When you think of Jaguar, you think of old men with pipes, tweed jackets and, of course, Inspector Morse. Three things it would cost me, even with my imaginative little mind, to describe as glamorous, exciting, or in contact with people under 55.
For the past 40 years, Jaguar stayed in a safe market where they knew they would appeal … between 55 and 100 years … for far too long. This is part of the reason they were financially broke and brought in by Tata (not the stuff they put in your teeth). Honestly, I thought it would be the death of Jaguar, but I’m happy to say that I was surprised by changing this brand. He almost expected Jaguar dealerships to transform from what was once a great British automotive institution into one of the largest curry house chains in the world.
If you look back to the 60s, the Jaguar Mk 2 was the getaway car of choice for gangsters! When the Type E was launched, Enzo Ferrari himself called it “The most beautiful car ever made.” That is the teacher praising the student or like when Pele said that George Best was the best player he had ever seen. So why, when they did so good, did they let it go so bad?
The XJ-S was a poor replacement for the E-type and Jaguar didn’t really replace the Mk 2 or S-type until the launch of the new S-type some 30 years later, which unfortunately resembled the Rover 75 and the X-type was a Mondeo. expensive with a Jaguar badge.
They had the right idea with the XJ220 and the first XK8, but something was still missing that made people stop and say ‘wow’.
Fortunately, in 2008, Jaguar really got it right with the XF. This car looks great! It is the car that has reshaped and revitalized the Jaguar brand while blending modern styling with traditional Jaguar values to great effect. It must be said that Jaguar has really hit Audi and BMW where it hurts the most (right on the ‘repmobiles’!) And thankfully they haven’t relied on that. They want to be known for building the ultimate saloon by taking on the impressive BMW M5 and the phenomenal Audi RS6 in the form of the XF-R.
It takes a lot to get my butt out of bed at 6am on a Friday, but since I had to be in our office by 7am, the idea of a 503bhp 5.0-liter supercharged V8 certainly made it easier. When I arrived, I couldn’t help but admire some of the additional styling above the standard XF. Bodywork + additional air vents that say SUPERCHARGED, give the car a much more aggressive stance. To make it clearer to you that this is a SUPERCHARGED car, Jaguar took the liberty of stamping it onto the 20-inch alloy wheels, which seemed like a great touch to me. They’ve also continued to use the shiny styling details of the standard XF, like the gear stick that pops out of the center console when you start the car and the air vents that electronically turn and disappear when you turn them on and off. Little things like that let you know that Jaguar is serious.
On the way back to Nottingham at 7.15am. M. On an empty A52, I was not only amazed at how fast the car got to erm ………. 70 miles per hour, but how smooth and effortless it got there. also. I’ve driven countless cars going 70 mph very quickly and I can honestly say this is the easiest 70 mph I’ve ever done! It just gobbles up the road in the most comfortable way ever, even in the most intense dynamic mode, which basically modifies everything from throttle response to suspension, to improve cornering for the most “enthusiastic” driver, say.
The basic facts you need to know about this car is that it hits 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, which is impressive, but not as impressive as 50-70 mph in 1.9 seconds, which is ridiculous (clearly Indian owners have put a little of hot and silly Vindaloo) mixed with about a million Scotch Bonnet chili peppers up front) and faster than a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 !!! Not bad for a car that weighs 2,345 kg. It’s supposed to be limited to 155 mph, although a “tight” XFR, producing 600 bhp, hit a top speed of 225.675 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in November 2008, which isn’t bad at all for a 4-door sedan.
Through the winding country lanes it handles almost as well as you would expect. However, I think it lacks the balance and precision of the M5 or RS6 when cornering, but it more than makes up for it as an everyday living car, although you will need deep pockets if you have a heavy right. walk like me as you drink faster than 100 relapsing alcoholics in a Smirnoff Vodka factory! I had the car for a week, drove 800 miles and used almost £ 300.00 on Super Unleaded. Ow !!
Personally, I think this is hugely impressive as well as a huge improvement on Jaguar’s past efforts in this market. It has everything going for it and, in my opinion, it is more striking to the eye than the competition, a more comfortable and better laid out interior, a supercar that matches performance and enormously impressive levels of space and quality. The M5 is more impressive when cornering, but it has fewer specs and is not as forgiving for day-to-day living. Combine all of this with the fact that the Jaguar “ only ” costs £ 59,900, which makes it a wildly cheap car compared to the £ 65,300 for the M5 and the stupidly expensive £ 74,555 for the RS6.
For me, I would always have the Jaguar.
Now to Sainsbury’s to play the lottery …….