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First Review: 2016 Jaguar XF

2016 Jaguar XF The Jaguar XF has been in production since the 2008 model year, when it replaced the aging and mostly forgotten Jaguar S-Type sedan. Where the S-type had retro styling harking back to much older Jaguar “saloon cars,” the XF brought out a more modern styling sense. The XF received a facelift for the 2011 model year, but the real restyling of the XF had to wait for 2016. Now that the XF has attained maturity, it’s fair to say that this is a car by which other luxury models will be judged.

The XF magic starts with the new lightweight chassis. To meet increasingly stringent fuel economy standards and keep up with the performance of its rivals, Jaguar has turned to aluminum as its primary manufacturing material. There’s still some high-strength steel in the XF, but only in structural points like the rollover protector and similar places. The rest is all aluminum from the suspension supports to the body skin. The complete structure is 28% stiffer than the outgoing XF, but the new car weighs just 3,770 pounds.

Jag_XF_R_Sport_Location_Image_011415_08_LowResJaguar has also updated the XF engine options, dropping both the entry-level 4-cylinder and the old 5.0-liter supercharged V8 in favor of a pair of 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engines. The basic XF engine now delivers 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, while the upgrade XF S engine boosts you to 380 horsepower and the same 332 pound-feet of torque. The basic XF does 0-60 in just 5.2 seconds – which ought to be quick enough for any luxury car. All XF models come with a smooth 8-speed automatic transmission, and fuel economy comes in at 20 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway for the rear-drive models. AWD fuel economy has not yet been rated.

Jag_XF_Portfolio_Interior_Image_010415_05_LowResInside the new XF, Jaguar has done their usual magic. The cabin and controls are modern – but classically tasteful as you would expect. There are easy-to-use knobs along with a well-designed touchscreen interface in the center stack, and you get real gauges and a small information display in front of the driver. The XF also comes with an optional head-up display so you don’t even have to look down to check your speed. The touchscreen and its systems are known as Jaguar InControl Touch, and that system is what Jaguar is offering instead of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, at least for this year. InControl Touch offers a smartphone app that gives you some remote control capability over the car. You can pre-condition the XF to your preferred temperature, check your fuel level, get alarm warnings, and the app will even use GPS to lead you back to where you parked your car!

Jag_XF_S_Image_021215_LowResThe 2016 Jaguar XF starts at $52,895, including destination fees. For that money you get a rear-wheel-drive sports luxury sedan with 340 horsepower and Xenon HID headlights. If you opt for the Prestige trim, you’ll pay about $57,545, but you’ll get heated leather seats and heated steering wheel, GPS navigation, plus front and rear parking cameras. The R-Sport trim delivers a tasteful body kit, LED headlights, some extra safety features such as lane keeping assist and blind spot monitoring. The XF with R-Sport trim starts at $61,645. The top XF S trim gets you the 380 horsepower engine, adaptive suspension, and 14-way adjustable seats. The XF S starts at $63,695. If you want All-Wheel-Drive – which is worth the expense almost everywhere in North America – you should plan to add $3,000 to the price of any XF trim level. The 2016 Jaguar XF is actually a great bargain when you consider everything you’re getting. The XF will stand up against any sport-luxury sedan on the market. Whether it’s German, Japanese, Swedish, or even Italian. If you’re looking for fast and luxurious, you should test drive the 2016 Jaguar XF.

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Published on: December 29, 2015

Filled Under: Jaguar

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