There’s also a wide range of newly optional convenience features, including adaptive cruise control, speed-limit recognition, a self-parking system, mobile Wi-Fi, a head-up display and 4-zone automatic climate control. The latest XF also touts available adaptive LED headlights and front and rear parking sensors.Īnd it isn’t just safety features that the new XF holds over the outgoing model. In the new version, it’s a totally different story: In addition to those items, the latest XF also offers lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning with automatic braking, rear cross-traffic alert, a 360-degree camera system and automatic high beams. The 2015 XF offered a blind spot monitoring system, a backup camera and few other high-tech modern features. Probably the biggest changes to the 2016 Jaguar XF relate to its vast improvements in technology over the outgoing model - and nowhere is that more obvious than with its safety features. While we expect to see more available engine choices join the XF’s lineup in the coming year or two, shoppers who want extra gas mileage or additional hp - and need to buy a new car right away - will probably prefer the outgoing XF to the new model. Like last year, it’s still offered with rear- or all-wheel drive, and it still offers a standard 8-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel drive was standard in the XF, though all-wheel drive was optional if you selected the V6.įor 2016, the lineup has been simplified dramatically: The V6 is the only engine that remains. Base models used a 240-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, midlevel versions used a 340-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V6, and top-end variants used a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 that made 470-510 hp depending on which version you chose. Still, some of the most obvious items - such as the upright dashboard design and the unique rising, circular gear lever - remain relatively unchanged compared to the outgoing model.įor 2015, the XF offered three engines. The XF’s interior quality has also improved, as the latest model touts upgraded materials on a variety of surfaces. While interior room and trunk space remain largely the same (save for rear-seat legroom, which has increased with the sedan’s lengthened wheelbase), the sedan’s cabin has been improved with a revised gauge cluster, a new steering wheel, a larger center screen and updated controls for just about everything. Inside, the XF offers more thorough changes. Still, the profile of the latest version is close enough to the overall look of the outgoing model that we suspect many shoppers could confuse the two. The XF also includes new wheel designs and new colors.
Specifically, there’s a revised front end with new lights and a new grille, along with an updated rear end with new taillights that uses a distinctive design borrowed from the Jaguar F-TYPE. The touch screen interface isn't the most intuitive or easy system to use, either.Although the Jaguar XF hasn’t undergone major stylistic changes for 2016, updates to the exterior clearly modernize the sedan. Those with grown children, or who frequently transport taller adults, may find that a small but annoying problem. Up front, it feels just the right side of cosy, but it’s more restrictive in the rear.
This Brit still lags behind pretty much all of its rivals when it comes to the provision of sheer cabin space. We can only regret that Jaguar didn't find any extra space for passengers’ knees and elbows during the XF’s refresh.
Being in a BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class or even the new and relatively lavishly appointed Audi A6 seems a dull and cold experience by comparison. It’s reassuring to find that’s still the case, even as the XF has come down in price with the introduction of smaller engines.Īs such, the cabin remains a real treat it is a pleasing piece of automotive theatre to settle into this cosseting cockpit, press the starter button and watch the gear selector dial rise to meet your fingertips, as the air vents rotate in their housings. Which is good news, because the XF has, since its launch, set a high standard when it comes to appealing, contemporary style and the luxurious feel of its interior.