J
aguar has had a tough time of it
over the years. The more nostalgic
will forever associate Jaguars with
the glory days of the E-type, a time when
swooping lines and outrageous
moustaches were de rigueur and life was a
chrome-plated joy.
However, the 1970s didn't help much,
mainly because the cars worked
infrequently and the workforce building
them even less than that. The glory days
were over, stamped out with a British
Leyland badge and a fuel crisis which left
owners of thirsty V12s out of pocket and
wishing they had bought something more
reliable and Japanese.
It wasn't all roses in the new
millennium, either. In 2001, the pile 'em
high sell 'em cheap ethos of the X-type
went against everything Jaguar stood for,
and somehow it was never as good as the
Mondeo on which it is based, a fact
which was reflected in its dismal sales.
These days, however, things are
different. Jaguar has queitly started to
shine again, and now, with a stable of
well-sorted, pretty cars, it's looking in
good shape. And it just got better.
This XF was always going to be an
important car for Jaguar. From the start, it
had a huge weight on its shoulders, and
for one very good reason. It would have to
be better than a BMW 5 series. Faced with
that most monumental of tasks, the XF
needed to make BMW and Mercedes
drivers throw down
their keys in a fit of
patriotism and
shout `I've got to get
me one of those.'
And from the
outside, it's got the
competition licked.
A new design
language at Jaguar
has meant that
thankfully, unlike
the S-type which
preceded it, the XF isn't a sop to the
company's heritage; it doesn't ooze
nostalgia and it isn't cloyingly retro. It's a
clean, modern shape with elements of
Aston (inevitable, given the designer), and
it looks lean and poised, as a Jaguar should.
This isn't to say, however, it's forgotten
its roots completely � there are hints of
E-type and Mk2 in there, but in such
subtle form that, as a whole, it's a modern
interpretation of a Jaguar, not a pastiche.
Things only get better inside. There are
no cars in this class with a better interior
� fact. Heft open one of the doors and
you're greeted
with a real sense
of occasion.
Double-stitched
leather, confident
lines and every
surface draped in
fine hide,
aluminium or real
wood exude
quality, and it's
been properly put
together, too.
As you lower yourself in, you'll notice
that the starter button is pulsing like a
heartbeat, and when you start the car the
air vents swivel around to open and the
rotary gear shift rises majestically out of the
centre console. I know dashboard theatrics
The XF needs to make
BMW drivers throw
down their keys in
a fit of patriotism and
shout `I've got to get
me one of those'
32
Jaguar XF

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