Our cars: Jaguar XF - February 2012

Jaguar XF 2.2D Luxury

Jaguar XF 2.2D Luxury
Mileage 12,200
Driven this week 1000 miles
Jaguar XF review

A few weeks ago I bemoaned the fact that the Jag was taking an age to fill up with diesel. I’ve been putting the pump nozzle fully into the Jag’s filler neck, to avoid the possibility of any fuel spitting back on to the forecourt and my shoes, and the car wouldn’t take fuel at any more than a trickle. This, patently, was not what to do.

Chief road tester Pete Tullin, who ran a Jaguar XJ last year, gave me a piece of advice. He told me to put the nozzle in only halfway down the neck and all would be fine. I’d tried something similar, but clearly had still put in the nozzle too far. Wiggling it around had also proved ineffective.

I can confirm that Pete does indeed know his Jags, because the XF now takes fuel far more quickly than before. That’s got to be good news when I face another chilly late-night filling session.

Euan.Doig@whatcar.com

Week ending February 10
Mileage 11,200
Driven this week: 550

As part of the tech employed to lower the Jag’s CO2 emissions, there’s an engine stop-start system fitted.

This is great when I’m sitting in (yet another) traffic jam on the motorway or shuffling between the lights in town. However, I can’t help thinking it operates a mite too quickly at times.

For example, I always reverse into car park spaces, but when I stop just beyond a space to engage reverse, the system switches off the engine instantly. Then it restarts so quickly that sometimes the starter motor engages even before the engine has stopped spinning completely, which doesn’t sound great.

Perhaps the system should be reprogrammed to include a pause of a second or two just to get around this issue.

Euan.Doig@whatcar.com

Week ending February 3
Mileage 10,650
Driven this week 625


I’m experiencing a feeling with the Jag that I haven’t felt with any other long-term test car. Yup, it fills me with regret every single day.

That’s because I genuinely look forward to driving it, and love every mile I do in it. It’s great on the motorway, and it’s properly entertaining everywhere else. It even soothes away my daily traffic jam woes.

The regret comes near the end of every journey, because I know I’ll be getting out of it soon and it’ll be a few hours at least before I get to drive it again.

Euan.Doig@whatcar.com