By a rough count, this is my 500th review. Nearly all of these reviews have been of cars. I've driven a lot of cars. Perhaps for this reason, I find it harder and harder to be impressed by a car. Maybe this is why the Jaguar XF failed to impress me.

Styling

I'm far from the first person to be disappointed by the styling of the Jaguar XF. Last year's concept version of the XF did more for me, and really excited some people.

The production car is thicker and more bulbous, especially the nose. The roofline strives to be more coupe than sedan, but falls a bit close to that of the Lexus GS rather than carving its own path. And Mercedes out-Jaguared Jaguar a few years ago with the CLS.

The car I drove had light blue metallic paint and multi-spoked 19-inch alloys, about as blah as the new XF gets. The best looking, most striking XF, by a wide margin: the supercharged model in black.

Inside the new Jaguar XF is much more distinctive. The traditional Jaguar interior has been tossed. There's still wood, but less of it. Instead, aluminum trim--some textured and real, some untextured and fake--dominated the interior. Some like the effect. Others see 1980s Chrysler.

I admire the risks taken, but fear that Jag has hopped onto the tail end of the aluminum trim train. it doesn't help that the plastic variety that covers much of the center console looks and feels a bit on the cheap side.

Why didn't Jag use the textured real stuff on the center console? I suspect durability concerns. The real stuff dents a bit easily.

No such excuse is available for the black plastic shift paddles nestled behind the steering wheel rim. They look cheap, and feel cheaper. How about some alloy paddles like those found in some cheaper cars?

Lexus shook up the industry back in 1989 partly thanks to the light show staged by its instrument cluster when first starting the car. Jag attempts similar drama with a rotating gear selector that rises out of the center console and air vent covers that rotate open upon start-up. I suppose I would have found these touches more exciting if I hadn't read about them so many times before experiencing them myself.

But, again, at least they're doing something different.

Be sure to get the Premium trim. It includes leather upholstery for the door armrest and instrument panel top instead of the standard vinyl, and makes for a more luxurious interior.

Others have noted that the XF isn't instantly recognizable as a Jaguar, despite some external similarities to the XK coupe. But then slow sales of the XJ have demonstrated that more of the same won't keep the marque alive.

Accommodations

You sit much lower in the Jaguar XF than in most other midsize luxury sedans. And the instrument panel is very deep. I don't care for the resulting driving position--the XF feels like a larger car from behind the wheel as a result. Raising the seat helps, but cannot entirely compensate for the depth and relative height of the IP.

The seats are covered in high quality, soft leather, and are reasonably comfortable. But the lumbar bulge--which doesn't adjust for height in the regular XF--hit both me and my father (along for a second test drive) too low. And the seats provide little lateral support. No sport buckets are available, even in the Supercharged. Probably in next year's R.

The rear seat offers adults a passable amount of room and comfort. It's much more livable than that in the Mercedes CLS, and also roomier than that of the Lexus GS. So Jaguar succeeded in outdoing other midsize sedans with coupe rooflines in this regard.

The trunk is a bit more spacious than most in this class. And, like those in German competitors (but not Japanese competitors), the rear seat folds in two sections to expand the trunk.

On the Road

Jaguar has been getting by with the variants of the same basic V8 for about a decade now. As in other Jaguars past and present, the 4.2-liter in the XF is good for 300 horsepower. Competitors' V8s have generally moved well past this mark to 360 and even 380. Their sixes are good for 300 horsepower.

So it's really not surprising that the V8 is the XF's base engine on this side of the Atlantic. (You can get a diesel and a gasoline V6 in Europe.) And that the 390-horsepower supercharged 4.2-liter V8 is available in the regular XF, with a more powerful 5.0-liter coming for the R.

I had arranged with the salesperson to drive the supercharged for my second test drive. But when I returned he said they were no longer giving test drives of the supercharged, since the car is selling so strongly. So I drove the regular car a second time.

The regular car is, well, regular. 300 horsepower in a 4000-pound sedan is just okay these days. The XF so powered moves acceptably, but delivers few thrills. Hold the engine in low gear and it sounds pretty nice, but doesn't measure up to, say, Audi's V8 as a source of aural pleasure. Leaving room for the upcoming R? And of course this is the base car, and so intended for the luxury market, not the sport sedan market. Powertrain responses are smooth rather than immediate.

In terms of handling, the XF starts off at a disadvantage due to the low driving position and deep IP. Toss in steering with little effort and no feel and tires with little grip, and this just isn't a car I enjoyed driving, try as I might. Luxury sedan, not sports sedan, I know, I know.

Other reviewers have praised the steering. We're clearly on different wavelengths.

In the default setting the stability control cuts in too early, too often, and too obtrusively. Hit the DSC button and it behaves less, which is to say better.

I'm in more agreement with others on the ride quality. The Jaguar XF does ride more smoothly than a 5-Series, if not as cushily as a Lexus. Body control similarly falls short of a BMW but ahead of Lexus. Personally, I prefer the more tied-down feel of a BMW, even at the expense of ride quality. The XF felt a little disconnected much of the time and even unsettled some of the time. But many potential buyers of the XF seem to find its ride-handling compromise--and it is certainly a compromise--thoroughly suitable.

As in any luxury sedan these days, noise levels are low. It's just not possible for a car to shock in this area like the first Lexus LS did two decades ago.

In the end, we have a car that, dynamically, didn't wow me in the slightest. But I suppose I shouldn't have expected it to. I just wanted it to.

Jaguar XF Price Comparisons and Pricing

Now we come to the aspect of the Jaguar XF that has been exciting people the most: its price. The car starts at $50,000, about $10,000 below other V8-powered European midsize luxury sedans. Even the Lexus GS 460 runs a few grand more.

But then the Jaguar V8 only matches the competition's sixes in power output. The Lexus GS 350 runs about $5,000 lower. BMW's 535i runs a few grand more than the XF.

But those cars dont' offer a leather-covered IP. The XF does--in a Premium Trim Package that still leaves the MSRP about equal to the BMW with the turbo six. So you get a more luxurious, more "special" car for your $55,000.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Jaguar XF:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/XF.php

Last Words

Clearly, I didn't connect with this car. But, as noted in the title, this is probably a case of "it's not you, it's me." Jaguar has fielded a thoroughly acceptable, more-distinctive-than-most midsize luxury sedan at a very reasonable price. Not exciting? I guess that's the job of the Supercharged, or even the upcoming R. I hope to drive the Supercharged soon, and look forward to the R.

Why just three stars? The average in this class is very high. The XF does well to attain it.

A Note on Jaguar XF Reliability

With Jaguars, people tend to be concerned about reliability. But should they be?

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an XF rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Jaguar XF reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need reliability data on all cars--not just the XF--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 62,000
Model and Options: base XF