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The landlord is in a hurry
Jaguar XF 35t - British alternative?
Test of the Jaguar XF with supercharged V6 engine
If you write about a test car from England, then the constructed arguments and bridges to the German competitors must quickly serve. A Jaguar has a completely different target group. You drive a Jaguar because you want to attract attention with your choice of vehicle. A lack of reliability, historically proven, or a processing that is far from the spectacular level of the Ingolstadt? All of this is accepted in order to park an aristocrat in the courtyard entrance. Or not?
The same applies to automotive journalists as to automotive bloggers: the drawers are filled and every brand has been given a brand image. But sometimes you have to pinch yourself, take a quick look around, shake it again and then throw your own prejudices overboard. For example, when driving Jaguar's new XF 35t AWD.
In the test of the Jaguar XF 35t AWD
The XF has to face the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Or not. As mentioned at the beginning, Jaguar buyers are probably not classic company car buyers at all. Probably Lexus, Infiniti or Cadillac are more on the list of interested parties. Since TATA entered the brand with a lot of money, the English have made good strides. The new Jaguar XF, for example, consists of a body made mostly of aluminum. Elaborate axle constructions, also made from the light material, a tidy cockpit and a wide range of engines. The Briton is by no means old-fashioned.
When the new Jaguar XF was shown in front of our door, I was very excited. How good did the sedan get? Driving fun? Aristocracy? Dynamics? Processing? The demands in the upper middle class are massive. And to make it clear right away: Yes, good, very good, moderate and disappointing - everything appears in the result!
190 kilograms lighter than its predecessor and almost 100 kilograms lighter than its competitors in the segment. The Jaguar XF's diet is having an effect. And that helps doubly. While people with a strong tendency to reason would probably choose one of the new diesel engines, the test car had to be tested in the petrol version with 340 hp. If it's a Jaguar, then it's different than the others. This also applies to the engine. Although there is a “t” in the name, the V6 petrol engine is equipped with a compressor in the bank angle and not with a turbocharger. This leads to plenty of power from the basement, but also to its own unique background noise. You can always hear the compressor humming a little. And even if modern turbo engines are seen as a solution to the balancing act between performance and efficiency, one has to be amazed at how efficient the Twin-Vortex supercharged V6 was in everyday life. However, you may have had one or two doubts about its 340 hp. 450 Newton meters? Even though the 8-speed automatic transmission from ZF (ZF 8HP70) made every effort - you can't imagine a better transmission for this car - massive doubts remained about the factory specifications. 5.4 seconds to 100 km/h? Unfortunately, we couldn't measure the performance, but it felt like at least 0.9 seconds or more were missing. Even from 200 km/h onwards, the propulsion felt slightly weak; the V-Max of 250 km/h was not possible due to the lack of the right tires. (The test took place in March, at which time winter tires were still installed), but the XF did not feel as sporty as 340 hp sounds in its Prestige equipment.
Still pleasing: the interior of the XF. Soft leather and little rustic plastic convey the landlord mood you imagine when buying a Jaguar. When it comes to workmanship, Jaguar is a world further ahead than it was a few years ago, but as soon as you look behind the scenes, you find the dictates of saving money and the pressure in automobile manufacturing. A look into the trunk is an example. With the trunk lid open, look towards the parcel shelf. This just works better. There has been massive progress in the areas of operating logic, entertainment and navigation. The 10.1 inch display appears tidy and clearly structured, but there is still room for improvement, especially in the operating logic. Or the steering wheel with its many buttons, the menu navigation behind it that is not always clear and the complicated-looking multifunction display in the cockpit. The criticism here always comes from car testers who drive a different vehicle every 14 days and the adjustment that you have as a customer doesn't really take place. However, there is still one point of criticism about the navigation system: it simply calculates too slowly!
But the Jaguar remains a driver's car. Including variable dampers and electronic adjustments to the transmission, engine and chassis, which can no longer be taken out of the class, the talent of the XF ranges from the quiet glider to the sporty sedan representative. Whereby, and it's not because of the 1700 kilos curb weight or the transmission, the XF35t doesn't look really sporty. But always safe. Thanks to all-wheel drive never overwhelmed even on wet roads, he prefers the clearly comfortable long route. There he plays his trump cards. And - that was a surprise in the test: If you don't constantly chase the V6 over the 4.000 line, you will find a balanced AND economical car. Less than 10 liters are possible without any problems, the 8.6 liters brought in by Jaguar in the NEDC are feasible. 15 at fast autobahn chase too.
After the test, one can say: the XF is significantly better than its predecessor and at the same time probably the most sophisticated and modern Jaguar in the range. And it is closer to the German premium top dogs than ever before. For the first time it actually drives at eye level. Although you have to squint, because the Jaguar doesn't want to keep up with BMW and Co, it wants to be the alternative. And he does it very well!
[=”notification_mark” ]The ideal car for:Not just for tea drinkers and cricket players. The Jaguar XF impresses above all with driving dynamics and workmanship. Although future buyers should pay little attention to the details here. Still, whoever wanted to drive a Jaguar because he thought it suited his character - this is the first Jaguar without a headache at the expert.
[=” ” ]Alternative to: Lexus GS, Infiniti Q70 and other exotic vehicles. Okay, also for the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6.
Match with: Freelancers with status thinking.
That convinces: Lightweight construction and driving feel are great.
All technical data of the Jaguar XF 35t AWD at a glance:
The vehicle registration for the Jaguar XF 35t AWD
| For sale: | he follows |
| Base Price: | From € 64.870 |
| Engine performance: | 340 hp / 450 Nm |
| Drive and transmission: | 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive |
| Acceleration: | 5,4 seconds for 0-100 km / h |
| Consumption - combined: | 8,6l / 100 km NEDC standard |
| maximum speed: | 250 km / h (el. Limited) |
| Length, width, height, wheelbase | 4.954, 1.880, 1.457, 2.960 mm |
Large gallery of the Jaguar XF 35t AWD
