Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel

 



Once upon a time, the very thought of a Jaguar with a diesel engine would have been considered heresy. But things have moved on.

For years Jaguar has had the option of a wonderful PSA group sourced 2.7 litre twin turbo V6 diesel. What an engine that was.

Now Jaguar has a new oiler under the bonnet of the XF saloon.

I must admit the sound of the 2.2 litre four cylinder diesel under that sleek bonnet is a little incongruous, but you get used to it and most certainly will enjoy the fuel savings associated with any diesel over petrol .

The 2.2 diesel has 450 nm of torque, almost into V8 territory, from just 140 kw.

Despite being quite a heavy car the XF is no shrinking violet, when pushed it still manages a very acceptable 0 to 100 time of just over 8 seconds.

As mentioned earlier the new diesel isn't as quiet as I thought it would be. It's audible at idle and under throttle but at cruising speeds you'd be hard pressed to detect it as a diesel.

The XF despatches corners with arrogant ease, sitting flat and neutral through even the most testing corners.

The XF is a superbly well crafted car. The one on test here has Jaguar's "black" option pack.. meaning features including grille, window frames and wheels are highlighted in black where chrome usually resides. The black 20" wheels on this car have silver Allen bolt highlights around the rim giving the car a touch of racetrack aggression.

The ride on those optional 20" wheels is quite good, not as harsh as I would have expected.

The theme continues in the cabin where more piano black adorns the dashboard and door cards. The leather atop the dash is meticulously and beautifully stitched, another sign of Jaguar's attention to detail. Blue mood lighting in the cabin at night emphasises the big Jag's classy look.

The boot is enormous and there's more than enough head and leg room for passengers in the cabin. Multi adjustable steering column and seats make finding the right driving position easy.

A widescreen reversing camera just one of the Jag's innovative safety features.

As is usual with the XF series there is no badge on the boot lid denoting what engine you have under the bonnet, so those keen on giving you a traffic light GP will be kept guessing.

The brilliant 8 speed automatic gearbox can't be faulted, and there are steering wheel paddles for those who prefer them.

The diesel incorporates the latest idle stop/ start fuel saving technology(which can be overridden at the touch of a button.)

That feature helps the big Jaguar sip diesel at an average of just 5 .4 litres per 100 kilometres.

In fact the new 2.2 diesel won an award in late 2012 for the most fuel efficient diesel under three litres, in a three week round Australia run...delivering an average of 3.9 litres per 100 ks.

The XF diesel has an incredible 26 thousand kilometre service interval, rather than the usual 15,000. 

I have never heard of such extended oil change periods, but I trust the engineers know what they are doing.

Even though Jaguar is now owned by the Indian TATA group, the cars are still made in Britain.

XF sales in Australia at July 2013 stood at 507, 100 more than at the same period in 2012.

At an extraordinary $75,000  the XF diesel should be on your shopping list, it looks seductive and desirable, and more than up to the challenge from other prestige manufacturers in economy,value, quality and features.

Peter Sellen