The New Jaguar XF... A Step Backwards?

I know you have looked at the title thinking ‘what are you going on about?’ But hear me out…

Just for a moment consider where Jaguar have come from in recent years. It was only 10 years ago the X and S-Type were just not up to the job (no surprise) Ford, the owners were riddled in a financial crisis and decided to sell Jaguar, and empty their bank account on the way out.
Then along came TATA money and the XF! The XF had to sell otherwise it could be curtains. Thankfully it did and Jaguar is still very much with us today, frankly making a comeback like that of Lazarus.

In 2012 the XF received a striking facelift giving really making it more of a up market premium looker and very expensive looks. It’s been our Family car since 2013 and even to this day, people still give it a second glance. It has a certain presence, it looks purposeful, powerful, menacing. The best thing about it is the way it makes you feel, it really does make you feel a million pounds, it feels perfect for any occasion.

Yes I know on paper its rivals are better but that’s not the point, it’s not what’s on paper which makes it good. The interior is something special, the air vents rotating round as you start up. Even tiny details like the chrome button to release the glove box and the velvet around the door sills, it’s all a bit special, and superbly well built and put together. Makes you smile each time you start it up.

2015 saw the release of the XE, and I have driven it several times, drives great lightwight construction and new clever suspension. But it lacks character, looks bland and the interior…….oh dear oh dear. Cheap plastics, strange door panel designs and side air vents that are at the perfect height to freeze or roast your right knuckle. This isn’t really Jaguar, I expected more to meet the hype.

But never mind, the new XF is coming and all will be glorious……err no. Gone are the striking looks and in its place is this XE which has been put through the office photocopier at 125%. Nothing wrong with it but it just blends in too much, that’s another thing I liked about the last XF, it went against the grain of the usual common euro boxes.

I get why they gave it the same style headlights to give it a family look, but I feel the old ones just gave it a distinctive look, if you saw one driving towards you half a mile away you knew it was an XF. Now you sort of squint and just guess if it’s an XE or XF.

Yes if you look on paper the new XF out does its predecessor in every aspect. Better performance, better economy, more space, lighter, and so on. Yes cheaper taxes make it a better prospect for buyers and businessmen alike, and as is shares the XE’s new suspension it feels like it’s on rails. The new inControl touch system is a million times better than the clunky and slow system in the last XF, still not BMW iDrive standard but for the majority of people it’s fine. The new seats Jaguar are putting in their cars are fantastic, super comfortable and supportive for when you’re driving a little more vigorously.

The new ingenium diesels are a little rattley but they offer strong performance and decent real world economy, (expect high 30’s low 40’s driving around town) Far better than the old 2.2D engine. The ZF 8 speed auto is as smooth as ever and slightly more responsive than in the last XF, the best auto box going. Jaguar really have got their act together when it comes to programming its automatic transmissions.

So you may wonder what my issue is. Well it’s this…. The New XF simply doesn’t feel special like the last one. It doesn’t look nor make you feel like a million pounds. Yes on paper it has advanced but sit inside and gone is the beautiful small touches, like the rotating vents, glove box button, the velvet around the doors and so has the build quality. Now it’s cheap hard plastics and it just feels so sedate and boring.

Gone are the second looks from people in the street, they now simply walk on by thinking it’s an Audi. I know it will sell, people like to buy cars off what a piece of paper says, but a car should feel special and have a personality, and in this respect the new XF feels like a step backwards from its predecessor.

The New XF is undeniably a formidable package, definitely give it a go, but just (for me) falls short of it’s rivals due to its boring cheap interior and bland forgettable exterior. I don’t doubt for a minute that Jaguar will keep improving, but for now if I wanted to buy an XF I’d be looking in the used market.

Good Job Jaguar, but you can (and have) done better.

7/10