JAGUAR XF SALOON REVIEW

My car

I've now covered 10,000 miles since buying the car, bringing the cars total mileage to 15,500. Overall the car deserves the accolades heaped upon it - it's great to drive, has a fantastic interior and still attracts attention. It's the only car I've owned where I've repeatedly received compliments from strangers at petrol stations and in car parks, which is really nice! Fuel consumption is averaging about 35mpg, which I feel is good for a car weighing nearly two tons. On a run the figure gets closer to 40mpg, and around town the mid-20s.

Unlike some reviewers my car has been largely toublefree, though I've had to take the car in twice, as the dealer's request, for updates both of which were done whilst I waited with a complimentary coffee.

Downsides - often there is a hesitation between pressing the throttle and the engine getting the message, only half a second max, but a bit annoying, though you get used to it. This has been fixed with the 3.0d engine. Rear brake pads don't last, so have had mine replaced with ceramic/kevlar pads which seems to have cured the wear problem though I won't know for sure for another 2/3000 miles. I had a sticking door handle in the cold weather which was fixed by the dealer.

I've had no problems with any of the electrics, no breakdowns - though I had a flat battery on one occassion - no rattles, no problems with the fuel flap.

So would I buy another - yes, and as both the new E class and 5 series leave me cold I probably will.

My car

Firstly, it's probably a good idea to ingnore any XF reviews in this section that are obviously written by disgruntled BMW owners & salesmen who have never driven the car. Secondly, I can honestly say that I totally understand why the XF keeps winning so many awards. It is hands down the best car in it's sector by a country mile! The interior and exterior styling is absolutely spot-on. Just the right blend of modern chic and classic luxury. The driving experiance is second to none. Seriously! A car that seats four six foot plus adults in comfort and relatively luxury should not be this much fun to drive! The 3.0 V6 diesel is a masterpiece and has just the right balance of power and performance. I'm 35 this year, but yet everytime I start the XF I grin like a kid at Christmas! My overall ownership experiance has been great. The car has had no real problems and my local Jag dealer is really friendly and helpful. Far less snooty than some of those German ones! Overall, this must be one of the best decisions I ever made!

My car

I've been running Jaguars for more years than I care to remember, all of them used cars until now. My last model was an XK8 convertible which we both loved and consequently kept longer than usual. However, after reading the reports on the XF I decided to try for a 12 month old diesel but because of the very high used prices I decided to go for the new 3.0 lt. for just a few grand more. It's brilliant. I couldn't believe how refined and powerful the engine is, it's actually marginally faster to 60 than the XK. It handles superbly and has all of the toys that I need, the only options that I went for were the heated front seats and heated steering wheel, the last option has proved to be a surprisingly good choice considering the weather we've had. Some reviews have stated high running costs but I beg to differ. My road tax is less than half of what I paid on my previous car (that more than pays for the rear pads after 15K), 40+ mpg on a run, 30mpg around the doors, all in a car that's beautiful to look at and a joy to own. I don't regret a penny of the price paid, I'm a happy man.

My car

I've now done 7000 miles in this and I have to say that I think the car is magnificent. I miss the performance of the S-TypeR it replaced but the trade off of an average of 40mpg makes it tolerable and the performance is still pretty good in most circumstances although I will replace this one with a diesel S in 12 months. The interior is great but some of the plastic is not as good as the S-Type, the bigger boot is a bonus and the convenience of the easy to fold rear seats has already proved its worth. The car is great on the road - the harder it is pushed the smaller and more agile it feels and on the Autobahn I have fully tested it's high speed cruising performance and a 1200 mile trip passed more easily than in any car I have previously owned. Driving the car in Europe is interesting - it grabs attention and has been the starting point point for a number of conversations; all positive, all admiring the car and it's interesting to have BMW drivers talking about aspiring to drive a Jag.