This Jag was well worth the wait

THERE is an old
saying that all things come to those who wait. Last week I had my first-ever
drive in a Jaguar and it was well worth the wait. The Jaguar 2.2 litre diesel
XF is a luxury car with a capital

‘L’ and it has sold very well since its
launch four years ago. The model got a mid-life upgrade last year.

The car looked great and got many envious looks
especially from middle aged men, despite the fact that the famous Jaguar cat is
no longer on the bonnet. The Jaguar’s head is incorporated into the attractive
front grille, while the famous

‘leaping cat’ can now be found at the back of
the car.

We don’t get many British-built cars in Ireland
nowadays apart from Nissans which are assembled in Sunderland. Jaguar and Land
Rover, who are now both owned by Indian Tata, are built near Birmingham.

I drove a black model and I think it was a colour that
helped exude that classy feel to the car. But what a contrast when you sit in,
the cream leather seats are so bright and cheerful. When you start the car
everything appears to come to life in the engine and in the cabin. The rotary
gear lever popped up from the centre console and at the same time the four air
vents on the dash opened up simultaneously, all very impressive.

In all automatic cars you don’t change gears, you
select a gear, but in the XF you also get toggles at the side of the steering
wheel if you want to opt for manual gear change. It was only when I
experimented with the toggles that I realised that I was driving a car with
eight gears as it showed up on the display on the dash! So if you are not sure
which gear to select, stick with automatic. This is a long motor and there are
plenty of sensors to help you park, plus a reversing camera. At night the LED
lights at the front are really eye-catching.

It’s such a smooth drive. My daughter, who was my
regular front seat passenger, almost fell asleep one evening as we made our way
home; the heat was on as was Lyric FM and we didn’t mind the traffic jams as we
drove along. It’s a relaxing drive in heavy traffic and beautiful and smooth on
the open road. The centre of the bonnet is raised and you may need to adopt a
high driving position to get a clear view of the road in front.

Now to paraphrase Loyd Grossman from the old

‘Through
the Keyhole’ television programme, who would buy a car like this? Melanie
McCourt, Marketing Manager for Jaguar Land Rover Ireland says that the 2.2
diesel engine has made the XF more affordable. Prices for the XF start at

?¬45,735, while the Premium Luxury version I drove will cost you

?¬55,905. C02 emissions are relatively low and road tax
is

?¬302, but the tax is going up this month.

That price is probably still a bit expensive for the
average motorist and the XF will probably attract buyers from the executive
market. We keep hearing stories that people are saving hard for the rainy day.
Some would say the rainy day has already arrived, so if you have the money
treat yourself to a little luxury. And luxury is definitely something that the
XF offers.