JAGUAR XF 5.0 V8 Supercharged XFR 4dr Auto (2009)
Jaguar XFR 5.0 V8 Review - Whoosh!
It just blew my middled aged socks off. I've no idea about the mechanics or anything, and really I'd always seen Jaguars as a slightly more sedate make of car, but the Jaguar XFR 5.0 (at least this flavour of it) is hugely exciting to drive. Amazing stuff. Hard to describe really as I don't know any of the Clarkson vocab, but all I know is that when I put my foot down is roars into action and zips off like nobody's business. I only very occasionally get the feeling that it might slip around a bit, and only when the conditions get really bad and I'm still driving stupidly. Apart from that it feels like I can do pretty much what I want.
I suppose all these are good reasons why it's in the top (or near top) insurance group, which is worth bearing in mind. Likewise the fuel economy is really rubbish. It says 22 mpg but I struggle to get that. Mind you I struggle not to treat it like a racing car so there's some connection there methinks.
Our Jaguar XFR does its share of boring driving though, and it manages all that very well. Jag haven't done away with style and comfort. The rear seats aren't quite big enough though. It's ok for two adults who don't mind their knees apart, but for three it might be a little cosy.
For those in the front though it's a different story. We both get fancy fully adjustable seats, and lovely comfy backs. For the driver, I love the little touches like the dials on the steering wheel for the stereo, real dials that you can push up and down, none of this up-down button nonsense. It feels so much higher quality. The dashboard itself is a good large size, although it's a little tiresome the way it slopes towards you, so it's tricky to actually keep anything on it. Before long it falls towards you. Mostly it's just a pleasure to be in though, these are just some little niggles.
It does really (or did really) bother me that the auto gearbox controls are on the flat surface of the central arm rest and storage space. So if you drop something, or put something down, you could knock the gears out. That seems a silly design really. I got used to it but I can't always guarantee my passengers will know not to put something down, or even that they'll never drop something there.
We've only just got the car really, just a few months, so I can't say much about reliability. It's been fine so far but that's not saying much. Jaguar have a good reputation though and the I see no reason why the XFR shouldn't carry that on. Fingers crossed...