When you think of Jaguar, you think of old men with pipes, tweed jackets and of course Inspector Morse! Three things that I would have a hard time, even with my imaginative little mind, to describe as glamorous, exciting, or in contact with people under 55.
For the last 40 years, Jaguar remained in a safe market where they knew they would attract… 55-100 years… for far too long. This is part of the reason they were in the financial **** and were brought in by Tata (not the stuff that puts you in the teeth). I honestly thought it would be the death of Jaguar, but I’m happy to say I’ve been surprised by changing this brand. I almost expected Jaguar dealerships to transform from what was once a great British automotive institution into one of the world’s largest curry house chains.
If you look back to the 60s, the Jaguar Mk 2 was the getaway car of choice for gangsters! When the E-type was launched, Enzo Ferrari himself called it “The most beautiful car ever made”. That is the teacher praising the student or like when Pelé said that George Best was the best player he had ever seen. So why, when they had it so good, let it go so bad!?
The XJ-S was a poor replacement for the E-type and Jaguar didn’t really replace the Mk 2 or S type until the launch of the new S type some 30 years later, which looked sadly like the Rover 75 and X type. it was an expensive Mondeo with a Jaguar badge.
They had the right idea with the XJ220 and the first XK8, but they were still missing something that made many people stop and go ‘wow’.
Fortunately, in 2008, Jaguar really nailed it with the XF. This car looks great!!! It is the car that has reshaped and reinvigorated the Jaguar brand while blending modern styling with traditional Jaguar values to great effect. It has to be said that Jaguar have really hit Audi and BMW where it hurts (right on the ‘repmobiles’!) and luckily they haven’t rested on that. They want to be known for building the ultimate sedan by going up against BMW’s incredible M5 and the phenomenal Audi RS6 in the form of the XF-R.
I have a hard time getting out of bed at 6am on a Friday, but as I had to be in our office by 7am, the idea of a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 with 503bhp certainly made it easier. When I arrived, I couldn’t help but admire some of the additional styles on top of the standard XF. Body work + additional air vents that say SUPERCHARGED, give the car a much more aggressive stance. Jaguar took the liberty of stamping it on the 20-inch alloy wheels, which I thought was a great touch. They’ve also continued to use the brilliant styling cues from the standard XF, like the gear stick that pops out of the center console when you start the car and the air vents that spin electronically and disappear when you turn them on and off. Little things like that let you know Jaguar means business.
On the way back to Nottingham, at 7:15am on an empty A52, I was not only amazed at how fast the car got to erm……….70mph, but how smooth and effortless it got there as well. I’ve driven countless cars that will hit 70mph really fast and I can honestly say this is the easiest 70mph I’ve ever done! It just eats up the road as comfortably as possible, even in the most extreme dynamic mode, which basically adjusts everything from throttle response to suspension to improve cornering for the most “enthusiastic” drivers, shall we say.
The basic facts you need to know about this car are that it does 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, which is impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the 50-70 mph in 1.9 seconds, which is ridiculous (clearly the Indian owners have put some Vindaloo nonsense mixed with about a million Scotch Bonnet chilies up front) and faster than a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640! Not bad for a car weighing 2,345kg. It’s supposedly limited to 155mph, although a “modified” XFR, producing 600bhp, reached a top speed of 225.675mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in November 2008, which isn’t bad at all for a 4-door saloon.
Through the winding roads of the country it handles almost as well as one would hope/expect. However, I think it lacks the poise and precision of the M5 or RS6 in the corners, but it more than makes up for it as a car to live in every day, although you will need a lot of money if you have a heavy right. foot like me, as he drinks faster than 100 repeat alcoholics in a Smirnoff vodka factory. I had the car for a week, did 800 miles and used almost £300.00 on Super Unleaded. OH!!
I personally think this is a hugely impressive car, as well as a huge improvement on Jaguar’s previous efforts in this market. It has everything going for it and, in my opinion, is flashier than the competition, a more comfortable and well-designed interior, a supercar that matches performance, and hugely impressive levels of space and quality. The M5 is more impressive in the corners, but it’s less specced and not as forgiving for day-to-day living. Combine all this with the fact that the Jaguar costs ‘only’ £59,900, making it a wickedly cheap car compared to £65,300 for the M5 and stupidly expensive £74,555 for the RS6.
For me, I would have the Jaguar every time.
Now to Sainsbury’s to put the Lottery…….