Jaguar XF: Is the new XF a car to excite or just an overly conservative sequel?

摘要

By 2007, Jaguar was stuck in the doldrums. Ford's ownership, and membership of the Premier Automotive Group, had not come without its advantages, but the introduction of the S-Type in 1999 and the X-Type two years later had not set the world alight. The X-Type, manacled to the same front-drive platform as the Mondeo, was no match for the dynamism and verve of its compact German rivals, and the S-Type - in looks, certainly - harked back too plainly to an era that the rest of the country was fast forgetting. Dramatic change was required, not only to revitalise Jaguar's line-up and promote much-needed sales but also to point the firm in a new direction that would establish it as a forward-thinking entity rather than one overly obsessed with its heyday. So the XF, a car distinct from anything Jaguar had built before, was meant as a statement. Presciently introduced just as Ford sold the company to current owner Tata, the XF's impact was seismic, not only for its determined focus on the future but also for the beguiling way it drove.