London’s
calling with the sultry, tech-loving 2009 Jaguar XF.
Every car lover
knows a Jaguar at first glance. And that’s the
problem. For too long, Jaguar stuck with quaint
British stereotypes like leather and wood and high
maintenance. And while that worked for queens worldwide
for a very long time, the Lexus revolution pretty much put a
stake in the heart of old luxury and painted the Jag
into a corner.
With the 2009 XF,
Jaguar’s cutting the cord to the old and embracing a
new style that’s as runway-ready as anything from
Paris or Milan. The sizzling new XF is a tight outfit
that shows off stunning curves, a bodacious front end,
and the hint of a tattoo just above its rear end.
Stare down its lines; the XF is a thing of edgy beauty, with
a bulging hood, raked glass, and flaring, voluptuous
hips. Its low profile and toned stance -- as well as
the snarling-cat badge etched into the trunk -- stick
in your brain as it whips past. If there’s a hotter
body to come out of England, it could only be rugby
god Ben Cohen, but we’re not totally convinced
even he could stand up against the XF.
Inside, the cabin
caters to old-school fans and iPhone addicts alike. The
leather’s double-stitched (for durability, we think),
the hardwood’s perfectly polished, and the
carpet is as plush as anything the queen sets foot on.
It’s the perfect jewel box to show off the
XF’s newfangled, James Bond touches like the
light-pulsing start/stop button, a gear-selector dial
that rises from the center console, and ample
connections -- both Bluetooth and wired -- for music
players, cell phones, and data-storage devices.
On the road, the
XF is a cat hunting prey. During a recent test drive,
the XF tore up the twisty blacktop just north of the Mexican
border. A supercharged 420-horsepower V-8 engine shot
the XF off the line (definitely skip the standard
300-horsepower V-8; the minimal improvement in fuel
economy is hardly worth the performance penalty). The crisp
handling and optional 20-inch tires kept the sedan planted
during high-speed cornering, and when we were ready to
throttle back, the XF glided down the freeway with a
ride fit for royalty.
Jaguar’s
now a part of India’s Tata Motors, which still makes
us giggle a little. But there’s nothing funny
about the XF, or the 500-horsepower XF-R coming next
year. Look out, Lexus!
Follow us on Twitter. 
Follow us on Facebook.
Page 1 of 1