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By
EWAN KENNEDY
28 July 2008
Jaguar
takes the Australian market very seriously, and not just because
our country is a former British colony. Australia is one of the
most complex and hardest-fought automotive arenas in the world. So
what works here can often be transferred to many other areas of
the world.
As
an example of Jaguar's thinking, a reveal of the
yet-to-be-launched Jaguar XF was carried out in Sydney only weeks
after the world launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year. And
chief designer Ian Callum flew to Australia for the occasion to
talk over his newly hatched baby.
Callum
has managed the difficult task of designing a car that looks
ultra-modern, yet which still carries cues to the fact that it’s
very much a Jaguar. With all that means in the way of a big
radiator grille, round headlights that are faired into the bonnet,
swooping lines and a rear end that looks for all the world like a
big cat crouching ready to leap. The car is aimed at the sports
saloon buyer so has a coupe-like roofline sloping down to the
rear.
Then
there an interior that’s bang up to date. No it’s not just up
to date, it’s a long way ahead of its time, with many instances
of clever lateral thinking that seem sure to be copied by others
in years to come.
Step
into the car and you will see an elegantly simple dashboard that
appears to have no ventilation outlets whatsoever. Nor is there a
slot for an ignition key. Look down at the centre console and
there's no sign of a gear selector or handbrake.
Then
you push the stop/start button, which has sensed you have the key
close by, there's no need to put it into a slot, and it all
unveils before your startled eyes. Smooth blanking panels on the
dash swivel around to reveal ventilation slots and a round knob
rises from the centre console. The latter is a gear selector
unlike anything you have ever seen before. More like a computer
mouse than a gear lever, it can be turned to select the correct
gears. There is a handbrake, but it’s a tiny lever in the
console that’s not immediately obvious.
Just
as fascinating is what happens when you push the start/stop button
to turn off the engine. The dash vents revolve in the opposite
direction to hide themselves, the gear selector sinks silently
back into the console. And as the selector pulls itself down it
automatically selects Park, and the car puts on the handbrake.
It could be called gimmickry, but it all works beautifully, and we
reiterate that this may well be the way of the future in car
interior design.
However,
if you turn off the air conditioning, which is a popular option in
the clear, cool air of our home area on the Gold Coast at this
time of the year, the ventilation slots automatically put
themselves away. The only way to override this and have
non-conditioned air coming into the car is to have them
permanently open. Which doesn’t make sense to us.
Other
than these interesting new design features the interior of the XF
is relatively conservative, reflecting early 21st century design
themes in a neat mixture of the old and the new, and being very
Jaguar in its use of quality leather and timber.
Interior
room is OK for four adults but those in the rear may find
themselves a little short of kneeroom if the front occupants need
their seats a fair way back. Keep in mind that Jaguars have
traditionally been low, sporting saloons and this is a
continuation of that tradition.
Jaguar
XF comes with a full range of engines; 3.0-litre petrol V6,
4.2-litre petrol V8, 4.2-litre petrol V8 with supercharger, and
2.7-litre turbo-diesel.
Our
test car came with the brilliant six-cylinder twin-turbo diesel.
So good is this engine that we defy passengers to pick it as being
a diesel and not a petrol from inside the car. It’s smooth,
quiet and oh-so refined. Only from the outside is there a hint
that this is a compression-ignition engine.
This
diesel uses so little fuel it’s almost scary. We had no trouble
at getting the consumption under six litres per hundred kilometres
in sensible motorway cruising at around 110 to 120 km/h. When
driving around town this rose to a still low eight to ten litres
per hundred and only an attack of the revheads will see it much
over 11 litres per hundred kilometres.
We
doubt whether a tiny Morris Minor sedan could be driven as
economically as that in its heyday 50 years ago… and the big Jag
has considerably more space, grace, pace, safety and sheer
exhilaration of performance than that once-favourite British
‘economy’ car.
Handling
of the Jaguar XF is biased to the comfort side, as suits its main
market of the USA, but it still hangs onto the road with plenty of
determination if you put a bit of Aussie verve into your motoring.
Similarly, the steering is lighter than we like, but does provide
a decent amount of feedback.
Cruise
quietly at high speed and this big Jaguar is right in its element
and a sheer delight to drive, or simply to sit, cossetted, in one
of the passenger seats.
Priced
from $108,350 the Jaguar XF provides excellent value in this
elevated market segment and those keen to get away from the
predictability of buying an upmarket German car should certainly
have this stylish Brit sitting high on their short list.
AT
A GLANCE
MODEL
RANGE
XF 2.7D Luxury 2.7-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $108,350
XF 3.0 V6 Luxury 3.0-litre petrol four-door sedan: $108,350
XF 4.2 V8 Premier Luxury 4.2-litre petrol four-door sedan:
$134,830
XF SV8 4.2-litre supercharged petrol four-door sedan: $173,170
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard in all models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS
(Jaguar XF 2.7-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Engine Capacity: 2.720 litres
Configuration: V6
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 17.3:1
Bore/Stroke: 81.0 mm x 88.0 mm
Maximum Power: 152 kW @ 4000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 435 Nm @ 1900 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.07:1
DIMENSIONS,
WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4961 mm
Wheelbase: 2909 mm
Width: 1877 mm
Height: 1460 mm
Turning Circle: 11.5 metres
Kerb Mass: 1771 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 69.5 litres
Towing Ability: 1850 kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION
AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Double wishbone
Rear Suspension: Multi-link
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 8.2 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Diesel
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.5 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5/10
STANDARD
WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km
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Marque Publishing Company
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