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By Andrew Edwards
First Drives
26 March 2008 11:29
CAR Online reader Andrew Edwards won a place on the international launch of the Jaguar XF in our exclusive competition last autumn. See what he made of the new executive cat in his first drive report filed from the Monaco launch.Andrew is a 33-year-old engineer from County Durham whose daily drive is a Ford Focus. But he’s a regular CAR reader and his dream car is a Ferrari 250 GT California. Should be a good judge of this crunch new Jaguar, then.Do you agree with his verdict? Rate his story below and be sure to give him any hints and tips by clicking ‘Add your comment’.Read CAR Online’s Jaguar XF drive here. And here is Andrew's test verdict...Say hello to the Jaguar XF. The most important car in Jaguar’s history and one the car maker hopes will break the default triumvirate of Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Not only that, right now Ford is flogging Jag in an all-hands-on-deck attempt to fix its financial woes. Pressure? What pressure?Shouldn’t it look, well, more like a Jaguar?There’s nothing retro in the XF’s design Ian Callum and his team have created, but it does echo Jags of old in elements of its design: the inset grille; the bonnet fluting; proportion and stance; all are found on other members of the breed.Compared to the sharper, lower and lither CX-F concept, you may feel slightly short-changed, especially with the front end. From the rear though, the XF is achingly, gut-wrenchingly gorgeous and in silver, at sunrise in Monaco, had me reaching to cover my lap.The style is carried over to the interior too. A lowered (stitched leather) dash, raised console, blue halo lighting for switchgear and the pure theatre of the rotating vents and rising gear selector on start-up make it distinct and special. It’s a very tactile affair, touchy-feely in all the right places and in its Jaguarsense proximity switches, not touchy-feely at all. Simply pass a finger in front of the glovebox or interior light and they open or flick on. Fresh. Uncluttered. Nice.Click 'Next' to continue reading Andrew's road test
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V12 Migaloo says
XF already successful
Interesting to hear that Jaguar US have already recieved 5'000 deposits for the XF and these being from a much younger demographic then initialy aimed for! All Jag need now is to develop an equally impresive small capacity diesel match it and sell it for £25k.
31 March 2008 12:19
BCCOWELL says
Yum yum!
This could be a defining moment for Jag, and me. It was a MK2 3.8 which was the first car I drove on the roads when I took a quick exit from the public school I attended. I had L plates on it and got up to 80 coming over the Salisbury Plains whilst I was tutored and discovered driving that day. My father must had at least 8 Jags (and a Daimler V8 – a dog). The (later) XJ6's driving position was a bit low I always felt. Anyway this had better be the real thing, as I've waited long enough to own one. Just one thing about Ian Callum's styling. It’s a bit anodyne from a couple of angles, and a mate said it could be a Lexus, which I think that’s pushing it, but I know what he means, but the rest is just lovely. I'm sure it’s well screwed together and has that Jag feel about it. I just wished it was a bit more 'Jag' as in racy! I could see my old man driving it, maybe not Terry Thomas or the hoods. Maybe in different colours (they all seem to be metalic that I’ve seen) it would look differnt, and I’d like to see it in Red, Black & White like the boys who did the bank jobs drove in the sixties! Will have to drive it, if it doesn’t pass muster, there’s always the XK if I’m flush! Onwards and upwards, it’s the only way to go! Cheers BeeCee
30 March 2008 23:58
a t o m i c says
typos1...
Your ignorance is breathtaking. I would posit that the XF is now either the best or second best looking saloon car on sale (only the Maser Quattroporte competes). Influences on the XF style are many - IMO the nose takes the handsome, sophisticated face of the Subaru Legacy and moves it on by several degrees, the tail works together Callum's Astons and Guigario's original GS concept and brings both to maturity and the interior pares down the clarity and function of the Audi A8 to incorporate a style and lightness of touch that completely escapes the competition. It's a magnificent job and a REAL car, not a metal masturbation fantasy from Geneva. Again, IMO, the reputation of this car will grow, and the clueless witterings of idiots like typos1 will be universally repudiated in a few short years' time. Remember, typos1, what you write here will be preserved by the great machinery of the 'net for a LONG time.
29 March 2008 12:32
typos1 says
29 March 2008 03:40
estubbs says
Nice but...
I like the XF and I hope it does fantastically well for Jag/Tata. My problem with the car is that amidst all the interior design fanfare there lies a hideous steering wheel. It shares this abomination with the XK. A lazily-styled brown turd of a plastic moulding. Look at Audi's wheel on the A8 - a sculpted, solid-looking chunk of jewellery that faces you as you drive - for me, Jag missed that opportunity.
28 March 2008 20:22
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