2012 Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel review

2012 Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel review india Jaguar’s recently facelifted new XF has a lot resting on its broad shoulders. Not only does it have to look fresh and attractive enough to excite new car buyers, but this new version also has to widen the XF’s appeal. This new 2.2-litre diesel will lower the entry price of a Jaguar saloon substantially and the carmaker will soon launch a four-wheel-drive version to appeal to new customers too. 

This new 2.2 will also be ideally suited to Indian customers. BMW’s 520d and Merc’s E250 CDI are the largest selling luxury cars in the market, and if Jaguar can get customers to trade a little practicality for plenty of sex appeal, then it’s game on for Jaguar in India. Also added to this will be the fact that this XF 2.2 could be the first Jaguar to be assembled in India, making this a pretty significant car.

Jaguar’s designers say the XF is a saloon with the soul of a sports car and you can kind of see what they mean. This facelift takes things even further and makes the nose of the car look even sportier. The new, smaller bi-Xenon lights allow for a lower bonnet line, the nose is now considerably more dramatic, and the new XJ-like slit-eye headlamps have a stylised ‘J’ traced out in LED. Neat. While much of the roofline and silhouette remain similar, the new XF gets wheel arches that bulge out slightly more and new elongated, three-dimensional tail-lamps. Added at the bottom is also a black splitter to break up the mass of the rear.

While the basic design of the interiors is the same, Jaguar has incorporated several new themes and elements to freshen up the cabin. So while the vents still flip open when you start the car and the gear knob still rises like Excalibur from the pond for that sense of occasion, Jaguar has lost some of the shiny stuff on the central console. A few buttons are finished in black, there now is a start/stop activation button on the central console and there is a host of new equipment including Bluetooth and iPod compatibility. Still, that sense of occasion that the E-class and 5-series seem to be able to muster is missing. The low coupé-like roof also means rear comfort is not as much a priority as in some of the Jag’s competitors. Comfort levels though are only noticeably poorer in comparison and this is a good car to be chauffeured around in, just not the best.

In contrast, the new 188bhp 2.2-litre turbodiesel, known as the 2.2 i4D, we drove is all practicality. The first four-cylinder Jaguar since the much criticised X-type, this Peugeot-based motor is the same as the one used by the Land Rover Freelander. Now located longitudinally instead of transversely and driving the rear wheels via ZF’s superb eight-speed gearbox, this motor immediately impresses with how silently it cruises. And it’s smooth when you pull the car hard as well, the XF showing a surprising turn of foot, despite the motor not having twin turbos. The torque comes in nice and early, gearshifts are all but imperceptible and the motor spins with some amount of enthusiasm to the redline as well. It’s pretty obvious that plenty of work has been carried out to this motor, and the list of improvements is endless. The injectors now get acoustic socks to dampen clatter, there is a double layer of thick insulation under the bonnet, the turbocharger is now water-cooled and the block and sump are modified to be more silent. And flat-out performance felt properly brisk too, as impressive as that of BMW’s 520d at least. What also functioned very effectively was the start-stop system, which seemed to almost predict when you wanted to start off again. Jaguar, however, might delete the start-stop system for India and we might only get a six-speed gearbox, all in the name of cost.  

The prototype we drove also boasted very impressive stability, good bump absorption and plenty of poise in corners, just like the earlier XF, and it felt pretty sporty from behind the wheel too. Also impressive is Jaguar’s new electric steering system that, unlike some units, boasts a fair amount of feel.

Jaguar is likely to launch the facelifted XF in India later this year, and this 2.2 i4D is likely to be the star attraction. As ever, we’ll keep you posted, we’re sure you’d be interested in a Jaguar that starts at approximately Rs 35 lakh.

Price Range (in lakhs)*
Ex-showroom Price	Rs 35 lakh (est)
ENGINE
Fuel	Diesel
Installation	Front, longitudinal, RWD
Type	4 cyls, 2179cc, turbodiesel
Power	188bhp at 3500rpm
Torque	46kgm at 2000rpm
Transmission
Type	8-speed Automatic
Chassis & Body
Length	4961mm
Width	1920mm
Height	1460mm
Wheel Base	2909mm
Boot Volume	500/920litres
Weight	1650kg (est)
Wheels	20-inch alloy
Tyres	255/35-R20