2019 Jaguar XF 20t Prestige Test Drive Review – Wild Cat

Jaguar XF 20t Prestige Review

Car Tested: 2019 Jaguar XF 20t Prestige; Road Test No. 1085; Test Location: Mumbai

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 64,24,294/-

Jaguar has updated its gorgeous looking XF with a feature loaded and luxurious interior and punchy performing engines

Despite more premium SUVs than ever before, luxury sedans seem to have lost little of their sheen. They still provide the classic three-box silhouette offering great comfort, interiors, dynamics, design, and driving experience. The Germans rule the game but the Jaguar XF always had a special place amongst the people who preferred to have it in a more unique and in a more classy way. The XF has always stood out for its good looks, incredible dynamics and a quintessential British badge. What we have here is the Prestige variant of the XF petrol, which is the entry-level variant. We drive it and tell you whether it makes sense to opt for this.

Motor Quest: The Jaguar XF was the direct replacement to the S-Type and came to India towards the end of 2008. The XF was designed to take on the established German competition comprising of the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6. In its second generation now, the XF is bigger, lighter, more dynamic and more comfortable than the previous model.

Exteriors – The Jaguar XF is a long and classy looking sedan. You will instantly notice the larger grille, intricate design of headlights and splashes and dashes of chrome on the bumpers. The design up front looks quite handsome but we would have preferred more aggression considering that it is a Jaguar. The side of the car looks stately. However, on the Prestige trim of our test car, the wheels look a bit small making the car feel under-tyred. However, the design of the alloy wheels looks nice. The rear angle of the XF is probably its best. With large, F-Type like taillights and a nice strip of chrome above it, the XF looks properly sporty. The twin exhausts are the icing on the cake.

Interiors – The XF is a low car resulting in slightly tricky ingress and egress. But you are greeted by a familiar Jaguar cabin that looks very premium and well built. The beige theme works well for it makes the cabin airier and feels even more luxurious. The dashboard is flat and at a lesser height and it has that nice XJ-like a wrap-around effect making you feel snug. The steering is very chunky to hold and the instrument cluster is crisp and detailed. That said we wish it had the all-digital instrument cluster that only the top-end Portfolio variant has.

The cabin feels luxurious and airy, attention to detail is outstanding

We love the massive 10.1-inch infotainment screen which adorns the centre console. The infotainment screen is very intuitive to use but not in the same league of BMW’s iDrive. The equipment list is pretty long even on this mid-spec Prestige trim. The car is equipped with Perforated Grain Leather, Dual Zone Climate Control, Mood Lighting and a decent sounding Meridian Sound System. You miss out on 4-Zone Climate Control and even Keyless Entry which are available only on the top-spec Portfolio variant. The quality of materials is quite good overall but there are some places in the cabin that don’t feel as solid as some of its rivals. The buttons that control the climate settings, for instance, feel average in a car of this class and the plastics lower down feel hard.

It is really the attention to detail that stands out in the cabin. When you start the car, the AC vents on either side of the dashboard open up and the gear-knob rises above. This goes some distance in making you feel special. The seats at the front are very comfortable and can be electrically adjustable with memory function for the driver. The rear seats are a huge improvement over the previous XF and offer ample legroom and decent headroom. But it is strictly for two. The middle passenger will be uncomfortable as the transmission tunnel is high and the aircon vents intrude into the leg space.

Performance – Jaguar offers the petrol XF in two variants and although both use the same 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, the output number differs in both the models, the lower Prestige produces 200 PS and 320 Nm of torque that has a wide peak band between 1500 to 4000 RPM. The top-spec Portfolio trim generates 250 PS and 365 Nm, taking 6.7 seconds to reach the ton, against the 7.5 seconds of the lower engine tune. Performance from the 200 horsepower XF is good, there is good punch throughout and the motor absolutely screams to the redline.

The petrol motor isn’t very refined and is vocal, but offers punchy performance

In fact, once you reach around 4500 RPM, the engine roars in a sporty way and accelerates quickly to the 6500 RPM limiter which extends close to 7000 RPM in manual mode which can be activated by tapping the steering mounted paddles. Mid-range is strong and refinement isn’t the best as the motor is quite vocal, even lower down the rev range. The gearbox isn’t the fastest with shifts but is smooth and it lets you hold onto a gear in manual mode. There are 4 driving modes which alter the engine and steering wheel – Dynamic, Normal, Eco and Rain/Winter, while the gear selector has a Sport mode for the transmission. The XF petrol returns a mileage between 8-11 km/l and has an 8-litre bigger fuel tank than the more frugal diesel.

Driving Dynamics – Jaguar has done a great job with the suspension set-up of the XF as it feels just right, compliant enough for most roads, yet not soft for a dynamic drive. However, because of the stiffness, the vehicle does thud over bad roads. In spite of the length and wheelbase, the XF still manages to hold its line through the corners and turns in sharply, the electric steering is very well weighted and offers good feedback at high speeds, even though it’s quite light at low speeds, helping in parking and manoeuvrability around tight corners.

The steering offers fantastic feedback and the XF feels stable at high speeds

The Jaguar XF remains glued to the road at high speeds but there is a bit more road noise creeping inside the cabin than you would expect from a car of this segment. In spite of the long wheelbase, ground clearance isn’t an issue in the XF and the car manages to clear speed breakers without any hitch. The brakes offer strong stopping power and the pedal bite is positive too.

Safety – The last generation XF faced a bit of criticism as it could not score the top marks at Euro NCAP. But the new XF scored a full 5-Star rating making it in the same league as all its rivals. You get 6 Airbags, ABS, ESP, Traction Control and other electronic aids making it very safe.

Verdict – The Jaguar XF petrol has good performance, very well sorted dynamics and does not lose the feel-good factor typically associated with cars of this segment. The Jaguar is not the last word in refinement and comfort, but as a driver’s car, even the lower-powered Prestige variant does a stellar job. So if you are inclined to a driver’s sedan that looks attractive and is different from the usual German brigade, the XF deserves your serious attention.

What’s Cool

* Handsome and refined design, unmistakably a Jaguar
* Feature loaded and luxurious interiors
* Punchy performing engines along with great driving dynamics
* Comes with a 5-star safety rating

What’s Not So Cool

* Refinement and NVH levels could have been better
* Rear seats should have been more spacious
* Quality of materials used isn’t on par with its competition

Alternatives: – Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, Volvo S90

Testers’ Note:

[wp-review id=”233737″]