XF leaps to the front of the pack

When Indian car manufacturer Tata Motors bought the Jaguar and Land Rover marques from Ford earlier this year, there were a few sceptics and question marks over the deal.

Despite belonging to the Tata multinational conglomorate, also India's largest private company, the fact that the company a few months earlier had unveiled the world's cheapest car, did not sit right with its critics.

Analysts have expressed concern about how Tata Motors would fund the €1.7 billion (Dh12.24bn) deal and how it would fit the luxury brands into its stable of trucks, buses and cars, including the Nano, which will retail at a mere Dh10,000 when it goes on sale later this year.

But faithfuls need not stress with the new offering from Jaguar, because the XF has been a long time in the making. And we are mightily impressed.

As one would expect from a Jaguar, the XF is a dream to drive. It takes absolutely no effort and could easily be described as a lazy driver's car, for it takes intelligent driving to the next level by doing everything for them. The door sensor can detect the car key from metres away and unlock the door – meaning the driver can keep them in the bag until getting into the vehicle – which stops that frantic search for the keys as you try to escape from 45 degree heat.

Also while other cars that have a smart key ignition still need to insert the key, the XF does not require this – simply put a foot on the break, press the start button and the car is ready to go.

There is also the option of manual drive in 'sport' mode on the gear dial, which makes use of the tiptronic gears on the steering wheel, but why put yourself out when the six-speed automatic drive mode is this responsive?

The interiors are simply joyous. The high centre console makes you feel hemmed in and safe. The materials used are modern; the leather is hand-stitched with contrasting cotton and the blue lighting is brilliant.

And I have to admit that although I am not a fan of walnut trims in cars – they remind me too much of staid Rovers, the other now defunct British contribution to the car world – in the Jag there is an air of class and sophistication about it. It works well as it is followed through to the transmission column compartment and combined with the leather seats. Half the steering wheel is also wooden so it slides easily through the hands when turning the corner and dents in the road are rarely felt thanks to the suspension giving a smooth and quiet ride.

As the engine is switched on, parts of the silver dashboard trim revolve to reveal the air conditioning units, which just like the radio is controlled by the electronic display.

The sound system can also be used via controls on the steering wheel, and managing everything – including the GPS – from one screen makes it simple to work.

Just like all the rest of Jaguar's releases the XF really does feel like a true executive car.

And the 4.2-litre engine of this model ensures that no matter whether there are one or five people in it, it has the power not to get left behind as it glides effortlessly down the road. As the car gently pulls away, it emits a gentle purr and even when you need to accelerate quickly, it does not ever feel like it is struggling. It should shift given its 300bhp but I would have expected it to be louder than it is. Yes, it does move up the decibels, but it is just the sound of reassurance rather than fear that it can't make it.

The XF soon reaches cruising speed and given its relaxed nature, it is easy to forget just how fast the car is going – making the cruise control invaluable.

It also has an added perk in that the driver can set the distance between it and the car in front when cruise control is switched on, so that if it moves out of the way or another car pulls in, the XF will accelerate or brake until it is back to the programmed distance.

I found this a little unnerving at first as the person driving before me had set a huge distance and it took me a second to realise why it had slowed down when I had not touched the pedals, but it's reassuring to have this added breaking safety feature. The XF leaves its steady British boots behind as it reaches 100km/h in a speedy 5.4 seconds, although it is unlikely that drivers will get anywhere near its top speed of 250km/h.

But along with all these bonuses there must be a downside somewhere along the line? No car is that invincible and for the XF that problem comes with the fuel.

It drinks a whopping 18.7 litres for every 100km in urban driving, although this decreases dramatically to a mere 9.1 litres on extra urban trips.

It would be a shame not to get this car on the open road for there is only so much it can do in the city and when it drives as well and as comfortably as it does there is no fear of boredom taking over – especially when your iPod is plugged into the connector in the central storage compartment.

I was also slightly sad that my journey to work is just 10 minutes for this was the one week I would have been pleased to hit traffic.

Only time will tell whether Tata's next Jaguar model will move the brand forward and change it for the better – or if in fact they change it at all.