From behind the wheel, the new engine feels potent, smooth and worthy of finding a place under that long bonnet adorned by the ornate grille at the other end. The steering feels heavy – heavier than any other car in the segment, making its sporty intent evident even before you have taken it out of the garage and onto the road. As you go rolling on city streets, the steering offers decent communication to the palms – there’s laudable feel and feedback on offer, allowing for an involving, enjoyable drive.
The 18 inch wheels on the 3.0 liter V6 diesel powered XF have been replaced with smaller 17 inch rims, taking away a bit of visual drama, but bringing more compliance and comfort to the everyday ride quality at the same time. Sharper edges do managed to filter in though. Together, the primary and secondary suspensions deliver a firm feel overall, which makes this Jag an enticing prospect for spirited. The taller sidewalls do take away some of the sharpness and tautness from the overall experience as compared to its bigger brethren. Marginal body-roll is perceptible while pushing the car hard around bends, however, the XF, even its most basic version remains a grin inducing machine overall for the discerning driver.
One delightful aspect of the XF 2.0 petrol’s exterior design is the fact that it shares every detail on its surface with its bigger and more powerful siblings. Unlike the 2.2 liter diesel version, this one doesn’t make do with a single exhaust pipe and has a set of two to insulate you from judgmental eyes looking for badges. Except for the small wheel size, the XF2.0 petrol looks every bit as premium as it’s more expensive and powerful variants. For those with a real appetite for detail, though, the XF 2.0 petrol loses out on the cornering light function of the top spec versions.
To delight its buyers further, the XF 2.0 hardly loses out on any features or equipment on the inside as well. You get all the bells and whistles, including two-zone air conditioning, Sat-nav, a central 7 inch touch screen which is the control center for all functions – we wish it were a bit more hi-res though. The car comes with a great sounding 11 speaker 250W sound system with Bluetooth, mood lighting, a reversing camera (again, we wish it packed in more clarity), sunroof, powered front seats, leather upholstery, powered rear blinds and auto wipers / lights. Heck, the central screen also features a TV tuner, which, in our case wouldn’t be of much help – unless you can pull off the feat of getting entertained with DD Channels. We love the Valet mode, which locks the central screen with a PIN so the valet at a hotel parking or your driver doesn’t tinker around with your personalized settings.
In addition to the features, the interior reeks of an alluring old-worldly charm which isn’t quite there in the machined, ultra precise interior of some other German cars. The veneer-less wood inserts, the little chrome button to release the glove compartment lid, the hi-quality chrome and satin silver inserts – they all feel different and lend the car’s interior a unique character. Then you have the dramatic emergence act of the big chrome drenched drive selector, along with the revelation of A/C vents from a flush dashboard surface upon turning the ignition on – all of this makes this Jag’s cabin a bit more special than the cabins of your ‘regular’ luxury cars. Our only complaint as regards the XF’s cabin is that the interior doesn’t quite feel as expansive as the massive exterior of the car suggests.
So, then, the brand new XF, while not as big on power and performance as its more expensive counterparts – is just as much of an eye candy for a much smaller price tag. Save for the wheels, there’s no way to tell the difference, which makes the XF 2.0 more desirable than the 2.2 liter diesel variant in terms of aesthetics. Also, cars in this segment are meant more to announce your arrival, to make a statement, and the new 2.0 liter variants gives you the maximum bang for your buck on that count. Jaguar has an aura of exclusivity about it – it’s considered more up-market and luxurious than its rival German brands. In that sense, the new XF allows a fantastic new entry point into the brand. Sure the running costs of the petrol variant are (much) higher than the diesel version, but these cars aren’t meant to log big mileage numbers; their purpose is to make a grand impression at occasions that matter. The new XF makes perfect sense by that logic– it offers you all of a true Jag’s bling, at an incredibly sumptuous price.
Price: Rs 48 lakh Ex-Showroom
Technical Specification and features comparison (Click to expand):
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