It may be the new face of Jaguar, but Tom Bird thinks the XF needs a swift facelift.
Much has been written about the new Jaguar XF and its importance in seeing the company through once Ford sells it off. Never before has a car had so much resting on its well-formed shoulders. So let's cut straight to the point - is it any good?
Well, the interior is absolutely fantastic - the pirouetting air vents, rising gear knob and pulsating starter button are admittedly a little gimmicky, but they add a frisson of excitement to the normally forgettable aspect of starting a car.
But it's at night when the interior really captures your imagination. Sharp phosphor blue lighting emits from behind all of the controls and bathes the doors with a cool glow. It really puts the bland interiors of its rivals to shame.
If only the same could be said of the exterior design - sure, there are hints of Aston Martin about the rear, but those headlights ruin the otherwise clean lines. And the car looks dumpy on anything but the SV8's 20-in alloys, unfortunately not available to lesser engined cars.
The ride and handling aspects of the XF were never really in doubt, even if the old S-type looked far too retro it was always a great drive - and the XF is no different.
Naturally, those looking for the most thrills won't be disappointed by the supercharged 4.2-litre V8 in the SV8 version - it sounds awesome and delivers a very special drive.
The regular V8's pretty good too - plenty of punch, though lacking a little on the aural entertainment front. But sitting beneath these two engines that have been borrowed from the XK and XKR lies a more sober 3.0-litre V6.
It's the same engine that was used in the S-type and also does service in the X-type and XJ.
There isn't an overly generous amount of power or torque, with just 238bhp and 216lb ft on offer - though 80 percent of the torque is delivered from a low 1,500rpm.
Acceleration to 100kph is two seconds slower with the V6 than it is with the regular V8, and yet another second off the SV8's time.
But this isn't the biggest problem - mid range performance is severely lacking. I found myself changing down much earlier than I'd anticipated, and even then finding the V6 XF bogged down by its 1679Kg weight.
You have to work the engine harder than you'd like and plan ahead any overtaking manoeuvres, so you don't find yourself floundering next to a truck with oncoming traffic fast approaching.
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