car predecessor of the Jaguar XF was introduced at the 2007 Detroit auto show, many in the audience actually stood and applauded its sleek design. “Great Jaguars are design showcases,” Ian Callum, the brand's design director, said with emotion. “That's our mantle, and we're taking it back.” But somewhere between that stirring debut and the production version that went on sale in March, a lot of the cat's charisma had been lost. The basics remain the same and the performance is solid, but many nice details are gone. On the concept car, every line seemed as if it had been drawn at 100 miles an hour. The production model is more of a still-life. The nose has the same Volvolike grille, for instance, but gone is the attention-diverting horizontal bar across the lower air diffuser. The concept's headlamps were elegant slits that directed the eye away from the rectangular snout; a line flowed back from the headlamps like wet eyeliner to blend into a character line down the side of the car. On the production model, the headlamps are amorphous blobs that coordinate with none of the car's lines. The concept's rearview mirrors were small, subtle satin-finished wedges; its door handles were cleverly concealed in the side pillars. But on the production car, the body sides are scarred by large door handles and clumsy mirrors. The changes, one by one, seem minor. But as a whole, a $50,000 sedan is spoiled by too many touches that seem worthy of a car costing half as much. There comes a time in the birthing process of every Ford Motor Company vehicle, after the designers and engineers have done their magic when, as Chris Brazendale, a Jaguar product planner, put it, “The cost-cutters come in and tell you why you can't afford to do it the way you designed it.” With the XF, he said, “that never happened.” He added: “We just kept improving it all the way to launch. There was no last-minute cost-cutting.” But as I assessed the XF's compromised curb appeal, what I saw was essentially a rebodied S-Type, the XF's tired predecessor, with a new interior. The mechanical bits are familiar, having come for the most part from other Jaguars. So it is styling that will make or break the XF, the last Jaguar developed under the heavy thumb of Ford. Both Jaguar and Land Rover are now being sold to Tata Motors of India. Tata inherits a diminished cat; the XJ sedan and the XK sports coupe and convertible are the only other viable Jaguars at present. The S-Type, and the widely unloved X-Type, based on a humdrum Ford, have been discontinued. Yet those who can put the lovely XF concept car out of their minds will find much to admire in the production model, starting with its sporty driving dynamics, its sophisticated powertrain and its ethereal interior. In fact, if shoppers can forgive the exterior faux pas, they may, once inside, even forget them. That's because Jaguar's interior packaging team hit the ball out of the park. Beyond the plush leathers and attractive wood, the interior is a toy box of surprises. You can activate many controls simply by passing a hand over them. Blue lights illuminate the gauges. “It's almost like a vodka bar, isn't it?” Mr. Brazendale asked. The disco mood is amped up with the premium sound system, a 440-watt, 14-speaker unit by Bowers & Wilkins. Start the XF and a pulsing red light, like a heartbeat, glows from the starter button. The shifter — a dial, not a lever — rises automatically from a recess in the chrome-finished center console. Unbidden, the vents turn and open, like those in the Volkswagen Phaeton. “The whole strives to create a ‘living thing' environment,” Mr. Brazendale said, reminding his listener that Sir William Lyons, Jaguar's founder, once said, “Creating a car is the closest thing to creating a living being.” The XF features an impressive array of electronic driver aids, including voice control of the stereo and telephone, a blind-spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, a tire-pressure monitor and an electronic parking brake. Such features are essential to help it compete against the formidable BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The XF, like all ongoing Jaguars, is powered only by a V-8. The 4.2-liter engine, carried over from the S-Type, makes 300 horsepower. Yes, some V-6's produce about as much, but for roughly the same money would you rather drive home the Jag or an Acura RL? A supercharged V-8, the XK-R's 420-horsepower engine, is available as part of a higher level trim package that bumps the price from $50,000 to a vertigo-inducing $62,200. Or, wait till next year, for the racy XF-R, which will have more than 500 horsepower. A quicker-shifting six-speed automatic is the only transmission; a sport mode remaps the shift points for more responsive operation. Even in automatic mode, the base 300-horse mill will propel this two-ton feline from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in about six seconds. The supercharged model can knock a full second off that time. Just enough of a pleasant, low-decibel growl seeps into the cabin. On the road, the XF handles, as might be expected, much like the S-Type. Two kinds of suspensions are offered, both developed from the XK. They comprise unequal-length wishbones in front and multiple links in the rear. I drove the supercharged XF, which uses Jag's Computer Adaptive Technology Suspension with electronic dampers. The system senses changing road conditions and makes adjustments in milliseconds. With 20-inch wheels and well-chosen Pirelli P-Zero tires, this cat stays well planted and changes directions with confidence-inspiring predictability. There's little dive or lurch under acceleration or braking, but the steering is a bit light for spirited driving; the XF-R will need better on-center feel. Engineers endeavored to leave an element of fun and mischief in the dynamics. It is too bad the designers were unable to find a way to preserve the exterior panache of the XF concept car. Under Tata, Jaguar faces a new life and an uncertain future in which the XF will play a crucial part. Luckily, the new owners seem to have an appreciation for the brand's cachet and heritage, as well as the commitment and resources that will be needed to restore Jaguar to its former glory. - NYT __
