Test drive Jaguar XF
Around February 2016, sales of the second generation Jaguar XF will begin in Russia. The current model has been on sale since 2008 and was restyled in 2011. All this time, the car is trying to impose a struggle for a buyer on the models of the big German three. The British say there is something about Jaguar that is not found in BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz. As we saw off the first XF, we tried to find out how the XF is radically different from its competitors.
The train leaves at 5:33, and I definitely have to make it. If I’m even a minute late, I’ll lose at least ten: first it will leave the station, then the oncoming freight train will pass, and then a lone shunting train will follow. All this time I will be standing right at the closed barrier, reproaching myself for not being able to leave at least five minutes earlier. However, today I must not be late.
This happens almost every Monday, when Muscovites who have spent the night at their dachas are trying to break into the city as early as possible so as not to add to the red statistics of traffic jams on suburban highways. The splashing of tires on the asphalt joints of the local highway begins to reach from five in the morning, and now I will also add a couple of my notes. But in the cabin I can't hear them, just as I can't hear the engine - the speed is growing, and in the acoustic accompaniment, only the non-tensioned noise of the dissected air mass prevails. And even then only thanks to the R-Sport body kit, which easily flirts with the oncoming stream, pressing the car into the asphalt.
Hurrying to move along an empty road that is viewed for kilometers ahead, I drive a little faster than reasonable, but at some point I still lose the feeling of speed. I catch up with the passing car, turn on the left turn signal, go out to overtake with a soft movement of the steering wheel, press down on the accelerator. But where is the coveted shot? It turns out that I forgot to look at the speedometer - the overtaken one was walking at a speed much higher than allowed. The Jaguar XF, with its amazing acoustic comfort, completely dulled my senses. It is still worth looking at the devices more often.
Driving fast on wide highways is a pleasure. The sedan is so light and comfortable at high speeds that you forget about the restrictions instantly. Moreover, the engine is about the same: the stock of the "six" is very decent, and it is quite easy to handle it. Is that the trouble with the steering. More precisely, with the roads: 19-inch wheels react so nervously to ruts that the car starts to pull left and right, and a light "steering wheel" in these conditions requires strong, but sensual hugs. No rudeness.
This is the very case when it is easier to accept and accept. For the agility of the power unit and the incredible ability to rush without stress, the car can be forgiven for the nervous steering and poor equipment that is out of class. The graphics of the instruments and media system are outdated, there is no navigator, as well as a long list of assistant systems, but the charisma of Ian Callum's style has not been lost over the years, and the aluminum rims of the steering column levers still pleasantly cool your fingers. I like it and I will be happy to go further as soon as the train passes in front of me. The one at 5:25.
Technique
The XF sedan is built on the redesigned DEW98 platform created by Ford. The share of high-strength and ultra-strong steels has been increased to 25%. The version we tested was powered by a 3,0-liter 340-horsepower supercharged V6 petrol engine. Such a car accelerates to 100 km / h in 5,8 seconds and is capable of reaching a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour.
This happens almost every Monday, when Muscovites who have spent the night at their dachas are trying to break into the city as early as possible so as not to add to the red statistics of traffic jams on suburban highways. The splashing of tires on the asphalt joints of the local highway begins to reach from five in the morning, and now I will also add a couple of my notes. But in the cabin I can't hear them, just as I can't hear the engine - the speed is growing, and in the acoustic accompaniment, only the non-tensioned noise of the dissected air mass prevails. And even then only thanks to the R-Sport body kit, which easily flirts with the oncoming stream, pressing the car into the asphalt.
Hurrying to move along an empty road that is viewed for kilometers ahead, I drive a little faster than reasonable, but at some point I still lose the feeling of speed. I catch up with the passing car, turn on the left turn signal, go out to overtake with a soft movement of the steering wheel, press down on the accelerator. But where is the coveted shot? It turns out that I forgot to look at the speedometer - the overtaken one was walking at a speed much higher than allowed. The Jaguar XF, with its amazing acoustic comfort, completely dulled my senses. It is still worth looking at the devices more often.
Driving fast on wide highways is a pleasure. The sedan is so light and comfortable at high speeds that you forget about the restrictions instantly. Moreover, the engine is about the same: the stock of the "six" is very decent, and it is quite easy to handle it. Is that the trouble with the steering. More precisely, with the roads: 19-inch wheels react so nervously to ruts that the car starts to pull left and right, and a light "steering wheel" in these conditions requires strong, but sensual hugs. No rudeness.
This is the very case when it is easier to accept and accept. For the agility of the power unit and the incredible ability to rush without stress, the car can be forgiven for the nervous steering and poor equipment that is out of class. The graphics of the instruments and media system are outdated, there is no navigator, as well as a long list of assistant systems, but the charisma of Ian Callum's style has not been lost over the years, and the aluminum rims of the steering column levers still pleasantly cool your fingers. I like it and I will be happy to go further as soon as the train passes in front of me. The one at 5:25.
The power unit is paired with the ZF 8HP 8-speed automatic gearbox, which can jump several steps down at once, for example, when overtaking quickly.
Our XF was four-wheel drive. The all-wheel drive transmission for Jaguar is produced by Magna Steyr. She also supplies BMW with branded xDrive. It is not surprising that the systems are similar: there is no rigid distribution of torque along the axes, the ratio changes dynamically depending on conditions. With a sharp start, the rear axle can account for up to 95% of the traction, and when starting in winter mode, only 70%. In case of slipping of one of the wheels, the system will transfer torque, but never give more than 50% to the front axle.
The XF has an independent double wishbone suspension at the front and an independent double wishbone suspension at the rear. The sedan, thanks to Adaptive Dynamics technology, monitors and analyzes the parameters of speed, steering and body movements 500 times per second. At the same time, electronic shock absorbers constantly adapt to the changing situation and optimize the suspension performance depending on the current conditions.
Back in early 2015, at a gas station, I met with an interesting type of fraud. A young man in a black Jaguar XF asked for help from visitors - he allegedly did not have enough money for gasoline to get to his native Voronezh in a recently purchased car. All the money went to bribe police officers. And this rather silly story seemed to work just fine. Moreover, on the Internet, in the description of fraud, it was the black Jaguar that most often appeared.
On the one hand, it is hard to believe that the owner of the Jaguar XF needs money for gasoline, but on the other hand, will he really deceive you? It seems that the XF played almost the main role in the scam: it added credibility to its driver, attracted the attention of others. And he's just really handsome. And this argument works better than the others.
It is worth pressing the engine start button, and a small performance begins in the car: under the roar of the engine, the air vents open smoothly, and the gearbox switch in the form of a washer leaves the central tunnel. But any euphoria can be tempered by Moscow traffic jams. But the XF does not allow the driver to be disappointed in it: the car moves absolutely comfortably in dense city traffic, without adding nervousness at all due to the unrealizable potential of the motor. Those 340 horsepower under the hood don't make the Jaguar jump and rush from line to line. The car seems to teach its driver to be an aristocrat - not to rush, not to show off and, most importantly, not to lose your temper. But once you switch the box to Sport, it's like a different Jaguar - the sensitivity of the gas pedal increases, the suspension feels stiffer, and the automatic transmission begins to shift gears more actively.
The aristocratic manners of Jaguar are especially noticeable outside the Moscow Ring Road - where the roads are no longer predictable. If you have a decent asphalt road leading to your country house, low-profile tires on R19 rims may not be a problem. But where patching or rubble instead of asphalt is popular, the Jaguar will move at a snail's pace, and its driver will remember all the expressions that are not characteristic of an aristocrat.
Packages and prices
The Russian Jaguar XF is sold with three engines. The most affordable version is equipped with a 2,0-liter unit with a capacity of 240 horsepower (acceleration to 100 km / h - 7,9 seconds). The price for this version starts at $31. The next option is with a 959-liter diesel engine with a capacity of 3,0 hp. With. (275 s) - can be purchased for a minimum of $6,4. The XF with a 42-liter petrol unit (799 hp, 3,0 s to 340 km/h) starts at $5,8.
The version we tested was equipped with an R-Sport body kit and a wide range of options, from a black grille and mirror memory to a Meridian audio system. This option costs $55 - and it's not the most expensive version of all possible.
The top-of-the-line XF will be equipped with 8 airbags, emergency braking assistance, suspension adjustment, tire pressure monitoring, lane change assistant, electric sunroof, decorative carbon inserts in the cabin, electric rear window blind, adaptive road lighting and long-range control light, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, rear view camera, navigation system and aerodynamic body kit. This option will cost about $ 60.
XF competes, in addition to German models, with the "Japanese" - Lexus GS and Infiniti Q70. The most expensive Q70 (408 hp, 5,4 s to 100 km / h) in a configuration similar to the XF version that we had on the test, the configuration will cost $ 44. And the 495-horsepower GS, which accelerates to 317 km / h in 100 seconds, costs $6,3 in the maximum configuration.
Audi A6 with 333 hp engine from. (5,1 s) will cost about $ 57 all-wheel drive BMW 404i (535 hp, 306 s) with the M-package - about $ 5,6 and the Mercedes-Benz E58 739MATIC (400 hp, 4 s) with the AMG package - at least $ 333.
A cat walks along a narrow cornice between German perfectionism and Asian pathos, as usual, by itself. As a rule, individualists go after this cat: the XF is not like any other car, neither in appearance nor in habits. This difference cannot be expressed in millimeters, horsepower and tenths of a second. It is felt at the level of emotions. Well, who else from the competitors offers compressor motors with their sensual voice and incomparable traction? And how do you like the washer-selector "machine"? And the air ducts that appear from the central panel at launch - perhaps these ceremonies are a little far-fetched, but only the Jaguar has them.
The interior is geometric and devoid of pretentiousness. The abundance of aluminum and carbon fiber surfaces cannot change his mood - inside is old-fashioned and solid comfort. The XF is the first Jaguar of a new era, created without regard to the look of classic cars. And all the new cars of the company are like it. But moving away from retro style, the British still retained a conservative approach to luxury. Interior materials, buttons, handles - a feast for the tactile gourmet.
XF is not a car for rear passengers. The second row is cramped: the roof and backs of the front seats are pressing, and the doorway is too narrow. But this is not a "driver car" in the sense in which we are accustomed to it - without furious rigidity and twitching. Even with the R-Sport body kit and 19-inch wheels, the XF is soft and responsive to the steering wheel and accelerator. Moreover, the car does not seem angry even in the extreme version of the XFR-S with the frenzied recoil of the compressor "eight". But there the rear axle shakes during acceleration even on dry asphalt, and here is a sedan with a less powerful V6 engine and, in addition, all-wheel drive. The car can also be positioned sideways in a turn - the transmission of traction to the rear axle is always a priority.
If everything is in order with the heritage, traditions and breed, then high technologies are not yet up to the mark. We are talking about the multimedia system - the touch screen reacts to touches with a delay, the menu is extremely confusing. No wonder other premium brands are in no hurry to switch to touch control. However, I managed to ride the new generation of XF and I will say that the British have made significant progress in the multimedia issue. And at the same time, change the character of the new generation machine. But this is already a topic for another material.
History
The Jaguar XF, designed by Jan Callum, was unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show and replaced the S-Type. The first mid-size sedan in the history of the company was the SS Jaguar, released in 1935 and later renamed the Mark IV. The top version of this model accelerated to 100 km / h in 30 seconds and could reach a top speed of 113 kilometers per hour.
In 1949, production of the Mark IV was discontinued, and a new mid-size sedan from Jaguar did not appear until 1955. It was the Mark I model, which after 4 years was modified and named Mark II, and later (in 1967) was renamed into Jaguar 240 and Jaguar 340, depending on the engine installed on the car (or a 2,5-liter 120 hp ., or 3,4-liter with 213 horsepower).
In 1963, Jaguar introduced the S-Type, which was also based on the Mark II but had a more luxurious interior and more options. The same S-Type that was replaced by the XF appeared only in 1999, when Jaguar was part of the Ford concern. It was created on the Lincoln LS platform and was primarily intended for the American market. The model lasted 9 years on the assembly line - until 2008, when sales of the XF began. Already in autumn 2015, the second generation XF will go on sale in the UK.
I have waited so long for a malfunction of the Jaguar multimedia system, which is criticized by absolutely everything that waited for a stone in the windshield. A huge cobblestone that flew out from under the GAZelle hit the frame of the working windshield wiper. It happened exactly at the moment when I was trying to adjust the optimal level of heating the driver's seat through the touch screen. I did not use this option anymore, and I stopped driving along the old Kashirka.
Nikolay Zagvozdkin
The XF in the R-Sport version forces you to abandon those habits that are firmly rooted in the metropolitan. Disperse with an oncoming car in the yard, jumping on a low curb? The sedan has mud flaps that are too stiff. Park right next to the curb? The XF doesn't allow for that luxury due to the delicate 19-inch alloy wheels. Even in "MacAuto" I stopped driving - I'm afraid to catch barely noticeable columns with a low threshold. What can we say about the broken bridge on Andropov Avenue.
The XF element is a winding highway (there are such?) with perfect asphalt, where in every turn the sedan, as if suspended from a cable car, soars above the asphalt. The ideal trajectory for entering a turn can only be drawn in your head - a little steering correction, and Jaguar will do everything itself, allowing a slight skid of the rear axle. Overcoming turns with a 340-strong compressor “six” is a real pleasure. An incredible traction reserve allows you to make seemingly unforgivable mistakes and immediately correct them.
“Wow brakes,” the parking lot neighbor, who doesn’t recognize anything but the G-Class AMG, for some reason took notice of the 340mm XF brake discs. And you know what? For a year of acquaintance, I did not hear a word from him, although from time to time I left Corvette, Lexus RC F and Panamera Turbo next to his SUV.
