Jaguar XF - Reliability & Smoothness of 4cyl petrol '18 Jag XF

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Sat 24 Apr 2021 17:26
Jaguar XF - Reliability & Smoothness of 4cyl petrol '18 Jag XF - hatman

I've owned my 2009 XF 2.7D Premium Luxury since nearly new and have enjoyed totally trouble free motoring. However, I'm aware the car is getting on now, so I'm considering it changing it, either for a 2014 / 2015 last of the old shape XF 3.0D 240bhp / 275bhp S or a 2018 new shape XF 2.0 Petrol 25t 250 bhp.

I have no doubt that the 2014 / 2015 will be far superior to my old 2.7D but I'd be very interested to hear from anyone with experience of the petrol new shape XF. I don't fancy a diesel 180 bhp new shape XF but is the petrol version likely to be smoother and more reliable?

I read in Autocar a couple of years ago that that the new shape XF is the lowest ranked car of its class in reliability surveys and that were many recalls including oil leaks, engine cut outs, cracked sills etc.

Is the 2018 XF petrol a reliable car and is there anything I should check for? I'm planning to keep it for a long time so will be running it many years after any extended warranties are available.

I was initially concerned about the smoothness of the 4 cylinder petrol engine too - is it as smooth as the 6 cylinder 2.7?

In a nutshell, do XF owners think I should go for a last of the line 3.0 or a new shape 2.0 petrol?

Thanks in advance

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Sat 24 Apr 2021 17:38
Jaguar XF - Reliability & Smoothness of 4cyl petrol '18 Jag XF - pd

I've only driven the new shape once and it was a diesel so can't comment on the petrol but it is a nice car, feels lighter (which it is) and slightly more modern than the Mk 1 but lacks the character. The 4-cylinder is a lot better than the Mk 1 4-cylinder but doesn't have the luxury car feel of the V6.

What I can say is that the 3.0 litre 275bhp version of the Mk 1 is a fabulous car and the engine really makes it. It is very quick but most of all very relaxing.

A last of the line Portfolio S is certainly a very convincing package.

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Sat 24 Apr 2021 18:05
Jaguar XF - Reliability & Smoothness of 4cyl petrol '18 Jag XF - hatman

Many thanks for your reply. Yes, I can imagine that the new shape XF lacks character, I've never driven one but it looks and feels much more like a 'normal car' to me than a Jag. Even the 300bhp 3.0 diesels I've seen around don't look anywhere near as special as the last of the line XF S to me.

I totally agree about the last of the line Portfolio S - I was very tempted by a 2014 3.0D 240 Premium Luxury a few weeks ago but seeing as I intend to keep it a long time, I thought I may as well hold out for a Portfolio S. These days, very relaxing is more appealing than very quick to me!

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Sun 25 Apr 2021 12:00
Jaguar XF - Reliability & Smoothness of 4cyl petrol '18 Jag XF - Electric Leaper
I ran a 2019 XF 25t (2.0 4 cyl petrol 250bhp) R-Sport for a couple of years from new covering 12k miles in that time.

In that time no reliability issues (appreciate this was a new car). Build quality was great and well screwed together (no knocks, rattles or bits falling off).

I actually quite liked the engine and worked well with the ZF 8 speed auto - it was punchy and quick when needed, but also wafted along when not in a hurry. The handling was superb. I was averaging about 35mpg with a mix of motorway and city driving. I did a trip from Leicester to Liverpool driving at the speed limit and averaged 43.8mpg which wasn’t too bad.

I also liked the exclusivity as you don’t see many newshape XF’s around.
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