Competition is fierce in the executive luxury class, with every car on the market offering great looks, superb dynamics and exceptional equipment. That’s great news for buyers, but it also makes choosing very difficult indeed.
One of the best contenders, though, is homegrown. Here are five reasons why the Jaguar XF represents the very best of British…
It looks fantastic
The XF might not be as popular as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5-Series that it competes against, but that’s fine, as not only does it give the Jaguar some exclusivity, but it also makes it really stand out from the crowd.
And that’s something it does brilliantly, as not only is it neatly proportioned, but it manages to cross a fine line between being aggressively handsome and gracefully sleek. It’s a wonderful piece of design that combines modern lines with classically elegant touches.
That design harmony passes through to the interior, too, with the same delicate elegance and striking modern design. There are few executive cars with quite the same level of attention to detail in their design.
It’s surprisingly economical
Large cars aren’t necessarily cheap to run, but the XF won’t hit you that hard in the pocket. As well as some incredible leasing deals out there, the 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel claims a combined fuel economy figure of 70.6mpg. Just a few years ago, that would have been the exclusive preserve of a diesel supermini.
Even the petrol ones aren’t bad, with the V6-engined XF-S model offering 34mpg on the combined cycle.
It’s designed for adults
Most manufacturers claim that their cars have room for five adults to travel in comfort, but in the case of the XF this is entirely true. It has the best rear legroom in its class, while the sculpted seats are designed with optimal shoulder and head room in mind as well.
It’s a supremely comfortable car whether you’re in the front or the back, though it’s best appreciated from the driver’s seat, where the driving position is matched to the car’s fine dynamics.
Enquire Now on a new Jaguar XF
It’s wonderful to drive
Did we mention dynamics? The XF is truly superb to drive, with great steering and an agile chassis that somehow makes the car feel much smaller than it actually is.
The steering is both sharp and brimming with feedback, while there’s more grip than you dare explore the limits of, even on the non-Sports models, while high speed composure is confidence-inspiring.
Being a Jaguar, it also has a fabulous ride – it’s firm, but beautifully well damped.
It has some cool tech
Jaguar’s InControl system allows smartphone syncing, a wi-fi hotspot, voice control and lots of power, thanks to an on-board quad-core processor.
It also features Jaguar’s Dual View touchscreen, which enables the driver and passenger to see two different things: for example, the passenger can watch TV or a DVD, while the driver can observe the sat nav or the trip computer.
Safety tech is there in abundance, too. There’s autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane-keep assist systems, adaptive cruise control with queue assist, traffic sign recognition, and LED headlights with a high-beam assist function that automatically dips sections of the headlight son full beam so as not to blind oncoming drivers.
