A car on the Jagged edge

THE good news for Jaguar is that the XF is the kind of car motoring journalists love and adore. The bad news is that, having committed themselves to a life of honest indolence, people who write about cars almost never have the money to actually buy the machines they review.

I barely make enough to cover dinner for 2 at PS Cafe, let alone own an executive Jaguar that costs S$306,999 with certificate of entitlement (although it's been said that I already have the entitlement part sorted), so the best I can do for the XF is to try and sway you instead.

Here goes. The XF is Britain's answer to the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes-Benz E-Class, meaning it's a posh car along similar lines. It's reasonably plush inside, well-equipped and drives well, and just being able to say that you drive one ought to put a bit of swagger in your step.

Jaguar gave it a mid-life refresh last year, and went through pretty much all the facelift motions. It has a new grille, new lamps and new bumpers, all of which make it more eye-catching. See if you can miss the satiny chrome flourishes on the front grille.

It's much newer inside, where someone decided the dashboard needed a full gut. There's a new 11.4-inch touchscreen with the same lovely interface you'll find in other Jags, various touch-sensitive panels and pads, and a number of knobs that operate with a pleasing sense of quality. Analogue instruments have given way to a 12.3-inch digital display that's much more customisable than, say, BMW's driver info system.

The addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is the icing on what is now a thoroughly modern cake, but if you really want a party trick you can whip out your phone and show your pals a companion app linked to the car. It's fairly rudimentary in terms of what you can do with it (Audi's allows you to set a speed limit or alert you if the car strays past a geo-fence that you erected, for example), but you can use it to find your XF on a map or start the engine remotely so you can pre-cool the cabin, like some reverse oven, although leaving a car idling is technically illegal, not to mention a bit of a raspberry at the planet.

If anyone's going to get into trouble with the law in the Jaguar, though, it'll be because it's a superb car to drive. Here's the bit motoring writers fawn over, but the XF's steering is just pregnant with feel, and as long as you can forgive a slightly firm rear suspension setup, the chassis is a class act. The Jaguar gets through corners in a way that makes it feel like a precision instrument in your hands, and there's a grace and liveliness to its handling that makes a 5 Series feel like an uncle's car in comparison.

The engine doesn't have much in the way of manners and the gearbox is jerky, but you can forgive the former because it's lusty and you can overlook the latter because you know it's just prioritising sporty gearchanges over smoothly slurred ones. At least, you can if you think the most important thing about an expensive car is its ability to make a driver smile.

That's a helpful attitude to have in the Jaguar, because you'll otherwise dwell on its flaws. It's not very spacious in the back (the new Mercedes C-Class has more headroom there, and it's supposed to be one size down), and the cabin doesn't reek of the opulence that people expect of a Jaguar. It's a nice place to sit in, but it ought to be a special place instead.

Perhaps the XF's biggest challenge is that Jaguar itself has become somewhat anonymous, at least in Singapore. Last year BMW sold 24 times as many cars here, believe it or not, so its cars are a known quantity among buyers. Tastes have moved on, too, and people now prefer sport utility vehicles so much that Jaguar sells 4 of the bulky things for every slender sedan in this country.

That leaves the XF in an awkward spot, because no one wants to drop 300 Big Ones on a luxury car only to have people ask things like, "Why's it so small inside?" or worse, "Why didn't you buy a 5 Series for the same money?"

Simply put, the Jaguar's problem is that it isn't a BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class. If you're someone who knows his way around a bend, however, the XF's main strength is that it isn't a 5 Series or E-Class.

Jaguar XF 2.0 SE

Engine 1,997 cc, in-line 4, turbocharged Power 250 hp at 5,500 rpm Torque 365 Nm at 1,300-4,500 rpm Gearbox 8-speed automatic 0-100 km/h 6.9 seconds Top Speed 250 km/h Fuel Efficiency 7.3 L/100km Agent Wearnes Automotive Price S$306,999 with certificate of entitlement Available Now