ge5106217420209637409
ge5187419494841621705
ge4931438685685969190
ge5060704745400504157
ge5290641464429072136
Jeremy Bass7 Apr 2013
REVIEW

Jaguar XF 2.0 Petrol: Road Test

It might fall a little short on fuel consumption, but it's a winner everywhere else – especially on price

Jaguar XF 2.0 Petrol Luxury
Road Test

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $68,900
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Metallic paint $2650
Crash rating: Four-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 8.9
CO2 emissions (g/km): 207
Also consider:  Audi A6 2.0 TFSI (from $77,900; BMW 520i (from $78,500); Lexus GS250 (from $77,400); Mercedes-Benz E 200 Elegance (from $79,900)

Jaguar’s mid-size petrol four came about by a strategy that’s found increasing popularity in recent years. First they launch a new model, or an update, then they add a cut-price base variant, broadening the customer base with downmarket appeal once the big spenders have been through the showroom.

This variant brings the XF range below the $70K mark for the first time. That’s a handy $9000-plus margin between it and competitors from Lexus and the Germans.

For that, we can partly thank Jag’s choice of engine -- former owner Ford’s all-aluminium 2.0-litre turbo-petrol EcoBoost unit. It’s essentially the same workhorse found in the Mondeo and the Falcon, here delivering 177kW/340Nm -- enough for an official 7.9 seconds for the zero to 100km/h sprint.

You can find lots more brute force up the XF line, but at this end, sub-eight seconds is quite respectable. Especially in the way it’s delivered. The Jag’s killer app lies behind the engine, in the guise of ZF’s state-of-the-art eight-speed automatic transmission.

The engine has its shortcomings. The soundtrack is nothing special, but more important is a palpable turbo lag. Past that, however, at no time did the XF 2.0 Petrol feel short of breath, far from it. A nice elastic peak torque band, stretching from 2000 - 4000rpm, keeps its beefy 1754kg surging forth well up into the midrange. With all those cogs to play with and one of the quickest brains in the business marshalling it all into action, kickdown and paddle responses are plenty snappy. Decisive overtaking manoeuvres are a cinch, and even toting five adults it makes light work of extended uphill stretches.

While we’re on the issue of five adults, the general opinion from the rear seat was that it’s acceptable for leg, foot and shoulderroom, but it would get pretty unpleasant on longer trips, especially for the one who draws the short straw and spends the trip straddling the transmission tunnel.

Performance comes at a cost, by the way. The EcoBoost is some way from best in show on fuel economy on paper, and further from it in the metal. Even without five adults on board, we failed to match Jag’s official figures. Our tester gravitated to late 14s around town (against an official 13.4) and into the 8s on the highway. That’s well behind its German competition.

Back on the upside, chassis dynamics are those of a much costlier car. That’s not surprising, given you can spend well over twice this car’s price on other variants -- and they may well not match this one for ride/handling balance. Here, the XF 2.0 Petrol seems to match the E-Class for ride, the 5 Series for handling and the GS for cabin ambience. It’s confident through corners, too, with a nice sharpness to the steering, near-neutrality and a Pirelli P7 on each corner conspiring to reward a spot of the macho stuff when you’re in the mood and conditions are right.

The kit list feels right for an entry-grade luxxer. That is, it forgoes fancy electrics where old-tech works fine. The electric seat adjustment doesn’t include fore/aft, for example, the rearview mirror of the old flip-up variety, and there are rear-only parking beepers. For another $6600, the Premium Luxury variant redresses much of this, or you can take your pick piecemeal from a costly options list.

Jag’s signature pop-up rotary gear selector and electronic parkbrake transcend gimmickry by their simplicity and the removal of the stick and handbrake lever, giving the cockpit a nice open feel. The steering wheel-set cruise control is up there with the best for ease of use, while the wipers and HID headlights both have sensor automation.

Upgrades to the Jaguar Touch infotainment system mean it now delivers the lot: audio with USB, 3.5mm auxiliary and Bluetooth inputs, a better iPod/iPhone interface, an in-dash CD stacker with DVD player. Although our tester was fine on the phone side, we had problems getting the Bluetooth audio streaming to settle with a Samsung S3 phone.

Improvements to the standard satellite navigation package have sent it from near the bottom of the class to nearer the top. In its keenness to keep a simple, elegant aesthetic appeal, it’s a little too dependent on touchscreen controls in parts -- for example you have to navigate your way through a couple of layers to get to some basic HVAC functions better addressed directly via analogue switches. And it could do with a toggle to flick the screen between day and night modes, too.

The XF 2.0 Petrol has retained those gimmicky air vents that rotate closed when you shut the engine off, too -- very classy and all, but pointless and vulnerable to future malfunctions. Fortunately, you can lock them open via the on-screen vehicle settings.

On safety, the XF 2.0 Petrol trails the field with four ANCAP stars -- everyone else gets five. While it fell short in frontal offset collision testing, it topped its segment on side impact. Safety kit amounts to the essentials: six airbags with all the chassis and brake electronics now standard everywhere, and that excellent undercarriage (good enough for us never to get a rise out of the stability control).

In the Jaguar XF 2.0 Petrol we find a gifted mid-sizer, well-priced thanks to a successful downsize job under the bonnet, albeit with caveats under the fuel flap. On every other front, it concedes nothing to its competitors, including brand cachet, if that’s your thing.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site

Share this article
Written byJeremy Bass
See all articles
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Looking for a family car?Get the latest advice and reviews on family car that's right for you.
Explore the Family Hub
Family
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.

If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
Download the carsales app
    AppStoreDownloadGooglePlayDownload
    App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
    © CAR Group Ltd 1999-2024
    In the spirit of reconciliation we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.