2009 Jaguar XF Road Test

We humans tend to anthropomorphize the things that surround us, from kittens to computers, and of course, our cars. Who hasn't given a name to their favorite sedan or cajoled their SUV to eke out a few more miles on an empty tank of gas?

With the new Jaguar XF, you may have real reason to think it can come to life. Slip inside and you'll notice the heartbeat red of its Start button. As the engine fires up, all sorts of things seem to happen around you - concealed vents rotating into view, while the hidden gearshift knob rises to meet your hand.

A disastrous decade
Next came the remake of the classic XJ sedan. Despite its new aluminum body and chassis, Jaguar's redesigned flagship looked all too much like the old one, and also has languished in the market. Until now, the remade XK coupe and convertible offered the only hope that there was life left in the old brand. While the sports car has its minor flaws, it is a credible competitor in a tough segment. But finally, with the launch of the XF - the desperately needed successor to the S-Type - Jaguar has a no-excuses, no-compromise contender that gives long-suffering Jaguaristas reason to believe.

First, some basics. There'll be three versions of the sedan coming to the States: the Luxury XF, reasonably well-equipped at $49,975; the Premium Luxury XF, which adds such things as onboard navigation, for $55,975; and the top-line Supercharged XF, at $62,975.

The base and mid-line models share Jaguar's naturally aspirated, 4.2-liter V-8. It makes 300 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, launching from 0-60 in a respectable 6.2 seconds. As its name implies, the Supercharged XF features a blown version of the 4.2-liter V-8 that ups the output to a healthy 420 hp, and 413 lb-ft, and cuts the time from naught - as the Brits say - to 60 down to an impressive 5.1 seconds. The Supercharged has a limited top speed of 155 mph, the other models 121 mph.The transmission is a new six-speed automatic that can be driven in fully automatic, sport or manual mode, the latter using the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Some folks will look at the primary Jaguar Sequential Shifter as a gimmick, and perhaps it is, but as mentioned, it's a big improvement over the outdated J-gate automatic, and to our eyes - and hands - much preferable to the mini-stalk approach taken by both BMW and Mercedes-Benz. After a few minutes, it feels natural and looks great.

© Source: thecarconnection
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