Car Auto Magazine

Giving the car a 114.5-inch wheelbase under a 195.3-inch-long body certainly helped. In fact, the shadow cast by the XF is larger than that of the Audi A6, BMW 5-series, Mercedes E-class, and Lexus GS. With this six-foot-five scribbler ensconced comfortably in the rear seat, it feels like it. The trunk capacity is pretty good as well, offering 18 cubic feet before the rear seatbacks are folded to provide a further 15 cubic feet of cargo space.

The XF will arrive in the U.S. powered by a naturally aspirated 300-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 or a 420-hp supercharged version of same, both pedaling through a six-speed automatic transmission. Jaguar’s 0-to-60 targets are 6.3 and 5.2 seconds, respectively, with quarter-mile times forecast at 14.9 and 13.8 seconds.

With suspension components based on those of the XK coupe, the XF’s handling ought to be representative. But the emphasis here is on luxury, and the car’s interior has all the hallmarks of the market segment, plus a few surprises. Mick Mohan, the XF’s chief program engineer, likes to demonstrate the Jaguar “handshake,” which consists of revolving air vents that roll open when the driver touches the start button.

The button itself pulses with red backlighting when the driver enters the car, and a novel rotary gear selector rises from its well in the center console when the engine starts. The switch rotates through the usual park, reverse, and drive positions and then is depressed to pass a detent into sport mode, enabling the steering-wheel paddles for manumatic actuation.

Clearly, this is a lot more car than the old S-type and a definite sign that Jaguar has moved into a new era. We can’t wait to drive the XF.