ON THE PROWL

Exec saloon blends comfort and performance, writes Matt Allan

SUVS are undoubtedly big news at t he minute but for some buyers they just don’t tick the boxes.

For some, especially those looking for an executive vehicle you can’t beat a traditional saloon and so there’s still a strong market for the likes of Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes and BMW to produce big, comfortable longrange cars that put the emphasis on luxury.

No that the XF is just about luxury, Jaguar pitches the whole X Fran ge as a sporting saloon and the St rim of our test car really drives this home.

The car’s long, low and broad shape is exaggerated and enhanced by an S-specific body kit and some stunning gunmetal grey alloys. It looks mean and our test car’s dark windows and sunroof contrasted nicely with the brilliant white paintwork.

The sporty impressions carry into the cabin where you sit low in figure-hugging, supportive seats and the start button pulses re d, encouraging you turn turn it on and get moving. Overall the cabin impresses - the seats are finished in a broad- grained leather that looks and feels fantastic and there’s enough support and adjustment to ensure you’re comfortable for mile after mile. The layout is simple and intuitive and at the centre of the broad dash is a responsive eight- inch touch screen housing all the media and navigation connectivity you’ll ever need.

Much of the switch gear is shared with other Jaguar Land Rover vehicles - including the ever- so- neat drive selector that rises from the centre console - and for the most part it feels robust and high- quality. However, look closer and there are one or two bits of incidental trim that wouldn’t pass must erin Ingolstadt or Stuttgart.

Also not up to the standard of a Mercor Audi is cabin refinement - there’s a lot of road noise from the 20- inch wheels, although wind and engine noise aren’t as much of an issue.

Despite the size of those wheels the ride is also good. Even in dynamic mode the Jaguar does a good job of minimising the intrusion of bumps into the cabin-it’ s definitely less harsh than an equivalent Audi, for example.

Yet, despite the im pr essive comfort the XF sacrifices nothing when it comes to dynamics. It feels supple and eager on the road. The steering has a nice weight and speed that gives a sporty drive without being twitchy and it works well with an excellent engine and gearbox to offer a fluid engaging drive. It doesn’t dart or dive, rather it flows, propelled along on a never- ending wave of torque.

That torque-all 516 lb/ftcomes courtesy of a 3.0- litre, V6 diesel that proves there’s still life in oil- burners, no matter what the naysayers reckon. Aside from a little rumble at start up the 296bhp unit demonstrates the quiet silkiness associated with six cylinders. The way it delivers its power is just as smooth with its twin turbos providing an effortless linear surge. There’s no kick, no lag, just a seemingly endless swell of shove.

And yet, even though it can reach 60mph in under six seconds, the XF still demonstrates the frugality that’s made diesel so popular. On a 100- mile run mostly on motorways it hit 50mpg, and returned an average of 42mpg across a week of mixed driving.

Before options this model costs just shy of £50,000. For that you get adaptive dampers, dynamic stability control and the suit of autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, pedestrian contact sensing and emergency brake assist. You also get the sat nav, DAB, keyless entry cruise control and heated seats that you’d expect at that price. Our test car added £ 5k of options ranging from the panoramic roof and up rated media system to electrically adjustable steering column and a cooled glove box, some worth having, some not.

The XF is up against serious competition at that price point and in terms of cabin quality and noise control can’ t quite match up to the likes of the Audi A6 and Mercedes E- Class. But what it lacks there it makes up for in a chassis and suspension setup that is as sporty and engaging as it is comfortable.