[Auto] Jaguar XF 2022 long-term review

[Noticias ALEJANDRO]

 

In my last XF report, I bemoaned its lack of wireless Apple CarPlay, but by the time the magazine was on supermarket shelves, that was no longer true. A 35-minute over-the- air software update to OS 3.0.0 introduced the functionality, which means I can keep my phone cable at home and fire up my music and sat-nav more quickly.
In welcoming the XF to the Autocar fleet, I – with my tongue nudging the inside of my cheek – called it a “bona fide British sports saloon”. Yes, it has all the prerequisite black trim and that all-important R-Dynamic badge, but there’s no ignoring the fact that, whereas Jag saloons of old were propelled by some of the fruitiest sixes and eights about, the latest – and last – of the line has a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder.

Any lingering dissent at the XF’s switch to exclusive four-pot power is surely exacerbated among the diehards by the fact that Jaguar still has six-cylinder power on its roster, in the form of the nicely rounded and suitably potent 3.0-litre Ingenium, but you can have it only in an SUV.

 

 

The faintly diesel-esque note to the P250’s idle hardly suggested I would be proved wrong. But shown a few miles of empty, dry and unusually smooth Tarmac, the XF transforms from cushty to genuinely purposeful and engaging. Our car spends much of its time in Eco mode (£1.50 per litre at my local garage, since you ask), which maybe serves to exacerbate the effects of twiddling the dial over to Dynamic mode. Shorter shifts, a more sensitive throttle and weightier steering are the headline tweaks, but it’s hard to not get excited about the red-themed gauges and piped-in engine sound.

Thanks to a Volkswagen Golf GTI-matching 248bhp, acceleration is swift and, should you choose, unmuted, while snappy paddle shifts invite exuberance between corners. And say what you will about fake sounds, but the experience wouldn’t be half as enjoyable were the cabin more isolated from the powerplant.

Get to a bend and the R-Dynamic suspension set-up keeps things nice and flat – yet not at the obvious expense of ride quality on crumblier bits – and the communicative front axle and surprisingly lively rear work together to cultivate some flair. It’s a laugh and further proof that the XF is

a properly well-rounded proposition.

 

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/jaguar/xf/long-term-reviews/jaguar-xf-2022-long-term-review