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| ONE SLEEK CAT: Jaguar’s all-new XF sedan scores with the restaurant valets. photography courtesy of Jaguar USA |
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Wheeling into the valet station at Stephan Pyles’ restaurant, I saw that my luncheon companion—waiting near Pyles’ front window—was impressed. “Is that a Maserati?” she asked, nodding enthusiastically toward my five-passenger sedan.
Close, but no cigar. It was actually the 2009 Jaguar XF, but I couldn’t blame her for being confused. The all-new Jag is undeniably sleek and handsome—not unlike the Maserati—and others during my test drive mistook it for a Lexus.
The XF luxury sedan—the successor to Jaguar’s S-Type—is nobody’s clone, though. Based on Jaguar’s XK coupe, the mid-sized XF boasts an impressive front end marked by a sloping nose and a distinctive mesh grille.
It’s equally impressive inside. Picture tasteful wood trim; perforated leather seats with loads of legroom; a super-high-end, 14-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system. When you press the start button, the dashboard-mounted air vents swivel open. And the 4.2-liter V8 engine growls to life.
And, we do mean life. Our test car generated 300 spirited horses at 6,000 RPMs, as well as 310 pound-feet of torque. (Jaguar also offers a 420-horsepower Supercharged model.)
The transmission is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, but you can also shift manually, via paddles on the leather-wrapped steering wheel. The result of all these mechanics: a ride that’s firm, swift, and library-quiet.
Perhaps best of all, the XF provides this package for a very reasonable sticker (in terms of luxury cars, anyway). Total price for the model we drove: $63,125.
That didn’t seem to faze the valet parkers at Stephan Pyles, though. They gave us their No. 1 spot.
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| THE LOWDOWN Sticker price: $63,125 Engine: 300 HP 4.2-L V-8 MPG: 16 city, 25 highway |
