Jaguar XF diesel used car review

You could forgive Jaguar fanatics for wondering what the heck was going on with their favourite brand over the last few years.

As if the marque's previous approach of building retro looking cars with a distinct lack of substance wasn't enough, now here we were in the 21^st century with Indian (the Tata conglomerate to be exact) money doing the talking.

And on top of that, some of the best received Jaguars of the new era were not high-stepping petrol-powered rockets, but diesel-powered for goodness sake.

If ever the good old British phrase of 'keep calm and carry on' was warranted, for Jag fans this was the time.

But scratch at the surface of this upside-down world, and the reality was much more reassuring.

In fact, with Tata financing the Jaguar brand, things hadn't looked so good for many decades.

And the products themselves – diesel engine options or not – were the best they'd been for many years, too.

And while we're on the all-change express, it should come as no surprise to learn that one of the very best of the lot was the entry-level XF for 2011; a four-cylinder diesel, no less.

This wasn't the first XF diesel; a 2.7-litre V6 version arrived in 2008 along with the then-brand-new rest of the XF range.

And while that first turbo-diesel version was a good thing, by the time 2011 had rolled around, Jaguar had access to better diesel engines and a more cost-effective production structure, meaning that the 2.2-litre version was not just the entry-level version, it was an absolute bargain with a new price of just $78,900.

Although the four-cylinder diesel engine didn't really subscribe to the Jaguar legend of sporty cars with sporty engines, it nevertheless did a good job of hauling the XF around with an absolute minimum of fuss.

Sure, if you revved it hard it began to sound like a diesel, but use it normally and it was also unobtrusive and very flexible.

The engine's 140kW was part of that, but more important was the 450Nm of torque it developed, which gave it that effortless feel that characterises modern turbo-diesels.

The other part of the formula was the eight-speed automatic transmission which provided a ratio for every situation as well as a smooth shift action and good refinement.

The Jaguar's cockpit is a marvel of electronics and small electric motors to operate everything from the pop-up gear-selector to the air vents that swivel shut when the engine is switched off.

So make sure all that stuff works properly and without noises or jerky progress. The job of replacing something like an electric motor that lives deep within the bowels of a Jaguar dashboard would make many grown mechanics run and hide. Or charge accordingly.

Even power windows (which any manufacturer really should have sorted by now) can give problems so, again, check them all carefully

A check-engine light on the dashboard is – as is often the case with modern diesel engine cars – the result of the particulate trap needing a clean-out.

In many cases, this is achieved by the car itself heating the exhaust system to the point where the diesel soot molecules in the exhaust trap are burned away at intervals determined by the on-board computer itself.

In some cases, however, particularly when the car is used for short urban trips, the exhaust never achieves the necessary temperature to perform this task, causing the check-engine light to alert the driver to have the car serviced (when the soot filter can be cleaned manually).

The best way to avoid this extra cost is to take the car for a good, long drive at freeway speeds where enough heat will be generated to clear the filter, but you really need to do this before the check-engine light has a chance to illuminate.

The end game might be a trip to a Jaguar dealer to have the filter sorted out and bear in mind independent Jaguar specialists are not exactly thick on the ground.

With that in mind, budget in plenty for yearly servicing and maintenance and don't fool yourself that because it's a relatively new car, it will be cheap to run. That's not how things work at this end of the market.

XF 2.2s built between 2012 and 1024 were recalled to check a diesel fuel line that could potentially leak leading to a fire in the worst case scenario.

A Jaguar dealer will know if a particular car was affected and whether it's been sorted or not.

The XF generally was subject to quite a few recalls, but fortunately, the 2.2-litre diesel model, being a later version, missed out on most of these. It's still worth a visit to a dealership if you're in any doubt, however.

On cars which have covered their share of kilometres, you might find the original tyres and brake pads have already been replaced.

If so, make sure that they're of a quality and performance-rating that matches or exceeds the car's original equipment.

Plenty of owners look at the price of replacement parts and opt for a cheaper alternative.

In the case of the Jaguar XF, that will simply ruin the car's greatest advantage; its on-road manners and feel.

The other hurdle for some buyers is that the XF scored a shock four out of five safety stars in NCAP testing when all its competition scored the full five stars.

Independent testing gave the XF only marginal scores for driver and passenger leg protection and the vehicle lost marks for its pedestrian safety levels also.

We're not saying it's an unsafe car, but other direct competitors managed five stars under identical test conditions.

Nuts and bolts

Engine/s: 2.2 4-cyl turbo-diesel

Transmissions: 8-auto

Fuel economy (combined): 5.4 litres per 100km

Safety rating (courtesy of www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au): 4 stars

Our rating: 3.5 stars

Likes:

·         Overall shape is good with Jaguar finally ditching its retro silliness of previous cars.

·         Diesel engine is a cracker with plenty of oomph and good economy.

·         Automatic gearbox plays its part all the way.

·         Interior is a place of wonder with all sorts of flash details.

Dislikes:

·         Make sure those flash details all work.

·         Lots of electronics can mean lots of stupid little problems down the track.

·         Diesel engine will provide an image problem for some onlookers.

·         Won't be cheap to run or insure.

Competitors:

·         Mercedes-Benz CLS – The big four-door coupe from Benz matches the Jaguar for visual pomp. But you'll need to shop for an earlier model to be in the same pricing ballpark. 4 stars

·         BMW 530d GT Coupe – Great six-cylinder turbo-diesel hidden in oddball coupe body. Dropped value like a rock, so used examples are now good value. If you get the concept, that is. 3 stars

·         Audi A5 Sportback – Looks good with sleek lines and more room inside than you might imagine. Petrol or diesel engine options and there's even an all-wheel-drive model for the snow bunnies. 4 stars

What to pay (courtesy of Glass's Guide):

Model                   Year       New      Now

Premium             2001       $86100  $39100

Premium             2012       $86100  $44900

Premium             2013       $76500  $52500

Luxury                2011       $78900  $35400

Luxury                2012       $78900  $40600

Luxury                2013       $69900  $47900