Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: No
Fashion Victims: No
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: No
Hairdressers: No
Penny Pinchers: No
Euro Snobs: Yes
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: Yes
Poseurs: No
Soccer Moms: No
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: Yes
Very Serious Businessmen: Yes
Sheiklets: No

Also Consider:
• BMW 5-Series
• Mercedes E-Class
• Audi A6
• Lexus GS
• Infiniti G35
• Rover SD1

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Jaguar
• Model year: 2009
• Base Price: $49,975
• Price as Tested: $55,975
• Engine type: 4.2-liter DOHC V8
• Horsepower: 300 @ 6000 RPM
• Torque: 310 @ 4100 RPM
• Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic
• Curb Weight: 4,017 LB
• LxWxH: 195.3" x 80.8" x 57.5
• Wheelbase: 114.5"
• Tires: 245/40 19
• 0-60: 6.2 secs
• Top speed: 121 MPH (limited)
• 1/4 mile: N/A
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 16/25 MPG
• NHTSA crash test rating: N/A

Photo Credit: Dean Chandler / Ray Wert

Also See:
• 2009 Jaguar XF, Part One
• 2009 Jaguar XF, Part Two

Acceleration: ***
The 4.2-liter, 300 HP V8 feels great to use, but isn’t ultimately that fast. 60 comes up in 6.1 seconds, but feels faster due to the stateliness evoked by the sound, weight transfer and smooth, linear feel. For $62,975 you can get 120 HP extra with the aid of a supercharger.

Braking: ****
No complaints here, the 12.83-inch discs on all four corners haul the XF up without issues and the ABS doesn’t intrude unnecessarily early. Solid pedal feel leads to great confidence in the system’s ability.

Ride: ****
Extremely compliant, especially given our tester’s 19-inch wheels. A standard fitment on the $55,975 Premium model seen here, those wheels look great, but we can’t help but feel the ride would benefit from the less-fashionable 18s. The XF feels big, heavy and smooth, without feeling underdamped. The XF’s biggest success.

Handling: ***
Treat the XF like a luxury car and you’ll be surprised by how well it handles. The variable ratio steering is vague on center, but full of feel once you turn into a corner, inspiring confidence. At a medium pace it feels incredibly capable, showing off the XF's use of the same suspension set-up as the XK coupe, but push harder and you'll find the suspension can't handle the added heft, as the mid-sized Jag begins to wallow. For drivers looking for a fast luxury car, this won’t be an issue, but those looking for a luxurious sports car will be disappointed.

Gearbox: ****
Leave the rotary gear selector in Sport mode and you’ll be rewarded with a responsive six-speed automatic transmission that holds gears just the right amount of time. Use the paddles and, for an automatic, you’ll get fast shifts and the ability to hold the gear of your choosing to the redline. Just don’t shift down into first gear manually, it's laggy and with a noticeable lurch that will upset passengers. Regular old Drive mode is less responsive and shifts up way too early, rendering itself purposeless for anything other than increasing fuel economy but seeing as you paid for the car, you really shouldn't puss out on the gas.

Audio: ****
The optional Bowers & Wilkins 13-speaker surround sound system sounds great, but the touch screen interface is unintuitive. The subwoofer is unnecessary and boomy if turned up past the standard setting. An iPod connection via USB and 6-CD in-dash changer round out an impressive package.

Toys: ***
We just don’t want a Jag to be this gimmicky. What its makers intend to be surprise and delight features — the rotary gear knob, the proximity sensor glove box button, the swiveling air vents, and the glows-like-a-heart-beat starter button — abound, but are poorly executed. The gear selector feels cheap and unrewarding to use, with too much slack. Oil damping would really help it. The proximity sensor glove box release only works when it wants to. The swiveling air vents are annoying. The lighting, however, is some of the best we’ve seen.

Value: ***
The $49,975 base price is in line with competitors like the BMW 535i and Audi A6 4.2. If you want a unique mid-size luxury car that’s not made in Germany, and not yet made in India, it’s a good choice, but probably not as solid of a long term option as a Lexus GS, which comes in about $5,000 cheaper.

Overall: ***
The XF ends up almost being an also-ran in one of the most hotly contested classes. It’s not the fastest, the best looking or the best value mid-size luxury sedan, but if you catch the XF on a good day, when it’s looking more Aston than Dodge, it’s a uniquely appealing proposition. It’s not as luxurious, nor as sporty as we’d want a Jaguar to be, hopefully new owner Tata is prepared to invest in some serious R&D for its replacement.

Also See:

• 2009 Jaguar XF, Part One
  

Since network television hasn’t been able to come up with a show that’s equally universal in its blandness or equally inoffensive in its humor since it went off-air in 1998, Seinfeld reruns can be seen at any given time on at least two channels — a kind of comedy bookend to the Law & Order probability theory. So I probably don’t need remind you who the pretty/ugly girl is, but just for posterity’s sake: she’s a girl Jerry dates that, depending on the angle of lighting, is either really pretty or really ugly.

And that’s exactly the case with this mid-size Jag. During my weekly escape to my Fortress of Solitude in the Pennsylvania mountains, I couldn’t have been happier with the XF. Driving there late on a Friday evening, the view over its bulged bonnet evoked a sense of immense power backed up by the 4.2-liter V8’s 310 lb-ft of torque. Inside, the glow of the classy instruments and warm dash evoked old-world luxury.

Both the power and the luxury were backed up on the outside too. People turned to look, but not in the bitter way that I’ve grown used to in flashier cars. From the rear, the XF looked like a four-door Aston Martin, from the front, like a modern take on the original 1968 XJ; the whole thing was classy and understated. I felt like visiting royalty.

All of this was carried over to the drive as well. Swooping along the freshly repaved mountain roads in manual mode, the XF felt like a Bentley: big, heavy, powerful and smooth. The steering, which was vague on the highway, firmed up on turn-in, resulting in surprising agility. Pushed, the V8 sounded like an Aston (it should: Jag and Aston use tweaked versions of the same engine), resulting in a rewarding drive that blended clubhouse luxury with performance in a way that only the English know how to do.

And then the lighting changed.

I don’t think Seinfeld had either the ability or vision to go this deep with its characters, but to me, the pretty/ugly girl represents more than just looks; it also represents the duality of both personality and attraction. Certain settings and certain people act like fun-house mirrors, altering your perception of someone’s appeal in a way that goes beyond looks. Take the sexy girl from last night’s party to breakfast, and all of a sudden her pouting lips and willing personality transform into a leathery face and abject stupidity.

Back in dirty, nasty Brooklyn, the XF’s lithe looks were just a memory, replaced with something Ray describes as “Dodge Intrepid.” Personally, I think it looks more like an Infinity I30, but all of a sudden, any hint of classic Aston or Jag is gone.

So too is the luxurious interior. In the light of day, the occasionally suspect materials, poor control damping and cheap leather seats grab your attention more than the gimmicky transmission and soft blue mood lighting do.

Out too is the imperious driving ability, replaced with something that feels distinctly Ford-like. Driving to Jalopnik’s top-secret test track through Brooklyn traffic, the well-weighted steering is suddenly ponderously slow instead. Once there, with the ability to push the car to its limits, the XF just feels ponderous, only reluctantly transitioning to oversteer, even with all the 300 horses feeding into the rear tires.

All of this just leaves us really confused about the XF. Is it the contemporary upper-class English muscle car it wants to be or the wallowy, cheap imitator it felt like right before we gave it back? Like the pretty/ugly girl, it’s probably both, depending on its environment; able to either flatter or offend. And like Jerry Seinfeld, that’s not what we’re looking for. We’re too picky to settle for occasional beauty; we want a driving experience we know will be there no matter what the lighting.

[via PistonHeads, GTSpirit]

Jaguar Launches First Broadband Multimedia Magazine for Apple iPhone

Jaguar continues its trend of being a leader in innovative media technology as it launches the industry's first broadband multimedia magazine specifically for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users. The largest Broadband 2.0 Video Network, 29HD Network, developed this unique spin on the traditional website for Jaguar. By going to www.jxfphone.com, iPhone and iPod Touch owners can experience the new Jaguar XF like never before. The broadband magazine features the XF in vibrant photos and dramatic videos, all cropped to perfectly fit the portable devices' displays and take full advantage of their widescreen format.

With just a tap of the screen, users can flip through the dynamic photos of the broadband magazine, each of which also features an accompanying video that can be viewed with just another tap. All content is editorial based and will be updated regularly as the XF's release date approaches.

The new 2009 Jaguar XF is the first production car that reflects the new design direction for the brand, and will go on sale in USA in March 2008 with a starting MSRP of $49,975 (includes destination and delivery charges).

About Jaguar

From its beginning as a manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars in 1922, Jaguar Cars has grown to become one of the world's premier manufacturers of luxury sedans and sports cars and with that, one of the most recognized commercial brands. The company's vision is simple: To produce beautiful fast cars that are desired the world over. The company operates two manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom and is fully engaged in environmental programs, community work and brand awareness exercises such as motorsports.

29 HD Network

29HD Network is the largest Broadband2.0 Video Network for Auto and Racing. With sites that have larger format streaming videos and RSS Video feeds, the network was created and run by a team that are pioneers in Broadband Editorial.