The Jaguar XF is the British marque's most avant-garde model. The car's most significant feature is its sublime ride quality, says SAMUEL EE.

Anyone who is familiar with the classic Jaguar dashboard and its traditional expanse of wood veneer will be in for a big surprise when entering the XF for the first time - not only has the arboreal element in the ultra-modern interior been scaled down drastically but there is also a remarkable sense of theatre.

As soon as the door is closed, the letters of the start/stop engine button on the lower centre console begin to pulse red, like a heartbeat.

Accept this dramatic invitation to press it and the airvents immediately swivel open as a knob on the console rises like King Arthur's sword from the lake.

The latter is a "rotary control" called the JaguarDrive Selector. Instead of a conventional gear lever, the driver operates the six-speed automatic transmission like he or she would a microwave oven.

Of course, Jaguar does it a bit more stylishly with cool aluminum. In fact, everything about this new car is cool.

Different animal

The Jaguar XF is the British marque's latest model and also its most avant-garde. Everything you've known previously about Jaguar design has been consigned to the waste bin with this sleek interpretation of a 21st century Cat.

Although the XF fills the vacuum left by the departing S-Type, it is not considered a direct replacement. It may fill the same mid-level executive model segment but it is a very different animal in terms of its name, styling and features.

That is because the XF and the S-Type are as different as chalk and cheese. The latter had tapped the Mark II classic of the 1950s for its design inspiration and taken on retro cues. But the XF manifests a new Jaguar design language, one that began with the XK range of two-door models.

Part of this departure from tradition includes the relocation of the Jaguar hood ornament from the front of the car to the rear, where the "leaper" is now placed flat against the bootlid.

But perhaps the most significant feature of this new Jag is its sublime ride quality. The XF exhibits an excellent blend of comfort and control, with the suspension able to filter out the harshness of an irregular road surface while still allowing the car to retain exceptional balance.

The steering is less successful though. It has a variable ratio feature to provide enhanced power assistance for reduced effort in low-speed parking situations, while offering the opposite at higher speeds. But it feels strangely inert and is devoid of feedback.

Delectable extra options

There are two engines for the XF - a three-litre V6 and a 4.2-litre V8 supercharged. The former can be ordered with a choice of two trim levels, called Luxury and Premium Luxury.

Pay a premium of $32,000 over the basic $175,000 (without COE) list price for the Premium Luxury variant and it comes with a delectable list of extra options. These include a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, bi-xenon headlights and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system with 14 speakers, including a sub-woofer under the spare wheel in the boot. In fact, the last feature is so good that it may make you describe the XF as a "sound" investment.

Jaguar XF 3.0 V6
Engine: 2,967cc V6
Gearbox: 6-speed tiptronic transmission
Max power: 238hp @ 6,800 rpm
Max torque: 293 Nm @ 4,100 rpm
0-100 kmh: 8.3 secs
Top speed: 237 kmh
Price: from $175,000 (without COE)
Distributor: Malayan Motors.
Tel: 6473-7755

This article was first published in The Business Times on 14 June, 2008.