A unique attribute of the Jaguar XF — an attribute I liked a lot — is the distinction the car won for me as its driver.
Some of that distinction comes from the XF's dramatic, boldly sculpted body. It's molded into the car's fundamental shape, especially in the blunt yet rounded sweep of its nose, and the fast slope of its cabin toward the model's trim, neatly tucked tail. The drama also appears in details, like the gaping grille of small-mesh, diagonal screening, and the wide, powerful ridge and prominent vent slits on its hood.
But beyond the model's rakish good looks, the British-made XF also draws eyes because it simply looks so rare. The XF arrived in America as a 2009 model, transitioning to a 2010 version late last year. In January, only 479 drivers across the entire country purchased a new 2010 Jaguar XF. By comparison, BMW sold 2,469 of its comparably priced 5 Series models that month. Mercedes-Benz moved 3,824 E-Class sedans.
That rarity helps explain the inquisitive traveler I watch admire the car outside a rest area on the Mass Pike. He crossed the parking lot to have a longer, closer look at the dazzling blue model I test-drove.
"It's not a cookie-cutter car," explained Richard Congelosi, Jaguar sales manager at Woburn Foreign Motors in Woburn. "Some people are looking for something that doesn't look like a Mercedes or Audi or BMW, for something that doesn't look like a Lexus LS."
Of course, people looking for any of those models are shopping for a luxury cruiser. The Jaguar XF certainly fits the category. Classified as a midsize car but providing abundant cabin space, the four-door, five-passenger sedan starts at $52,000 for a version equipped with a 300-horsepower, 4.2-liter V8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. When you step up to a 5.0-liter V8 with 385 horsepower, the price goes to $57,000. The ultra-high performance, XFR — with a supercharger added to the 5.0-liter V8 to boost output to 510-horsepower — carries an $80,000 price tag. It accelerates from zero to 60 mph in a breathless, 4.7 seconds, according to Jaguar data.
I drove a $68,000 variation of the XF. Called the XF Supercharged, it uses a slightly de-powered version of the XFR's engine, delivering a mere 470 horsepower. It's still plenty fast.
The car contains all the amenities you would expect from a high-performance, luxury-class conveyor. They include comforts, like a computer touch-screen to control cabin conditions, a switchless finger sensor to open the glovebox, ventilated front seats on 5.0-liter models, and subdued, phosphor blue mood lighting of the type you might find, according to Jaguar, "in a contemporary bar or restaurant."
Premium features also extend to functional equipment. For example, supercharged versions of the XF include an automatic, active suspension that reads vehicle movements and adjusts the ride to match driving conditions. Adaptive cruise control, available as an option, automatically keeps you a safe distance behind leading cars.
I liked the unique way the XF seemed to interact with me as I operated the vehicle. The gear-selector knob — a fat dial for tuning to park, reverse, neutral and drive — rises in a welcoming gesture out of the center console when you start the car. Ventilation ducts, normally concealed behind flat, flush doors on the stippled-metal instrument panel, flap open when you turn on the heater or air conditioner.
Importantly, operating such comfort systems, and entertainment options, too, is intuitively easy in the new Jaguar. Through a combination of the touch screen and some well-placed knobs and switches, I worked my way through cabin controls with barely a stutter. I can't apply the same praise to other European luxury cars.
But I felt disappointed by some other aspects of the Jaguar. The driver's seat demanded a lot of adjustments to eliminate the strain and fatigue my backside felt during a daylong drive. (That problem is surprisingly common in luxury cars that provide nearly infinite seat adjustments.) And with the audio system off, I detected some wind noise that I would have asked a dealer to eliminate, if I had purchased the car.
Even so, I score the XF very high for the distinction it brought me. Beyond greater comfort and ease, much of the advantage from owning a luxury car is the public prestige it confers. A standout model like the XF provides greater prestige, and thus more luxury, from the added attention it gains.
At Woburn Foreign Motors, Congelosi sees the XF bringing a new breed to Jaguar. Established drivers of the English brand look for carryover cues that identify its models as Jaguar family members. But the XF charts new territory, he said.
"It's not a Jaguar with a little bit of a makeover," he said. "It's a brand new car. It doesn't have the distinctive brand markers that were once iconic."
The XF is attracting younger adults who seek its distinction, but who also admire the fast and agile performance that is echoed by the car's spirited style, said Congelosi. Mostly men go for the highest powered, XFR-version. With the standard, XF models, a bit more than half the buyers are women, he explained.
"They are successful people who are looking at the Jaguar XF as a mark of their success," he stated.
That success is well marked in a car that grabs extra attention.
ÔÇ°ÔÇ°ÔÇ°
Jeffrey Zygmont has written about automobiles since 1982. Based in Salem, N.H., he writes books and articles about innovation, technology and culture. He can be contacted through the Web site www.jeffreyzygmont.com
