Sturbridge 7-27-07 (Page 1) - Stonebridge Press and Villager ...

OCTOBER, 29, 2008
☎ TOWN-TO-TOWN CLASSIFIEDS ☎ A STONEBRIDGE PRESS PUBLICATION ☎ 9
Aut motive
’09 Jaguar XF Supercharge Combines Power
with Beauty for an Exhilarating Ride
The 2009 Jaguar XF is a stunningly beautiful replacement for the Jaguar S-Type, which had a propensity for making Buicks look cool.
BY KEITH GRIFFIN
There are two important things to
get out of the way when talking about
the 2009 Jaguar XF. Jaguar’s initial
quality scores have improved tremendously
over the past few years (well
ahead of BMW). There’s technology
on the new XF that looks cool but I’m
convinced has a high potential for
breaking down.
To read Jaguar’s description, the
technology sounds pretty cool: “Start
the engine and the JaguarDrive
Rotary Gear Selector rises from the
center console into the palm of the
hand, while rotating vents turn 180
degrees from the flush ‘parked’ position
to their functional open position.”
Sure, it looks cool the first few
times (OK the first 20-30 times), but
what happens when it breaks down?
How does one drive the car when the
selector doesn’t pop into the “palm of
the hand” or the rotating vents decide
to stay closed?
What comforts me somewhat is
Jaguar’s initial quality scores have
improved. There’s hope that this new
technology won’t fail.
After all, this is truly a great sedan.
It delivers the kind of luxury one
expects when the name Jaguar is
mentioned. The XF replaces the S-
type, which never impressed me. I
always thought of it as a bad imitation
of Buick. Plus, I had a friend who
owned one and lamented his service
calls that ended up equaling is mortgage
payments.
There’s an old cliché used to
describe some cars that says, “It looks
fast even standing still.” Normally,
desperate auto manufacturers will
make that claim about cars vehicles
that wouldn’t look fast even if they
were falling off a cliff.
Not so with the 2009 Jaguar XF. This
mid-size luxury sedan looks like it’s
going 25 mph faster than it is, which
was a little disconcerting when it was
first delivered to my driveway. After
all, I have a 4-year old daughter. My
initial reaction was to tell the driver
to slow down. Then I realized. He was
only going about 5 mph.
This sedan is simply beautiful. It
stands out in a long line of cars
parked on a city street. It exudes an
air of elegance much above its base
price of $49,975. (The model I drove
The JaguarDrive Rotary Gear Selector, in addition to being a mouthful, also seems to be a potential source
of trouble as the Jaguar XF ages.
was $66,175.) Its design is 99 percent
perfect to my untrained eye. What
would make it a total homerun is a
leaping jaguar on the hood, but, alas
European pedestrian safety standards
have all but outlawed that beautiful
icon and relegated it to a mere
illustration on the rear.
But enough about design, let’s talk
about performance. The XF just cold
stomps out the power. The model
loaned to me for a week by Jaguar had
the 4.2-liter 420 horsepower supercharged
V8 engine with computer
active technology suspension. (The
base XF has a 300 horsepower 4.2-liter
naturally aspirated V8.) It’s a car that
likes to be driven hard and fast. (One
expert who I trust because he isn’t
prone to hyperbole said he got a 0-60
time of 5 seconds with the car I
drove.)
Fortunately, I had the opportunity
in September to drive this car hard
and fast at Pocono Raceway in
Pennsylvania. In a day where I drove
some fast cars, this topped the list. It
flew up to 130 mph on the backstretch
– and had a lot more performance left
in it. Plus, it flew through the infield
course with confidence.
By the way, the XF with supercharge
is truly a sports car inside a
sedan’s body. Its 420 horsepower in a
4.2-liter engine means it has 100
horsepower per liter. That’s pretty
much the standard definition for a
high performance vehicle.
A true sign of this car’s performance
is the fact I could leave the transmission
in “D” and let the XF do all
the work. I had no desire to use the
paddle shifters. I also didn’t take
advantage of the multiple transmission
modes via JaguarDrive Control,
which matches throttle progression,
DSC thresholds and shift strategy to
conditions, including Sport and
Winter modes. I was just having too
much fun driving this car.
Of course, all of this fun does come
with a price at the pumps. Sure, gas
prices have been dropping as I write
this (even below $3), but this cat still
drinks premium fuel. (An aside, why
does premium fuel cost 40 cents more
per gallon when it used to be only 20
cents?) The supercharge version has
fuel economy ratings of 15 mpg city
and 23 mpg highway. The normally
aspirated version clocks in at 16 mpg
city and 25 mpg highway.
That’s the price one pays for driving
such a luxurious vehicle. If the economy
hasn’t devoured your wallet, put
the 2009 Jaguar XF on your shopping
list. I’m not saying it’s better than an
Audi A6 or BMW 5 series, but in most
ways, it is their equal.
(Questions and comments about this
review and other automotive concerns
can be e-mailed to
usedcars.guide@about.com. All
queries are answered.)
VITAL STATISTICS
Wheelbase: ................114.5 inches
Length: ......................195.3 inches
Width:..........................73.9 inches
Height:........................ 57.5 inches
Curb weight: .................. 4194 lbs.
Engine: 4.2-liter supercharged V8
Horsepower:....... 420 @ 6250 rpm
Torque: ...............413 @ 4000 rpm
EPA estimated mpg city/highway:
..............................................15/23
Base price:.........................$49,975
As-tested price: .................$66,175
Also consider:
Audi A6, BMW 5 series,
Mercedes E class
Auto Review