Jaguar is gorgeous again
There was a time when Jaguar was the epitome of gentlemanly cool and swagger. They were cars that existed to please the eyes as well as the driver. It was the ultimate chick magnet. Then came Baroness Thatcher and British Leyland. It has been pretty much downhill since.
The XJ6 was the last of the truly elegant Jaguar, some may argue that the XJ-S was a gorgeous car but I think it was just an all-right design not spectacular.
Once the XJ6 was replaced by the Angular XJ40, I lost all interest in Jaguar.
The XF has brought back some hope that this once illustrious British marque may finally have found its way back to greatness and strangely enough, it has done this by letting go of nostalgia.
Ever since they were stung by heavy criticism for the angular XJ40, Browns Lane have never strayed far from the four round headlight and stylised L-shape rear lamp cluster. Much to their detriment
The regimented styling created some questionable design, most notably the S-type and X-type which simply looked like they were imitating Jaguar, even though they are pukka leaping cats.
For the XF, Ian Callum has convinced Jaguar bosses that being traditional does not mean being retro and he has shown the way to distill the essence of Jaguar design into a modern, timeless shape that Sir William Lyons would be proud of.
Some styling cues retained include the power bulge on the bonnet, sweeping roofline and low-slung looks.
The sculpted headlamp cluster gives it distinctiveness as a Jaguar. Callum did not discard tradition altogether, he used beautiful chrome plated wire mesh as a background to the growling cat face and that sealed the deal for any traditionalists.
The rear may not look like any other Jaguar before but it is manyfold more Jag than the X-type or S-type will ever be.
More beutiful details are to be found inside the cabin. For example the leather bound steering wheel, which also houses an array of buttons and jog dials looks both warm and modern at the same time.
The simple uncluttered dashboard is a joy to behold. Unlike otehr manufacturers who feel obliged to pack the dashboard with buttons so they can squeeze every dollar from the customer, Jaguar has kept it simple, after all its a car, it does not have to make coffee
So few buttons, so neat, so clean, so beautiful, what else can I say
This little metal bullseye inlay in the dashboard is actually a touch sensitive switch for the glove compartment. Cool or what. I am not sure how you are suppose to open the glove box and check the manual if the battery runs flat though.
The brushed aluminium dash trim looks great and all four air conditioning vents will automatically fold away when you turn off the engine, so your car looks good even when parked.
The dials are all electronics and lights up when you insert the key, sorry I mean push the start button. When you do start the car, a large rotary dial emerges from the centre console to give you ‘the Jaguar Handshake’. then you twist it to select the gear and leap off.
Engine wise we get a choice of 3,0-litre v6 or 4,2 litre v8 and if you are still hankering for more power they will sell you one with a supercharger bolted to the 4.2-V8
Performance and price?
3.0V6
Max power: 235 horses
Max torque: 293 Nm
Top Speed: 239km/h.
Price: RM488,888
4.2-litre V8
Herd Size: 298 horses
Stump pulling torque: 411Nm
0-100km/h: 6.5 seconds
Top Speed: 250km/h Electronically limited.
Price: RM599,888
Supercharged 4.2-litre V8
Cavalry strength: 416 horses
Can youbeat a tractor torque: 560 Nm
100km.h sprint: 5.4 seconds
Top Speed: Still 250km/h unless you remove the speed limiter….
Price: RM728,888.
You may want to rush in your booking because HQ is struggling to fulfillthe 12,000 order backlog…
Footnote: I know Jags have spotty reliability records but since this car is so gorgeous I would rather not think about the flaws…YET.. we will give it a few months and if any of you guys bought one or know of someone who bought one, keep us updated on this issue OK
