I remember that first day I walked into Wearnes showroom and instantly fell in love with the design of the XF in black and sport pack. Let’s get one thing said immediately – this is a beautiful car. It’s a wonderful mix of sporty while retaining an air of class. The XF 3.0L S/C is a powerful-looking beast too, and turned heads every time I drove it. The bonnet has heavy lines that ripple and bulge like a body-builder’s muscles, and while the front headlights stare aggressively, the ‘blades’ that sit within the low air intakes look like the pointed sideways teeth of some fictional monster. That being said, I always wanted to know how does it pitch against it's peers alike Audi, BMW or Merc. I had done myself the favor to test drive the 535i, A6 3.0T, A7 3.0T, and Merc E350 before placing my deposit for the XF 3.0. But I somehow feel that my judgement had been clouded by the relentless desire of owning that leaping jaguar badge.
Thus, I beg for any unbiased opinions on the one ultimate question i sought, "How do you pitch a Jag 3.0 V6 supercharged against it's peers?"
-- Edited by Sommersby on Friday 24th of May 2013 07:09:15 PM
There's no comparison! Nothing will ever beat a Jag... Not a BMW or Merz. These are way too common. They are nice cars and superior builts no doubt, but Jaguar is something else. People who wants to be differentiated from others, without sacrificing power, comfort and prestige, drives Jaguar.
Of coz, NOW, people who buys a Jag, receives a FREE OF CHARGE entry to our community - Jaguarclubsg.com! Sometimes, its the people you know and mix with and have fun with, that makes owning a prestigious car even more memorable and meaningful!
There's no comparison! Nothing will ever beat a Jag... Not a BMW or Merz. These are way too common. They are nice cars and superior builts no doubt, but Jaguar is something else. People who wants to be differentiated from others, without sacrificing power, comfort and prestige, drives Jaguar.
Of coz, NOW, people who buys a Jag, receives a FREE OF CHARGE entry to our community - Jaguarclubsg.com! Sometimes, its the people you know and mix with and have fun with, that makes owning a prestigious car even more memorable and meaningful!
Hi-5 if you agree!!!
Makapook,
I got to agree with u on this. This is the exact same reason why I chose my ride.. something rare, something unique.
That when people see u driving this car, they know where is something different about you. There is nothing to prove (unlike those who buy an entry 318 just to be in THE club."
Basically, you know what you want, and you go for it. U are not someone who conforms to the public eyes.
__________________
All cars are equal. But some cars are more equal than others.
I've actually rented some of the rival cars listed for a couple of weeks each while on work trips. I would have to say the Jaguar is probably the fastest of all of them on paper, though I have never timed them. I think timed speed is a bit academic - it comes down to driver visibility and suspension confidence for real world speed.
The worst one for me was the Mercedes E350. The naturally aspirated v6 sounds weak; it lacks torque compared to the other blown rivals engines and doesn't rev so nicely to the redline for a naturally aspirated engine. The torque curve however is surprisingly flat like a turbo engine. But the killer for me was the steering. It is a very slow rack (i think about 17:1 ratio) which means the car kinda feels clumsy. It's also matched to a typically woolly Mercedes throttle response and the steering wheel is weirdly offset from the centreline of the driver's seat by an inch or so. That said, it had the nicest rear seat, so it's great for families.
The A6 was a bit anonymous to look at, so I'll skip to the A7. The A7 was one of those cars you only ever get a kick out of when accelerating, or putting big things in the boot. The interior is extremely well executed and you definitely don't get weird creaky plastics like you get in our Jags everywhere. But you'll never enjoy a corner in the A7 although the steering is very accurate and is nice and quick ratioed. It's really practical though and very fast, and for many that's enough.
The BMW 535i is probably the best rival for Jaguar in the handling arena, with a big BUT. You absolutely need Dynamic Drive and Variable Damper Control to make it better than a standard XF. Without these two very expensive options (which are seldom seen on SG Bmws because they usually only come on very highly specced M Sport cars), the 5 series kinda flops around clumsily. The engine doesn't sound great, and doesn't feel that fast either, and without the Variable Sport Steering (another expensive option), the car feels a bit retarded too, but not as bad as the Mercedes. The BMW's seats are unrivalled for comfort though, but again the Comfort Seat is another expensive and seldom seen option.
The XF is getting a bit old, but I think its styling is still perfect. In fact I'm thinking of switching my XJ to an XF because my XJ feels a bit too big for Sg roads and carparks. Plus I want a folding rear seat, which is damned useful. The XF's instant supercharger response, eight speed ZF auto, and the incredible steering feel seal the deal for me.
Skegen, very well put! I feel the same as well. The supercharger really differentiate XF from the rest of its competitors. Though it only activate at 3500RPM, the instantaneous burst of energy when the supercharger kicks in is extremely exciting and you can feel the car just want to rev up to redline regardless which gear you are in.
