Jaguar XF is luxury car bargain

Everyone loves a bargain. So what if I said you can buy a new 2021 Jaguar sedan at a price that’s $7,105 lower than last year, yet it has a dramatically improved interior, updated infotainment system and styling updates? You’d say, tell me more.

OK, I will. For 2021, Jaguar has cut the price of the Jaguar XF to $43,995. For that, you get a 246-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, an eight-speed automatic transmission and rearwheel drive.

Now consider its German competition, all of which boast a turbocharged four and automatic transmission and cost considerably more. You could choose the 248-horsepower BMW 530i, which starts at $54,200, or the 255-horsepower Mercedes-Benz E 350, base price $54,950, both of which are rearwheel drive like the Jaguar XF. There’s also the 261-horsepower Audi A6 45 Premium, base price $55,400, with all-wheel drive.

Yet you can get 296 horsepower and all-wheel drive on the Jaguar for just under $50,000. This nets you more horsepower and all-wheel drive, and nearly $5,000 in savings against the Germans. Oh, and you get five years or 60,000 miles worth of complimentary scheduled maintenance.

Have I tempted you yet? Now it’s time for the fine print.

The XF is now the brand’s only sedan after last year’s discontinuation of the XE. But one gets the sense that the company is redefining the XF, as it no longer has the rip-snorting V-6 or V-8 power of its competitors. At the same time, the XF has been treated to a new interior design, one that emphasizes a sleek contemporary opulence over sporty aesthetics — even as its athleticism remains intact. It has become more of a luxurious GT than a sports sedan.

And besides, the XF’s powerplants provide more than enough authority to keep things interesting. Base P250’s and mid-level P250 SE’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine generates a respectable 246-horsepower with rear-wheel drive. P300 trims get a more powerful version of the same powerplant producing 296 horsepower and all-wheel drive, with enough gusto to keep things lively.

Adding to this cat’s quiet, capable moves is an exquisitely redesigned interior, decorated in the finest contemporary British fashion. After a period of steering away from the wood-accented interiors it was known for, Jaguar is once more returning to them, but opting for openpore wood rather than the glossy finishes that most people assumed were fake. It adds authenticity to the cabin that elevates its allure, as do other divine details, such as the cricket ball stitching in the shifter, or the diamond Jaguar logo shapes on its knurled drive mode selector.

The instrument panel redesign features an 11.4inch Pivi Pro infotainment screen with a user interface that puts most of what you need within one or two clicks.

JAGUAR The 2021 Jaguar XF is available with new interior features and a choice between two turbocharged engines.