Lexus does fine with its V6. The Lexus rides much smoother than either of the Jags and its handling with the Sport package is also decent while not as sharp as the XF.

We both felt somewhat cramped in the front seats of the XF but, not in the Lexus and certainly not in the larger XJL.

Albert

 

I have the same issue with my XF and when I had my S.. It's a curse

 

Black interiors always hide the luxury, that's why i never liked them. They look too boring and cheap, regardless of the price of the car. That's one of the reasons, you felt the way you did.
This is what a interior of the XF looks like. http://www.madisonjaguar.com/preowned_find.html
Extensive electronics, more driving mods just means less concentration on the road and more on the media center...... Simplicity! That's the vision that Ian Callum incorporated into the XF.

The Lexus lacks some features like a real engine. Instead, it's equipped with V6 pushing out 270ft-lb. It's a 2012, they need to catch up. The S types were pushing out more torque 10 years ago.
Smooth driving cars never attracted me personally. I will visit Lincoln dealerships for that one.

 

I have to agree with you on the black interior. It did look boring and cheap. Looking at the Claret in your attached link with the Ivory interior is something that would be my choice. I love the contrasts between the light seats, door trim, wood and the dash. I could easily live with that.

I think back an other reason that I was turned off by the XF; it smelled cigarette every time I got in. I hate that!!!

I said I would take the Lexus because my commute is 300 miles roundtrip and the ride is very high on my list. Today I was driving my 6 years of beater Chrysler minivan and sadly commented to my wife that even that car had a better freeway ride than my XJL with its fixed damper and new tires. Pretty said, isn't it? Should have waited for the 2013s with the recalibrated shocks and springs. Only if I knew...

For power and handling I would take the XF any day but, that is not in my commute...

Albert

 

I think that's the wrong car to compare with the XJ. The Lexus competitor for the XJ is the LS-460.

 

You are correct. But, my comparison was made between the XF vs. GS350. They are roughly the same price and size range. I think the GS I drove was purchased for $58K.

Albert

 

I can relate with my Toyota Sienna XLE Limited AWD van which I need for utility for shuttling parents (one wheel chair and 3 walkers), and renovating a waterfront home where snow and ice can be an issue. We recently came back from a two week vacation on the east coast with another couple where we drove 9 hours straight for four days. Terrific ride quality, quiet, very comfortable and spacious back seat, and an endless list of luxury features including radar cruise control. If the XJL doesn't work out I'd highly recommend it. I will admit though that it's not an attention magnet

Bruce

 

Hey Bruce

While hardly the forum to discuss the advantages of minivans over Jaguars, I must still say that my TC minivan must be one of the most functional vehicle I've owned. It can carry a ton of people, act as a large item hauler and have good ride, as well as MPG.

The one, and only, feature that made me select the Chrysler over other similar entries is that their seats fold flat into the floor, one seat at a time. That allows me to fold the mid and rear seats on the driver side into the floor-pan and still carry 4 people and 4 short whitewater kayaks inside without having to use a roof rack. Very convenient when you kayak as much as I do (on average, several days a week).

Appreciate your suggestion but, I'm still quite far away from considering an XJL-Minivan swap for my primary ride.

It is just an absolute shame that most luxury sedans are giving up on the ride in exchange for questionable visual gains.

Albert

 

Gawd Albert, I can't wait for your advice. Whether I ask for it or not! You still have me wondering what tires I need so my booty doesn't jiggle if I go over a bump.....

 

Of course, no-one needs to wait-for or even listen to my advice. As it appears, however, Jaguar has listened to the very same inputs from many others and decided to change the suspension for 2013 to better represent what a luxury saloon car ride should be. It should only improve an already great car without least effecting the handling qualities.

I don't know how many times I have to repeat: it is quite possible to have great handling AND great ride, all in one suspension package. Tons of previous examples exist. But, the catch is that they were all riding on higher aspect-ratio tires. Now, one day some manufacturer will prove many of us wrong and come out with a low aspect tire-equipped model that will have a great ride. Then, I promise, I will change my opinions...

It is obvious from the various voices here that the priorities of people are different depending on many factors, including visual effects, the distance of their commutes or the condition of the road surfaces they have to drive over. Would be nice if manufacturers offered more choices when it came to wheel/tire sizes to accommodate such variety of preferences. I know that for my particular driving needs I'd be more than happy with a 55-60 series high performance tire/wheel package on my XJL.

Albert

 

I picked up a 2012 XFR last year and that car garnered more looks than any other car I have owned. Most people were mesmerized by the LED J blades. Unfortunately, I live in the land of BMW 3 series, C Class Benzes, and Audi A4s, so most people tend to cap their "opinion of luxury" with those cars. I wouldn't say that Jaguar is at the tip of the spear for luxury, but I wish people would aim a bit higher than the everyday German taxi cab. I remember some guy on the toll road here in an Infinity G37x asked me how I liked my over priced ford. I responded with how do you like your over priced Nissan. But for the most part my encounters have been positive with the exception of a couple of Infinity owners hatin a bit.

When I switched to the XJL, I noticed more people staring at the car, but I think it was more to do with the fact of it's size than anything. Here XJLs are a bit more common than maybe in other places. I see one or two on the road at least a few times a week. I'm just glad I got the black one so I don't have to be reminded of the "C" pillars.

 

What he was really saying is, he was very jealous and couldn't keep it to himself. If he had more than twenty operating neurons in his brain, he would have known Ford isn't associated with Jaguar for a half decade.

 

I live half the year in Las Vegas and half in Miami Beach. In Las Vegas I am constantly getting looks and rarely do I see another XJ on the road. Miami Beach is exactly the opposite. No one ever gives me a second look and I see Jags almost every day when I'm out on the road. But then again, I see multiple Bentleys, Ferraris, and Masseratis every day down here as well.