We review the Jaguar XF 3litre Diesel from price to economy and all its features
JAGUAR could be taken to court under the Trade Descriptions Act over their new diesel XF model.
You see, Jag claim it’s a diesel but after I motored 1,800 miles to Geneva and back, it bears no resemblance to any diesel I’ve ever driven.
Deceptive ... Jaguar's excellent XF 3litre Diesel
Diesels have improved a lot but most still suffer from being too noisy, especially at low speeds, and no one ever mistakes a diesel for a petrol.
Well, they will do with the new 3litre diesel engine which Jaguar have just fitted to the XF. It makes a very strong case for dropping the d-word and all the baggage that go with it.
Surely clever marketing people can come up with a sexy new name for diesel power.
If they can’t, why not just drop the diesel tag and let the figures and silence do the talking?
Because in the case of the XF 3litre, the engine speaks volumes, and Jag have sort of got the message with their advertising tag line that says: “More adrenalin - less fuel”.
So here are the bare facts. The engine has a faint murmur at tickover that turns into a pleasant sound under hard acceleration, and then disappears into almost a whisper at high speed.
It has performance figures to embarrass plenty of high-performance petrol engines - 0-60mph takes just 5.9 seconds, and if you can find a German autobahn it will take you to 155mph in near silence.
Fuel economy is the only area where the Jaguar can’t hide the fact that it is a diesel. The official figures are an incredible 42mpg for a big executive car - I got an average of 37.2 mpg on my epic trip to Geneva.
That was driving in a sensible manner, sticking to between 70 and 85mph on the motorways, with just the occasional burst to stretch my right leg.
The engine has another impressive figure, and that is a significant reduction in C02 emissions - down to 179g/km, which puts the XF into a lower taxation bracket despite its increase in power and better fuel economy.
But none of the figures do justice to how superb a drive the XF diesel is. Doing nearly 900 miles in one day should leave you feeling shattered but in the Jag you feel exhilarated.
It’s the sheer refinement of the engine that leaves the deepest impression. It’s like being in a sea of tranquillity that seems to put a soft protective barrier between you and all the usual daily hassle on the road.
And when you do need to make rapid progress, the 3litre does it with the minimum of fuss, even though you sort of realise you are seriously shifting.
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It’s only when you look at the dial that you realise what speed you are doing, followed by the realisation that the Jag is so smooth and quiet it would not be difficult to lose your licence for speeding.
Progress is lightning quick because the engine is mated to the XF’s super-slick F1-style paddle changes, which are so rapid in automatic mode you barely realise there’s been a gear change.
And if you are still one of those sad people living in a time warp who think Jags are an old man’s car, you have my sympathy.
The reality is the XF handles like a dream. Beautifully balanced, it has impeccable road manners that deliver the maximum entertainment to the driver - just in a very classy way.
In fact everything about the XF diesel has a touch of class about it, particularly the sophisticated cabin that is a thoroughly modern interpretation of the classic English virtues of leather and wood, but now you get a burst of aluminium trim. All the instruments have a hi-tech, machined feel, then there are the extra touches such as air vents that revolve into place when you start the car, via a red start button that throbs like a heart beating.
And the large round gear knob is hidden into the centre console and only rises into view when the car is started. Jag traditionalists may say these are gimmicks, but I think they show the firm have added innovation to their other virtues. I also love the subdued, light blue, nightclub-style interior lighting on the main controls when you are driving at night, which again mark the XF out as a class act.
What Jaguar have done with the 3litre is to take diesel power to another dimension. It is, for me, the most refined in the world and one of the most powerful.
And priced from £33,900 to £44,200, it makes good business as well as emotional sense for the executive moving up the ladder.
It also follows the potent new 5litre petrol engine that has given the XF and XK supercar performance, but more importantly shows that Jaguar have some of the most talented engineers in the world.