2012 Jaguar XF: Fuel Economy Update for February
March 4, 2013
We put 1,602 miles on our 2012 Jaguar XF in the month of February, mostly during Carroll's road trip to Phoenix. She earned an average of 17.6 mpg in February which exactly matches our average for the lifetime of this XF Supercharged. And is slightly better than the EPA estimate of 17 mpg for this car.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: In Six Seconds
March 1, 2013
Just playing with Vine. Do you think it's possible to review a car in six seconds?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Road Trip Worthy
February 28, 2013
In our test fleet, there are cars that you can't wait to get out of, and cars you would drive every day if some other needy editor wasn't pushing you out of the way.
The Jaguar XF Supercharged definitely falls in the second category. Glancing at the odometer this morning, I noticed the XF was nearing 20,000 miles. That's a milestone in our business, and the minimum mileage we try to put on all our cars during a 12-month period.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Navigation Hiccups
February 27, 2013
Overall, the navigation system in the Jaguar was a big help during a road trip to Phoenix. There were some glitches, however. Once, the system wouldn't let us set a restaurant as the destination. It didn't recognize the address as existing on that street, and I have no idea why. We bailed out and used Google Maps on a smartphone. (The "unnamed road" message shown here was no big deal, by the way. As with most systems, it's indicating a parking lot or the odd connector ramp.)
On two other occasions, the system's turn-by-turn voice commands (hereafter known as Miss Guided) went haywire. The first time it happened, I was alone and headed to my first visit to the Desert Botanical Garden. It was a perfect navigation test: a solo traveler headed someplace she'd never been.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Valet Tales
February 26, 2013
The valets at the Arizona Biltmore really, really liked our 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged. During our stay there, the Jaguar routinely got a front-row parking space, so we never had to wait more than a minute or two for it. I don't think it was just luxury-brand snob appeal, either. The car is beautiful in its own right and fits in with the Biltmore's theme of low-key elegance.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Subtle Design Statement
February 22, 2013
One of the outings we made in Phoenix was to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, studio and school of architecture. You can just see it in this photo, since Wright wanted it to blend into the desert landscape and only be visible when you were virtually on top of it.
The Jaguar is its own case study in the art of balancing subtlety and statement. Particularly in black, it's not at all showy from afar. But hit the self-leveling xenon HID headlamps and it shines. You can't miss the grill, which is distinctive and contemporary without being a gaping metal maw. And then there is its soundtrack: a growly V8, 470-hp engine. That's about all the statement you need, really.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Packed and Powering to AZ
February 21, 2013
We're bound for a long weekend in Phoenix. And on a two-lane stretch of Interstate 10, right about the time it begins its climb to Chiriaco Summit and the trucks start clogging the lanes, we really begin to appreciate the Jaguar's power plant.
The difficulty in this car is not getting the boost you need to pass. It's keeping yourself in check once the road opens up again. The Jaguar is content to lope along at about 90 mph, and it's all too easy to find yourself there without realizing it. Cruise control isn't a convenience in this car. It's a necessity, particularly if you want to avoid a speeding ticket. It doesn't ruin the fun. Too much.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: AZ Road Trip
February 15, 2013
It's been cool and drippy here. It's sunny there. There's work here. There's a spa there. Time for a road trip to Arizona. I've paired the phone and mapped the route in the Jaguar XF. (Though the directions are largely, "Drive for 379 miles and then stop," so I'm not sure that was totally necessary.)
I'll report back on the Jag's manners as a traveling companion in a few days.
Carroll Lachnit, Features Editor @ 18,073 miles
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Always Ready for Action
February 13, 2013
If you're not careful when you put your foot down on the accelerator in our long-term Jaguar XF you can take off like a jackrabbit. Its 5.0-liter supercharged V8 is always ready even when you're not.
It packs 470 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 424 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm. There's also a lot of midrange muscle on standby for passing and merging onto highways. It's a pleasure to drive when you get a bit of open road. I think I'm obsessed. So much so that I've chosen it from our list of cars for more than a week now. I can't get enough of its smooth power delivery and luxuriously elegant interior.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Locked Fuel Door
February 11, 2013
The fuel door on the right side of the Jaguar XF is one of those push-it-to-pop-it-open types. But it won't open if the car is locked. It only pops open if you have pressed the unlock button on the keyfob.
I only notice these types of security issues because I grew up in a neighborhood where people fought over parking spots as if the sidewalk was their personal property. Some of the crazies would actually put sugar in your gas tank if you parked in front of their house.
2012 Jaguar XF: Uneven Interior Lighting
February 8, 2013
Probably just like you, I prefer an even spread of dashboard lighting at night. I also prefer to dim the nav screens so they don't distract me from the road. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any sort of lighting adjustment for the Jaguar's infotainment screen.
I searched multiple times through all the on-screen menus to no avail. All I could get was the typical Day/Night/Auto setting. I adjusted the main dashboard lighting dial, and that managed to dim the screen to acceptable levels, but then the rest of the controls were too dark to read. This seems like an odd oversight for a car that seems to have everything else.
Mark Takahashi, Automotive Editor @ 17,550 miles
2012 Jaguar XF: Open Air
February 7, 2013
Nifty as the Jag's rotating vent doors look on ignition, to me they just represent expensive repair bill for the second or third owner when those hidden servos give up. Fortunately, you can turn off the function and lock the doors open. The look isn't as modern cool or austere as when they're closed, but I'll take a busier dash-look than an austere wallet most times.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 17,000 miles
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Apparently, I'm Getting Old
February 6, 2013
After four days in our 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged, I might have to back away from my earlier statements. Going into the weekend, I was all enthusiastic about the Jag's livelier feel compared to the current 5 Series and E-Class, and I complimented its suspension calibration, which doesn't try to isolate you from what's happening on the road.
But during the weekend, I took some different freeways and different surface streets than I normally do, and over these particular roads, our XF's Dunlop SP Sport Maxx summer tires, sized 255/35ZR20 in front and 285/30R20 in the back) were tough to take. They crashed over impacts large and small. The ride was so busy, my passenger started to get motion sick.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Folding Rear Seat, An Option Unchecked
February 5, 2013
My husband and I were at the hardware store over the weekend, and on the spur of the moment, we decided to drop $20 on an 8-foot roll of Astroturf for the family dog's outdoor play area. No problem, I thought, our long-term 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged has a folding rear seat.
Wrong.
As on nearly all midsize luxury sedans, a folding rear seat is an option on the XF (and, predictably, it's bundled with a bag for skis). Since our long-termer doesn't have that $600 add-on, it doesn't have so much as a center pass-through. Those green Xs denote where the release levers would be if it did have this option.
As a result, this happened.
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Fuel Economy Update for January
February 4, 2013
We put 1,548 miles on our 2012 Jaguar XF in the month of January. That supercharger can really takes its toll on fuel economy if you let it. But it sure makes the car fun to drive.
Our month with the XF was trouble free as it ran its usual commuting duties. The XF averaged 16.45 mpg during January and drank 94.454 gallons of 91 octane premium.
January's numbers are a little short of the 17.6 mpg we've averaged over the car's 17,791 miles and the Jaguar's 17 mpg combined EPA rating. But after all of those miles our XF is still slightly ahead of the EPA estimate as you will see below.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 17,791 miles
Worst Fill MPG: 9.2 mpg
Best Fill MPG: 28.5
Average Lifetime MPG: 17.6
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway Combined): 15 city/21 highway/17 combined
Best Range: 375.9 miles
Current Odometer: 17,191 miles
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Drives Like a Smaller Car from an Earlier Time
February 1, 2013
I just took my first drive in our long-term 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged, even though we've had this car for over six months and 17,000 miles. I've driven an XF before, but it has been years, and there have been many A6, 5 Series and E-Class sedans in between and they've shaped my opinion of what a midsize luxury sedan should be in 2013.
Driving the Jaguar takes me back to an earlier time. It feels truly midsize from the driver seat. And I feel like any input I make behind the wheel will elicit a reasonably direct response from the car.
It just has to be smaller and lighter than the latest incarnations of the German sedans. That's what I thought and I was totally wrong.
2012 Jaguar XF: Autolamp Delay
January 24, 2013
Jumping into and out of so many different cars, it's hard to get used to the quirks of certain cars. And one thing that always throws me off is the autolamp feature. Sometimes they stay on so long after I lock up the car that I'm not sure if I left the lights on or if it just happens to have a long delay. And I stand there waiting until the lights go out. I don't want to be THAT person who let the battery die after all.
Well, imagine my glee when I saw the autolamp delay option on our 2012 Jaguar XF. The headlight stalk can be turned to set the delay to 30 seconds, a minute or even TWO minutes. Naturally I just turned it to "Off." This might not be a big deal to many people but I thought it was a thoughtful detail. By the way, who would set the delay to two minutes anyway?
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
2012 Jaguar XF: Drives Like a Dream
January 23, 2013
This morning as I was leaving for work, I had to jump out of our 2012 Jaguar XF to lock up the driveway gate behind it. Across the street, a neighbor getting out of his work truck waved and said, "I like your car. How does it drive?" But before I could answer, he said, "I bet it drives like a dream, huh?" All I could do was nod while sizing him up. Funny, he didn't look old enough to have been alive during the '50s.
I dunno, something about that description "drives like a dream" struck me as antiquated. I think of big, floaty Caddies. But nowadays, what DO people say to describe how well a car drives? I remember in 1990's Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts described a Lotus Esprit as cornering "like it's on rails." They don't STILL say that either, do they?
I will say that the XF's power is so smooth that it's too easy to get into extra-legal speeds. Woo hoo!
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
2012 Jaguar XF: Dog Report
January 22, 2013
Yesterday I had to take my dog Mya to the vet again. I figured I'd take her there in style at least. The backseat of our 2012 Jaguar XF has those protruding seatbelt fasteners that I like since they make it easier to buckle in a squirming dog quickly.
The morning was so cold that poor Mya was shivering while she was waiting to get in the car so I made sure to aim the rear-seat vents her way as I blasted on the heater. Not sure if she liked the warm air, though, as she kept fidgeting. The backseat also has a couple of storage options for doggy paraphernalia like the seatback pockets and a door cubby.
Not sure if she enjoyed the Jag's luxuriousness but I like to think that it tricked her into thinking she was actually going somewhere cooler than the vet's office.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
2012 Jaguar XF: Will the Stroller Fit?
January 18, 2013
Let's put the trunk of our 2012 Jaguar XF to the test. We have a BOB running stroller. These things aren't exactly known for their compact dimensions. Sometimes it's a challenge to stuff BOB into the trunk of a car and expect to fit anything else with it. So will the stroller fit?
2012 Jaguar XF: No Gangsta Lean
January 11, 2013
Here's a poorly lit photo — a poor photo period, actually — that offers some perspective on how far the Jag's seat does not actually recline. A subsequent photo from another angle shows it a little better. The point, however, is that you will not do the layback in the Jag. Not much anyway. No long arm reaching from beyond the B-pillar, just your Yankees cap showing over the beltline. That's not at all British and you won't be doing it in this Cat.
Meanwhile, check out the butt dimples forming in the driver's seat. Granted, I'd only removed my dumpy ass from the seat minutes before, but that leather's definitely wearing a little loose. That's some indication of how much and how fast we like this car. We've put nearly 10,000 miles on it since June, in addition to the 7,000 miles that Mike and Kurt racked up on the Alaskan round-trip.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 16,800 miles
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Whoa, I Guess It Will Fit
January 10, 2013
I was expecting to have to wedge the card table behind the front seats, but popped the trunk just to confirm my suspicion. I should have seen Mike Monticello's post on the capacity of the Jag's trunk, but it is rather large. At 17.7 cubic-feet, the Jaguar XF's "boot" is, in fact, one of the largest in its class. Lesson learnt.
Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor @ 16,670 miles
2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged: Creaky Sunroof
January 9, 2013
When backing our long-term 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged at an angle into my driveway this weekend, I heard a sound that's familiar to convertible owners: That twisting, creaking sound where the top meets the header of the windshield. But our Jag is a sedan and the noise comes from the sunroof.
Once noticed, I began hearing it on every driveway taken at an angle. I searched the internet and while there isn't a related recall or even technical service bulletin, I did find that this is a familiar trait to the XF and owner forums are filled with this same observation. Is the chassis really so flexible, or does the sunroof gasket simply need a little silicone? The consensus seems to fall to the latter.
Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor @ 16,534 miles
