Jaguar has been long synonymous with the luxury sedan market for close to one hundred years. With a history that includes such superstars of sedan car motoring as their 2.8 and 3.8 liter medium sized sedans of the fifties and sixties, to the Mark Ten and later XJ6 and XJ12 models of the seventies, eighties and onwards. After many years when they were at their peak as an independent, Jaguar merged with ailing UK giant British Leyland to be later taken over by Ford of America. These were ye... (full review continues below)
Jaguar has been long synonymous with the luxury sedan market for close to one hundred years. With a history that includes such superstars of sedan car motoring as their 2.8 and 3.8 liter medium sized sedans of the fifties and sixties, to the Mark Ten and later XJ6 and XJ12 models of the seventies, eighties and onwards. After many years when they were at their peak as an independent, Jaguar merged with ailing UK giant British Leyland to be later taken over by Ford of America. These were years where Jaguar's image sadly began to fade.
However after becoming part of the Indian owned Tata Motors group, combined with another British benchmark, Land Rover, Jaguar have roared back to become as prominent as ever in the luxury car market.
Jaguar's most current sedan release, the XF, is a walk down the memory lane for those who remember at its finest, combing a super sleek body design with passenger comfort and engine power as good as you will find on the market today.
From the outside, the XF is all Jaguar from the ascending line of its roof and window lay out , recessed rear door handles that have been designed to create the impression of a two door vehicle, and to great effect. To add even more drama to the scene, the Jaguar XF comes with nineteen inch alloy wheels that are almost oversized.
The Jaguar XF Sedan draws its power from a five liter V8 fuel injection engine, generating 385 horsepower, paired with an electronically controlled six speed automatic transmission.
Safety standards for the XF Sedan are pretty high, taking in six airbags spread around the vehicle, antilock brakes dynamic stability control as well as a skid management feature and the latest generation anti lock brakes.
Jaguar has always been renowned for their interior design policy, and that was to provide a combination of luxury and practicality. This is a tradition y that has been meticulously continued by Tata with a few features that are pure 21st century. The one that stands out over all is what Jaguar has nicknamed the "handshake". The handshake comes when the Jag driver sits down in their seat, automatically prompting the gear shift know to silently rise from the center console to shake hands and await instructions.
After that warm welcome it's all about sitting back and enjoying the trademark burr walnut paneling and real leather upholstery that have been identified with Jaguar sedans since before the Second World War. Other goodies that are a bit more recent and come as standard in the Jaguar XF sedan are a powerful stereo backed up with an eight speaker system, a rear parking system, a power operated glass sunroof among many others. Those who want to trade up a little are provided with a long list of options that will add as much to the car as it will to its price tag.
With the launch of the XF sedan in 2008, Jaguar announced that they were back in the main frame luxury sedan market, comparing well against such heavyweights as the Audio A6, Volvo C60, Peugeot 508, Volkswagen Passat, BMW 5, Mercedes E-Class and Lexus's GS.