Look before you leaper.
2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged
From the February 2014 Issue of Car and Driver
For thin-walleted drivers enamored of new Britannia, may we suggest a lightly used Jaguar XF? In 2009 the XF made our 10Best list, though just for the one year. Never cheap when new, the XF nonetheless makes an intriguing used proposition, as a depreciated example sold through the company’s Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program, dubbed Jaguar Select, can be quite the deal.
The XF was the first modern Jag to fully depart from the brand’s oppressive retro vernacular, but today it looks like a legitimate member of the family. A 2009 XF (the oldest available through the CPO program) still has road presence, cabin ambience, a supple ride, and bit-in-the-mouth driving character. But unfortunately, XF reliability is statistically only average.
Jaguar Select examples pass through a 150-point inspection covering mechanical and cosmetic conditions with the aim of ensuring that these cars emerge “like new.” This possibly means that all electronic gremlins are present and accounted for [see long-term test results, below right]. Buyers are handed a full service and maintenance history. Eligible cars must be one to five model years old with less than 60,000 miles. Note: Jaguar extended its new-car warranty from four years to five years starting in 2011, but it’s back to four/50,000 for the 2014 models. When the original warranty expires, the Jaguar Select program takes over and extends all coverage to a total of (not an additional) six years or 100,000 miles, with free roadside assistance and no deductible for covered repairs.
CAR (EXAMPLES)
PRICE: 
LOW 
AVERAGE 
HIGH
2009 4.2 V-8 (3)
$28,242
$29,712
$30,995
2010 4.2 V-8 (19)
$28,345
$32,865
$38,900
2010 5.0 V-8 (26)
$29,944
$35,903
$41,995
2010 5.0 V-8
$36,985
$39,096
$43,900
2011 5.0 V-8 (26)
$32,988
$37,435
$41,988
2011 5.0 V-8
$51,998
$51,998
$51,998
2012 5.0 V-8 (17)
$38,660
$43,565
$51,549
2012 5.0 V-8
$56,998
$59,992
$62,985
2013 2.0 inline-4
$37,900
$43,435
$57,900
2013 3.0 V-6
$42,595
$46,802
$52,478
Clockwise from top, left: 2010 Jaguar XF Supercharged, 2013 Jaguar XF 2.0T, and 2012 Jaguar XF
Sorting through 128 XFs that dealers listed in the Jaguar Select program nationwide in November, we noticed that the most significant difference among them is the engine. Early cars have either a 4.2-liter V-8 with 300 horsepower (zero to 60 in 6.1 seconds) or a 420-hp supercharged V-8 (zero to 60 in 5.0 seconds). In 2010, Jaguar added the option of an enlarged, third-generation V-8. This 5.0-liter produces 385 horsepower in naturally aspirated guise or 510 horsepower in the Supercharged and XFR versions. The 385-hp 5.0 delivers 60 in 5.1 seconds; you can get that down to 4.3 seconds with the supercharged 5.0 and—if you look hard for it—the much rarer XFR. The R isn’t any quicker, but it does have better passing performance, an electronic limited-slip differential, quicker steering, and a more aggressive look.
In 2013, Jaguar added a 240-hp 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that can hit 60 in 6.8 seconds and a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6. Our testers found the four-banger a bit overmatched by this two-ton sedan. The large number of low-mileage trade-in 2.0s suggests that the turbocharged four isn’t satisfying customers, either. The 340-hp V-6 could be had with four-wheel drive, but we didn’t find a CPO one. It’s still too new, apparently.
So search away, but realize that the XF’s high desirability is tempered by average reliability.
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