When you hear the name Jaguar you probably envision a sporty little coupe or roadster like the F-Type, tearing up some canyon road making menacing sounds. But the British brand’s 4-door lineup is also ultra-impressive and comes in 3 sizes. This is the new middle child, the 2017 XF.
Any concerns about Jaguar’s future after the Tata Motors takeover in 2008 have been assuaged by a bevy of wonderful new products and increased sales, anchored by the legendary design work of Ian Callum.
This fully redesigned 2nd generation XF went on sale late last year for a short 2016 model run and moves into its sophomore year with the addition of an entry-level diesel model and a few minor design changes.
The XF 35t models are powered by a 340 horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V6 while models designated with an S take it to 380 horsepower, just like in the F-TYPE with which these engines are shared. Rear and all-wheel drive variants are offered throughout.
Staying with the mechanical, there’s an 8-speed automatic ZF transmission, brake-based torque vectoring to mitigate understeer on corner entry, predictive all-wheel drive which in normal conditions keeps the power to the rear wheels, Adaptive Surface Response – which replaces the previous Winter Mode – adding to the all-wheel drive capability by determining the kind of surface the car is driving on and then modifies the control systems accordingly.
And then there’s Adaptive Dynamics, now more advanced with a suspension that constantly adjusts between supple and firmer based on body and wheel movements. It’s also configurable with the ability to individually tailor the throttle mapping, transmission shift strategy and steering feel.
Gas mileage has improved by 15%, now rated at 20mpg city/28mpg highway on premium with the aid of a very active automatic stop/start system…sometimes to the point of annoyance.
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