Surrey Now, August 14, 2015

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Friday, August 14, 2015

DRIVE NOW

today’sdrive ay’ s drive 20 15 Jaguar Ford XF

B01

SPECIAL SECTION courtesy of the SURREY Your journey startsNOW here.

Your journey starts here.

Focus ST

The XF feels like something unique and special

However, taste is a subjective thing, and there’s something to be said about the simplicity of the Jaguar’s controls, dial-shifter, The F-Type, the F-Type, the F-Type. Ever and generally uncluttered wonder how Emma Watson’s sisters feel? Well, layout. Were it not for the way the Jaguar XF does. infotainment functionality However, while the pretty two-door sportscar is impacted by being gets all the paparazzi’s attention, the four-door squeezed a bit by that small sedan continues to best it in sales. There’s touchscreen, the ergonomics a practicality here, one that’s doubled by would be just fine. a little on the small side for some traction provided by all-wheel-drive. @brendan_mcaleer BY BRENDAN McALEER

brendanmcaleer@gmail.com

Tweet: @brendan_mcaleer

It’s no wallflower, shouting its intentions to the world

@brendan_mcaleer

duties, and strapping in a rearPerformance: car

The XF, then, is the Jaguar bought by those who want a seat gets a bit onerous as the Jaguar rear offers the XF in little everyday liveability with their style. However, without Canada with a 2.0L turbo parcel shelf is tricky to remove. sizedthe and practical glittering halo cast by the spotlight, how does this engine making 240hp, a 3.0L more-sensible Jaguar hold up in the ordinary world? ing around children supercharged V6 making 340hp,

Apart from that, it’s a regular little hatch, and that means and a 5.0L supercharged V8 making 510hp. This week’s tester had the First off, no, it’s not quite as gorgeous as the F-Type, folding seats for a hockey middle option, and while I briefly wished but the XF is no shrinking violet. It’s not a fussy shape, practice, or room enough to for the bonkers V8, the feeling went away a silhouette made with classic English understatement, ? pickout uphere three friends every time I drove past a gas station. but there’s just enough standing to be unique.from the airport. Let whom ever is your an over boosted The supercharged six is a lovely little motor, mated to an The side vents are better-executed than some of the best friend ride up front. eight-speed automatic transmission that’s also well up to the g brakes, punchy German competition, the grille isn’t so large as to be task. This being the Luxury model, both the ride and feel of like aoverbearing disgruntled but adds a nice bright spot of chrome, and The front Recaros for both driver the drive are a little on the soft side, a little of that grace that the snarling, red-ringed Jaguar’s head in front takes lete with seats that and passenger are some of the forms the old Jaguar byline of Grace, Pace, and Space. the place of beat-you-over-the-head-with-it aggression Mustangs. most aggressive seats ever fitted to a

roceries. Design:

you find in other marquees. It’s an older design, but one

Punt the car into sport mode and start asking for a little

Like all modern complicated luxury sedans, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a service bill in fifteen years time. However, under parent-company Tata’s control, both Jaguar and Land Rover have improved by – pardon the pun – leaps and bounds, to the point where they’re not far off the German competition. suspension and brake-based torque And if you’re going to lease one vectoring give the ST the a chance tocoverage really during warranty bite into the corner and then scrabble period anyway, it’s up to your service to keep a stiff out the other side.adviser The more upper lip. aggressive you are, the happier it Compared to the the fleetstire of 5-series gets – and the bigger bill.

and E-class Mercedes-Benzes I passed,

That’s Most the XFnot didall. indeed feelhot like hatchbacks something unique andnice special. the job a Jaguar’s display safeJust understeer if supposed to do. you push them a bit hard. Ford, on the other hand, has engineered Features: in lift-off oversteer intothe their As mentioned, the XF is a little behind timeslittle in terms of infotainment. The touchscreen navigation works just hooligan. Pop off the accelerator fine, butsharply hooking up an iPod tookand a little longer mid-corner, the backthan end expected, and there was no Bluetooth streaming audio. comes around like its on casters. This However, for 67,500, Luxury-level XF came with behaviour feelsthis tamed compared to the a 10-speaker audio system, a stop-start system, and first editions of Itthe is still present a backup camera. alsoST, hadbut an optional heated and still something you won’t windscreen, which might find not beelsewhere. an absolute necessity in

that’s agedbut well. mainstream car. The side-bolstering isthe engine and transmission, and the XF more from acts overseas, responds with surprising alacrity. While not as fresh as huge, to the point that some everyday users tting used to these. This being the Luxury model, the wheel choice is a 19” the aluminum-intensive alloy that’s again not allactually that fussy.find If you’d might it a tad uncomfortable. If you construction that’s coming our thinkmulti-spoke “Mustang,” way with the new XE sedan and F-Pace crossover, the XF’s the lower mainland. your cat’s-paws little more claw,bits, the Sport the twisty though, they’re keeping you Overall, it’s a faster and more thrilling driving experience usablelike hatchback is to have ahit chassiswonderful, is actually very finely tuned. versions have really great-looking 20” grey wheels. Fuel economy forbuttoned-down all-wheel-drive andGermanic a supercharged V6 firmly strapped in place. than you get from the more The all-wheel-drive system has no issues putting isn’t bad, rated at 13.9L/100kms city and 8.8L/100kms Environment: Fly under the radar in the latter, or by the seat the powerbut down from a launch, feels highway. And observed economy hit right between those MyFord Touch continues to improve, can still be where the XF competition. cus RSPowering currently up the XF is done by pressing a “beating” red of your pants in this thing: it’s your choice. considerably faster than its quoted 0-100km time of parameters, thanks to some mild weather. toengine be thetoAchilles’ heel of the Focus. Screen ng power output starter button for a second orconsidered so, causing the 6.4 seconds. Once on the move, the system reverts to fonts are small, and a bit of a reach while on the move. and the air-vents to slowly rotate open. It’s a neat bit at thefire regular Green Light: a rear-drive bias that hustles quite nicely, evenFeatures: if this theatre, inside the F-Type. Good feature load-out; smooth, comfortable ride; easyHowever, voice commands work better than on the does itofwork assimilar an to that found is thefar softer, luxury model. The steering isn’t superThe optional go-faster stripes from Ford add a hundred to-use infotainment; excellent space feeling curve like it’sis tuned for originalXK rollout, andcommunicative, while the learning a primarily However, the XF is a bit more system’s like the now-defunct horsepower each proven fact. comfort, there’s plenty of grippy confidence here to coupe on the inside. There’s nothing aboutthe the system interior that bit steep, works well withbut familiarity. Stop Sign: be had. jumps out at you as a wow factor, and the navigation and Besides that, the ST is very styling; well equipped standard, with Sedate interior cramped infotainment; retained infotainment screen is a little on the small side. And while we’re on the subject of confidence, let’s Performance: d news for the ST value and reliability not as good as a competition thetalk only real options being navigation and package the Anglo-Indian There’s Old World, and thenUnder there’s getting a littlenew bit hood isabout the Focus’ the familiar 2.0L Elephant in the room: reliability. he Focus recently containing dual-zone climate control The Checkered Flag:and a 10-speaker Traditionally, Jags have been just the thing to buy if you old. The XF was launched in 2008 as a 2009 model, 15 front end and turbocharged engine, punching out 252hp and 270lb-ft ew audio upgrade. The latter is as punchy as the ST’s A nicely-equipped and styled alternative to the ubiquitous wanted a car that self-changed both oil and coolant by and on the inside at least, it’s now outstyled by the of torque. Much more than what’s offered from rivals at hts now include German offerings. Pip-pip, eh what? turbocharged engine, but subtracts trunk space with a rearleaking both all over your driveway. competition. VW or Honda, the ST’s straight-line performance is strong, and a power bulge mounted subwoofer. punctuated by more than a hint of torque steer scrabble. Official fuel economy figures for the ST are quite good at As a highway car, the no-shift passing response is very re pretty tame – the 7.3L/100kms on the highway, and 10.2L/100kms in the good. Lots of low-end torque means you can just leave the nteel machine. city. Observed real-world economy is really going to depend manual-only shifter in top gear and just let your left foot ng its intentions to on how often you ignore the upshift indicator and just floor get you up to speed. Road noise from the 18” alloys and mborghini-ish centreit, but the ST can handle a gentle commute without being performance tires is less intrusive than in a Subaru WRX. s. too painful at the pump. However, the ST doesn’t really wake up until the road gets ng. On the negative www.peacearchtoyota.com ED Green Light: Dealer #30377 twisty. The advantage of having aW dedicated European + US ng. That centreE N engaging drive; usable passenger and cargo 3174Characterful, KING GEORGE BLV, SURREY performance arm for decades is that Ford’s hatchback who would wish to space; grippy seats offerings have been fighting off a much larger competitive arket offerings look

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