Jaguar XF S 2015

Jaguar XF saloon has two tough acts to follow in the new XE and its predecessor, but it delivers.

While Jaguar’s new XE is getting all the column inches and flashy TV adverts at the moment, the British brand knows the larger XF is where its reputation is at stake.

Why? Well, although the XE was always going to be a big step up from the X-Type, the new XF has to replace a car that arguably created the modern-day Jaguar. Improving a successful recipe is tricky – especially for a small company with big ambitions.

Don’t expect a total rework, though. Behind all the ceremony of the XE’s launch, Jag’s engineers have been quietly hard at work taking all the good things that made the XF successful and steadfastly tweaking them. The car improves in all the areas you’d expect: it’s lighter thanks to new aluminium-intensive architecture shared with the XE, there’s a wealth of new tech and safety kit, it’s roomier and a range of new, more efficient engines also features.

Plus, he new XF allows Jaguar to attack the all-important fleet market in a way it has never done before – engaging in an all-out war with the likes of the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. Previously we got our first taste of the predicted bestseller and the one fleets are expected to lap up – the 104g/km 2.0d fitted with one of Jaguar’s new Ingenium engines. It’s a strong performer, but we came away from our drive thinking that it’s the engine you’d buy with your head, not with your heart.

Knowing that fleet buyers aren’t the be all and end all, the brand is also offering a tweaked version of the old XF’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel, which will tickle not only the more well heeled company exec, but also the droves of private buyers Jag wants to appeal to. It’s a familiar JLR engine, yet here in the XF (with 296bhp and a whopping 700Nm of torque), it’s being viewed as one of two performance units on offer from launch.

We sampled the powerful diesel in super-posh Portfolio trim (pictured), but in the UK, it can only be ordered in range-topping sporty S trim – joining the other racy S with a thumping 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine from the F-Type. All S models get a unique bodykit, including bigger front grilles and a discreet boot lip spoiler. Trick Adaptive Dynamics are standard, too, as are two-tone, 19-inch rims and red brake calipers.

With power and torque figures like that, it’s hardly a surprising conclusion that the 3.0 TDV6 rightly wears the S badge. From as little as 2,000rpm, the full 700Nm of torque kicks in – delivering 0-62mph in just 5.8 seconds. Push on, and the familiar Jag V6 growl appears, providing an aural pleasure the 2.0-litre lacks. The V6 diesel only comes with a ZF eight-speed auto box, which fires through the gears. Pull on the paddle to change down, though, and it sometimes hesitates, yet it’s admittedly a small niggle.

It won’t break the bank to run, either, with 51.4mpg economy and CO2 emissions of 144g/km slotting the XF S 3.0 TDV6 into the 26 per cent Benefit in Kind tax bracket. For comparison, the super-frugal hybrid Lexus GS 300h falls into the 17 per cent band and is exempt from the diesel surcharge.

The rest of the package is equally impressive, too. Jag has worked hard on making the XF top of the class for driver fun, and it easily rivals the 5 Series for handling prowess. The steering is weighty and crisp, while the double-wishbone suspension at the front and a new system called ‘Integral Link’ at the rear give near-flawless ride quality.

Behind the F-Type-style wheel is a nice place to be, too. It’s roomy up front, but while the build quality is a welcome step up from the old car, it lags a little behind the A6 for perfection.

It’s much the same case with the eight-inch infotainment screen (our car had the larger 10.2-inch system) that features Jag’s InControl Touch system – you can’t help but feel BMW’s iDrive is a little bit slicker.