The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)

Jaguar XF is mid-priced luxury

- By Marc Grasso

Mid-priced and luxury in the same sentence? Yes, clearly that means Jaguar!

Jaguar, the once sedan of choice for mid-priced luxury consumers, is now back as the 2021 Jaguar XF is a beautiful mid-size sedan. In stunning British Racing Green, the exterior continues to scream Jaguar with its well-known front grill and curvatures. You can notice it from a mile away as Jaguar attempts to maintain its stature in the luxury mid-priced market; and does a good job of it.

As competitio­n historical­ly exceeds Jaguar’s price point, such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz, they really do a great job of offering a nice-sized, comfortabl­e sedan with luxury accoutreme­nts. Although some items lack

Coming in with a $49K base price we recognize not all things can be of the previously named brand levels, but some things can be similar. For example, the seats in our week-long XF P300 R-dynamic tester were exceptiona­lly comfortabl­e. Although the center console seemed oversized, constricti­ng the width of the leg room, the seats were fascinatin­g and the overall comfort was tip-top. The interior was exceptiona­l also. The Light Oyster interior and Ebony leather with Natural Burr Ash Veneer wood grain trim is that of top class brands. The 11.4 inch infotainme­nt system was not protruding and positioned correctly as the climate control, radio controls were all easy to navigate. Unlike most vehicles in this market in which setting up your Bluetooth to your cell phone is always a hassle, that was not the case for Jaguar, it was a breeze.

In the powertrain department we recognize a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine with 296 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque aligned with an eightspeed automatic transmissi­on with paddle shifters. With this, we did notice some lag and delay in getting up to speed quickly, but for the price point, this is to be expected.

As a previous Jaguar S-type owner, I recognize the comfort level and stature is top priority, while exclusivit­y and design keeps owners coming back. Yes, Jaguar has taken some flack over the years for its continued problems in both the electronic­s and powertrain department­s, but on our weeklong tester we recognized no problems and rather enjoyed the XF’S ride quality and design advantages. We realize that all vehicles have problems eventually and granted there are no recent issues in the Jaguar fleet, the XF is a great choice and even better bang for the buck. MSRP: $49,995 As tested: $62,695 MPG: 22city, 30highway, 28.4 as tested

 ?? MARC GRASSO/MEDIANEWS GROUP ?? The Jaguar XF gives you a lot of bang for your buck, getting you into the luxury world without costing you your left arm. The curves, the comfort and the class, it’s all there.
MARC GRASSO/MEDIANEWS GROUP The Jaguar XF gives you a lot of bang for your buck, getting you into the luxury world without costing you your left arm. The curves, the comfort and the class, it’s all there.

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