Review: 2009 Jaguar XF

What’s New: The 2009 Jaguar XF is an all-new design from the company, one that it hopes will redefine expectations of the brand. The XF is equipped with a choice of naturally-aspirated or supercharged V-8 engines, a sport-tuned suspension, innovative interior appointments and styling that makes a definite break from Jaguar's past.


Competes With: BMW 5 Series; Lexus GS; Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Read the Test Drive: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged

What We Think: Jaguar has finally shaken off its past and thrust itself into the 21st Century, and not a moment too soon. While the XF doesn't have an immediately recognizable Jaguar shape, it is a nice looking car that's luxurious, feature-packed, fun to drive and priced exactly where you'd think it should be.


Overview: 2009 Jaguar XFCrow, as it turns out, doesn't really taste all that bad. At least, it doesn't when you're a cynical automotive journalist who has suddenly discovered that the 2009 Jaguar XF is a remarkably good car. The XF boasts an innovative, clever and comfortable interior, all the luxury Jaguar features you expect (and then some), ludicrously wonderful power from the supercharged V-8 engine, and heavy doses of driving pleasure for the lucky soul behind the wheel. If experiencing the Jaguar XF – especially the supercharged version – requires one to eat a little crow, well, hand us a fork.




Why the avian meal? Well, when the XF was first unveiled in 2007, the reaction varied from lukewarm to downright hostile. It didn't look like a Jaguar, which means that unlike the S-Type it replaces, the bigger XJ sedan or even the XK coupe, this Jag bears no resemblance whatsoever to a classic Jaguar car. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your opinion of the company's historical lines.

Yet get beyond the styling and it's impossible to ignore this simple fact: The new XF is the first thoroughly modern Jaguar, and a car that can be mentioned alongside the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Lexus GS as an equal without eliciting muffled giggles from the owners of those Japanese and German brands. For a new generation of buyers who aren't hidebound by Jaguar's classic styling, the XF may in fact prove to be irresistible.