Video: 2016 Jaguar XF S Review

It has lost about a 10th of an inch in overall length but it has gained two inches in wheelbase for more interior room. There are two main types of XF, the 35T and the XF S which is what we have here. There are differences between the two but they're not that extreme. As of the 2016 launch, there is one engine, the returning champion, a three liter supercharged V6. It produces 340 horsepower in the 35T and 380 horsepower in the XF S due to a little bit higher boost pressure. Is the different significant? I say no, the torque rating is the same. You don't really feel it. Even Jaguar says the zero to 60 times are different by only one 10th of a second. That would be 5.1 seconds in this version, 5.2 in the other. This engine pairs with an eight speed automatic transmission and your choice of rear or all wheel drive. It is definitely good to drive. Plenty of power off the line and for passing, the eight speed automatic responds very quickly. Perhaps the biggest high point of the XF is its handling. It has excellent front to rear weight distribution, a great balance, and the steering has better feedback than a lot of competitors in a class that's become overly isolationist and definitely overweight. Happens to be about 300 to 400 pounds lighter than its competitors from Audi and BMW. Leg room has increased three inches for 2016 to an impressive 44.4 inches and that makes it near the high end for this class. Headroom was also increased almost a half inch. At six feet tall I fit pretty well but I have noticed that with the high belt line of this car and the relatively low roof line, it's kind of a narrow area that I can see through and that will dictate how high you set your seat. The overall quality is very good. There are lots of different trim options available, ala cart, which I always liked. And there are going to be some new multimedia options available soon, as the model year progresses. One is a 12 plus inch all digital instrument panel. Unfortunately we have the regular one, which is okay. Likewise, an In Control Touch Pro multimedia system will give a larger, more fully featured touchscreen. For now, we have the basic one, which is actually quite good. If you're familiar at all with Jaguar and Land Rover's multimedia systems, they are plagued with delays. When you go hit a button, you wait, et cetera. Some of them have a touch sensitive panels on either side instead of these mechanical buttons. This one at least reacts nice and quickly. For usability, there are some pluses and minuses in the XF. I really like having the rotary knob gear selector because you never have to look at it. You just know a couple of clicks to drive, a couple back to reverse and it leaves a lot of space here. It's efficient and that makes it puzzling that Jaguar didn't make better use of it because they have controls here for the different drive systems, which include winter, eco, normal and dynamic. And you can't really operate them by feel. You have to look down. Compare something like the BMW 5 series. It'll have a nice toggle up here where you go from one to the other. You don't even have to look at it. On the upside, if you go into your touchscreen here and click on configurable dynamics, if you want to have a thing set up your way so it's not based on preset settings. You can choose your own using my setup. That's actually one of the things that I think this car is good at and that is allowing you to adjust certain features. The same is true of some of the active safety features that are available as options. A main one is the lane keep assist system which is the one that helps keep the car from wandering out of its lane. With the two inch longer wheelbase comes an increase of more than a half inch of leg room in the backseat, which puts the XF near the high end of this class. The seat is a little close to the floor though, which results in slightly raised knees and the center floor hump for the drive shaft is definitely tall and wide, which makes the middle seat a little less usable. Now, if you want to take advantage of the roomy cabin, the quiet, comfortable ride, and go for a family road trip, get a load of the trunk. 19 cubic feet. That's one cubic foot more than last year, and about five more than BMW, Audi and Cadillac offer. You kidding me, a baby stroller, two bags of antique golf clubs and some room to spare. It's madness! Lots of little improvements and a couple of big ones like considerable weight loss make the 2016 Jaguar XF even more attractive. Now to address the earned reputation for poor reliability. Jaguar has introduced a fantastic new warranty, which is five years/60,000 miles bumper to bumper, powertrain, roadside assistance and scheduled maintenance. So if you think it's risky to buy a Jaguar, the risk is less than it's ever been. (trunk slamming)