The new Jaguar XF saloon is a truly impressive premium car that can be considered a serious rival to the BMW 5 Series in terms of driving dynamics, practicality and running costs.
If you’re interested in buying this British-built saloon, then this is the guide for you. This is our buyer’s guide to the Jaguar XF, where we cover all kinds of things buyers will want to know about, including engines, colours, trims and pricing.
Styling
Now in its second-generation, the styling changes compared to the previous XF are really quite subtle. However, they are effective in giving the latest Jaguar saloon a sportier look, without losing its classy, premium vibe.
Speaking of the exterior, the XF’s standard features include automatic headlamps, a heated rear windscreen, rain sensing windscreen wipers, electric windows and partial LED rear lights. 17-inch alloy wheels are also standard, but certain higher trim models use 18-inch alloys instead and the top trim uses 19-inch alloys.
There are two solid paint jobs as standard, including Polaris White and Ebony Black, while the metallic paint colours are a £675 option, but offer a lot more variety. For higher trim levels there are also ‘Premium’ paint jobs available, such as Tempest Grey and Black Berry, each costing £1,700 to select.
Trims and equipment
The selection of trims when buying a new XF begins with Prestige and is followed by R-Sport, Portfolio and S.
Prestige trim models come with luxuries such as the InControl computer with an eight-inch touchscreen. This gadget supports sat-nav, Wi-Fi, apps and an Emergency and Breakdown Calling service for the warranty period.
Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, rear parking sensors and iPod and auxiliary input are other standard features for the Prestige trim.
A cool little feature to note about each new XF is that the steering wheel now comes from the F-TYPE sports car.
Add-ons from the R-Sport trim include the R-Sport bodykit with some aluminium inserts as well as contrasting stitching for the leather and heated sport seats. Also added is a sports suspension and bright sport pedals.
The Portfolio features keyless entry, ten-way electrically adjustable front seats and leather wrapped facia trim.
Like other premium saloons, the XF comes with lots of standard kit, but there’s a wide range of accessories and optional kits available, too. These options can significantly increase the price of the car however, so look carefully at the brochure or contact your dealer to determine what’s offered in an option pack and if you think it’s really worth adding.
Engines
The engine line-up for the latest XF features the 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel, used for Prestige, R-Sport and Portfolio trims. It is also available for the smaller XE saloon. This is a recently created engine by Jaguar which offers impressive frugality combined with respectable performance. It can return up to around 70mpg and CO2 emissions are from just 104g/km.
If running costs or using as a business car is a priority, then an Ingenium diesel is the obvious engine choice when going for the XF. It can produce 161bhp or 178bhp and comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, though an eight-speed automatic is also available.
With either gearbox, the 161bhp Ingenium covers the 0-60mph sprint in 8.2 seconds. The 178bhp version takes 7.5 seconds with the manual, or 7.7 with the automatic ‘box.
The Jaguar XF S is the one pick for those interested in exciting performance, as this version comes with either a 296bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel or a 375bhp 3.0-litre V6 petrol. Both use the eight-speed automatic gearbox only and have an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.
The diesel takes 5.8 seconds to go from zero to 60mph, while the petrol V6 takes just 5.1 seconds.
Official figures show the V6 diesel can still manage 144g/km in CO2 and just over 51mpg on the combined fuel cycle. The V6 petrol projects 34mpg combined and CO2 emissions of 198g/km.
Pricing
Compared to its main rivals, the latest Jaguar XF is not the most affordable of premium saloons on the market, but it’s not the most expensive either. It finds itself situated between the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes E-Class.
Pricing starts at around £32,300 for the Prestige trim, rising to around £34,000 for the R-Sport and roughly £36,500 for the Portfolio. You’ll probably spend about £33k at minimum if you’re thinking about the more powerful 178bhp Ingenium diesel.
As for the XF S, expect to spend about £50,000 on either the diesel or petrol-powered versions.