I always had a weakness for Jaguars. Your servant owns one since his twenties, a dark grey 3.4 litre Mark II S-type, built in 1961. I have kept it ever since, and love the deep, growling sound of the six cylinder straight six, the performance, the aura of sporting luxury in the interior, the styling, you name it. I also like very much the shape of the new Jaguar XF, its compactness, the sporting elegance and luxurious efficiency it exudes.

Needless to say I was delighted to drive the car with its new 3 liter V6 Diesel engine, here you read my impressions…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

A (French) lion’s heart

We all know that Peugeot is an excellent “motoriste” or (Diesel) engine builder, and Jaguar made a very wise choice to choose their V6 engine as a basis for their Diesel versions. And what a formidable engine the new 3 litre V6 is. It packs 275 healthy horsepowers under the bonnet, but even more impressive is the way this power is delivered. A key feature of the new engine is the unique, parallel sequential turbocharger system, the first of its type to be fitted to a V-engine anywhere in the world.

Combines punch with uncanny smoothness and frugality: the new 3 litre V6 Diesel.

For most day-to-day driving, including motorway cruising, a responsive, variable-geometry primary turbocharger does all the work, while the smaller, fixed-geometry, secondary turbo is dormant, saving energy and improving efficiency. When the engine revs climb above 2800rpm, the secondary turbo is brought on line within 300 milliseconds, smoothly and seamlessly boosting the engine output with no discernible turbo-lag or power-step.  Indeed, when revving the Diesel engine up in the gears, the power seems to increase ever more, like a thoroughbred petrol engine, and none of the usual “high rev fatigue” of normal Diesel engines is being felt here.

Instant low-rev response.

Some manufacturers rely on a smaller turbo for primary use, only using a larger turbo when higher power is required. Though effective, this has the disadvantage of raised exhaust pressure and increased pumping losses. The Jaguar system uses a larger, variable-geometry turbocharger most of the time, which not only reduces pumping losses, but also improves fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Tha car exudes dynamic elegance from any angle...  

Jaguar engineers particularly focused on the issue of turbocharger ‘lag’ at low engine speeds. The new AJ-V6D Gen III 3.0-litre diesels deliver 500Nm of torque in only 500 milliseconds from idle…

This means that this feline can really jump on its (asphalt) prey. The Jag will speed from 0 to 100 kph in a mere 6.4 seconds, with the excellent ZF 6HP28 electronically controlled, six speed transmission doing a beautiful job.

The round knob has to be turned in the "S" position to select a more sporting driving style. Note that there are also paddles at the steering wheel for the (even more) sporting Jaguar enthusiast...  

The box changes imperceptibly smooth even under hard acceleration, and responds instantly to any throttle commands. An “S” mode, chosen with a simple turn on the round selector knob,  will let rev the engine higher, which is useful when driving with spirit on winding roads. In normal conditions, the gearbox makes excellent use of the formidable engine torque at (very) low revs, and one finds oneself often driving at  1000 tot 1500 rpm, enjoying also the beautiful deep subdued growl of the large six under the bonnet. A true Jaguar indeed…

The transmission has also a torsional damper to absorb firing impulses from the engine, smoothing the drive line, and one indeed has the impression that an ideally balanced “straight” six is doing its work here, enhancing further this unique “Jaguar feeling”.

Jaguar aura inside and out.  

The instrumentation, the tasteful use of wooden inlays, the colors of the leather seats and door panels and insets, the wide console give this unique Jaguar cabin 'ambiance' or feeling, and one instantly feels at home.

The Drivers' seat can be adjusted in not less than 16 ways...

The Portfolio version we drove adds another touch of luxury with bespoke details such as contrast stitching on leather trim and a wider choice of veneers and trim colors.

The cruise control is so intuitive to use, that it does not need any explanation from the driver's manual to get familiar with it.

All the accessories like speed control for example are intuitively easy to use, and this is one of the rare premium cars where one can use all the functions and be accustomed to the car in minutes without reverting to a thick instruction manual…

The interior wood inlays and colour combinations with the leather panels are very tasteful indeed in the must luxurious Portfolio version we drove.  

The XF expresses “a dramatic expression of a bold new Jaguar design language” as the manufacturer puts it, and indeed it looks good from any angle. Seating position is also excellent, where I must admit that I am not a long- legged person, so it is always easier for me to find a good seating position in (m)any car(s.) But the XF portfolio version has 16 and 12-way adjustable front seats with actively ventilated heating and/or cooling, so I do not need to give any further comments here…

Beautiful instrumentation is of course also a Jaguar hallmark...
 

Road behavior is  beyond reproach, the Jaguar chassis and suspension is well up to the power, with of course the classic  electronic systems assisting the eager Jaguar driver.

Performance and fugality…

The new engine produces 10 percent less CO2 than the 2.7-litre, and meets the forthcoming EU5 regulations, due to come into force at the start of 2011.

The rear passengers find outstanding creature comfort in the XF...
 

The manufacturer quotes an average fuel consumption of 9.5 litres 100 km, dropping on the open road to as low as 5.5 litres. We averaged 7.5 litres, driving the car smoothly with restraint most of the time, just enjoying the car… of course combining it with the occasional burst of massive power, as a true Jaguar driver should!

Hans Knol ten Bensel

The sporting feline Jaguar emblem is worn with pride on the boot lid, as the car has indeed performance to match...

Also on the steering wheel the emblem is proudly worn...

... as it is on the grille.

The speedometer scale tells it all: this is a (very) fast car. The top speed is an electronically limited 250 kph.

We tested the more powerful "S" version...