After Jaguar first released the XF at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the mid-size sedan went on to become Jaguar’s most awarded model. Fierce competition led to a brand new generation unveiled at the 2015 New York Auto Show, where Jaguar also featured a new design language they planned on taking.
The refreshed 2017 Jaguar XF has become the backbone of Jaguar’s design statement and has spread its look to the more compact Jaguar XE as well as the larger Jaguar XJ. With a starting price of $58,900, we take a closer look to see if the 2017 Jaguar XF is worthy of its luxury sedan pricing.
SLEEK EXTERIOR DESIGN
The sleek exterior of the 2017 Jaguar XF seamlessly blends tasteful modern curves with subtle accent lines, creating an overall luxurious and sporty appearance. The 2017 XF’s refined and unassuming exterior design will easily last through the ages without becoming outdated. The XF achieves this by bringing together a low and wide stance, large wheels, pleasing proportions and just the right amount of chrome, creating a look that exudes elegance and sportiness.
The front end is what really showcases the XF’s best features. Narrow, swept-back LED headlights give it a distinctly aggressive appearance, pronounced by the large central air intake and the even heftier lower air intakes. The hood keeps the existing muscular bulges which extend all the way towards the windshield, hinting at the sporty performance under the hood.
Many felt the rear end design of the previous XF never matched the rest of the package, but for 2017, Jaguar has made some refreshments to fix this issue. The updated taillights are longer and thinner, accentuating the XF’s width, while the higher arches of the rounded trunk and a chrome strip help to tie the rear end in with the overall sporty appearance.
INTERIOR SPORTY LUXURY
Jaguar has always built vehicles with elegant, high quality, luxurious interiors and the 2017 XF, although different from traditional wood-rich Jaguar interiors, still lives up to the high quality standards but is instead focused on a performance oriented design. Replacing the polished wood highlights of old, are the sportier metallic carbon fiber textures, glossy piano black highlights, soft touch surfaces and accented leather stitching. Traditional Jaguar interior maybe not, but performance luxury most definitely!
The sleek, multi-tiered dash of the 2017 Jaguar XF sits high with a gentle slope, giving the impression that you’re sitting inside the car rather than on top of it. The 2017 XF’s sporty interior design is well matched to its performance oriented seating position and while it may be a midsize four-door sedan, it’s definitely a true driver’s car when it comes to the ergonomics and positioning of the steering wheel, controls and seating.
The XF’s increased wheelbase yields more cabin space, particularly for those in the rear. Leg and knee room get a decent boost, but headroom in the back is still a bit limited if you’re extremely tall. The seats themselves are extremely comfortable with great lateral support and variable adjustability making for a comfortable ride during a long cruise as well as reassuring support for quick maneuvering.
Little touches help make the sleek, modern interior just a little more pleasant. The full length sunroof brightens the interior, a heads up display projects various information into the windshield, while a potential button and dial cluttered dash is replaced by a huge touch screen instead. Other little touches like the shift knob lowering when the car is off and the automatic opening and closing air vents serve as a reminder that this is no run of the mill interior!
DRIVING PERFORMANCE
From the first turn, it’s clear that the 2017 Jaguar XF is all about the driving experience. The 2017 XF is offered in a variety of configurations combining a gasoline or diesel engine with rear wheel drive or all wheel drive and pairing with an eight speed automatic transmission. We had the pleasure of testing the 2017 Jaguar XF with the 2.0L turbo charged diesel engine outputting 180hp to its all wheel drive system. Despite the unmistakable diesel engine knocking, the engine noise is well dampened and the cabin remains quiet and relaxing.
The 2017 XF uses Jaguar’s innovative new architecture which reduces the overall vehicle weight by using an aluminum alloy. This equates to 132lbs of weight savings for RWD models and around 265 lbs. for AWD models. Torque rigidity is up by 28 percent as well, something that’s extremely noticeable once you start throwing the XF left and right. The 2017 XF is the lightest non-hybrid diesel in its respective segment, weighing in at 176lbs less than its nearest competitor.
In normal driving mode, the 2017 Jaguar XF drives smoothly with quick accelerations at lower speeds thanks to the turbo. Once speeds in excess of 60 km/hr are hit, the acceleration definitely starts to suffer. With Jaguar’s Adaptive Dynamics, the ride is always smooth and comfortable as the system is constantly adjusting for the optimal driving experience depending on speed, turn angles and road conditions. Switching driving modes to Dynamic Mode makes for a sportier driving experience by delaying gear changes, making the throttle more sensitive and stiffening the steering.
Propelling the XF from 0 to 100 km/hr takes 8.4 seconds, which is quite slow in comparison to other vehicles on the market, but also to be expected from a 180hp engine attached to a larger sedan. However, there’s plenty of lower speed power (up to 60km/hr) thanks to the turbo, which is where the majority of driving occurs and as expected, with lower power comes better the fuel economy. I was extremely impressed with the fuel consumption, as our 225km test drive through the city and highways yielded a consumption of only 7.7 L/100km, which includes many spirited accelerations!
FINAL THOUGHTS
The 2017 Jaguar XF offers an exceptional driving experience for drivers and passengers alike, while keeping everyone inside the well appointed cabin comfortable and relaxed. While the diesel engine may not offer the same level of sporty performance as the more powerful engine options, it does offer class leading fuel economy. With sleek but refined exterior styling and a luxurious and sporty interior, the 2017 Jaguar XF is sure to impress!
