2021 Jaguar XF Review: Same Great Drive, Beautiful New Interior

There is a good reason for leading this review with a photograph of the interior of the new Jaguar XF, instead of the usual front three-quarter view on an empty country road (normality restored below). Had I opened with the usual shot, you’d quite rightly be wondering what had actually changed for this 2021 face lift – instead, let us start with the all-new interior.

In a week that also saw Tesla remove all stalks from its steering wheel and Elon Musk suggest the car will guess whether you want to select drive, reverse or neutral, it is with a calm and experienced head that Jaguar has fitted a perfect mix of touch and tactility to the cabin of the new XF.

The system is fronted by a curved 11.4-inch HD touchscreen that is three times brighter and 48 percent larger than the display it replaces. It runs the new Privi Pro system currently being rolled out across the Jaguar Land Rover fleet, which Jaguar claims can serve up any main function with only two taps from the home screen.

Just a few minutes with the new XF and that claim is easy to believe. Right from the off, there is the sense someone has thought long and hard about how drivers engage with their cars and exactly what they want from the infotainment system.

For example, the home screen shows huge icons for the navigation and media systems, each with their own volume icon to show if either or both are muted. That way, you know if navigation instructions will be spoken over the top of the radio, or not.

Also to the Jaguar’s credit is how the climate controls remain physical instead of migrating to the touch screen. This includes a pair of attractive dials with digital readouts at their center. They show driver and passenger temperature by default, then can be pushed to control the heated and cooled seats, or pulled to adjust the fan speed. It’s a simple solution for adding six control to two dials, but an ingenious one too.

The aspect ratio and slim bezel of the display mean it looks immediately familiar to anyone who has ever used an iPad or other tablet, and despite its size it looks entirely at home on the dash of the Jag, framed at its base by the swooping center console. Between the two dials sits a glossy black panel with illuminated and touch-sensitive buttons for less commonly used climate controls, like air recirculation and demisting.

Jaguar’s birthdate and place – 1935, Coventry – sit proudly at the center of this panel.

Ahead of the climate dials is the all-new gear selector. Gone is the XF’s rotary knob and in its place sits a push-pull selector with a suede-like finish and what Jaguar refers to as cricket ball stitching. It really is rather lovely, and I also like how a quick backwards pull of the selector from its drive position engages the eight-speed gearbox’s sport mode, where it is keener to hold onto gears while accelerating and equally eager to shift down the ‘box as you brake.

Next to this is a rotary knob for selecting drive modes, and to the left is the ignition button and a rubberized scroll wheel for volume control. A press mutes the system.

Every single element is beautiful to look at, touch, and use without looking. I particularly liked how sport mode and the gearbox’s sport setting was a quick pull on the gear selector and a single turn of the knob away. All completed in a moment, without looking away from the road, and without interacting with a screen.

Also wonderfully tactile are the gear shift paddles behind the steering wheel. Most cars tend to hide their paddles, like a pair of plastic mouse ears tucked away behind the wheel. Not so with Jaguar, whose new paddles feel like an optional extra from the Special Vehicle Operations division. They are big, metal, cold-to-the-touch, and have a wonderfully positive action. You might not take manual control of the cogs all that often, but when you do these paddles are a delight.

Despite the widespread changes on the inside, Jaguar has applied restraint with the exterior. Changes have been made to the headlight signature, while the rear features a larger diffuser and redesigned bumper, but that’s about it. I think the example pictured here looks particularly handsome with the black pack, which replaces exterior chrome with glossy black and gives the XF a smarter, sharper look.

I drove two versions of the new XF. The first was the P300 R-Dynamic in SE trim, as pictured, while the second was the XF Sportbrake (estate/wagon/shooting brake) with Jaguar’s new mild hybrid diesel. The first car was equipped with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder petrol engine with 296bhp. Yes, the lack of a six-cylinder motor in a big Jag isn’t going to sit well with some, but it still has plenty of performance – 60mph in 5.8 seconds – and the XF’s ever-good chassis makes for a responsive and engaging drive.

Switched to Dynamic mode and with the gearbox moved either to manual or its automatic sports setting, and the XF is fun to drive. I love the oversized metal gear paddles and the sharp steering gives the XF a sportier character than you might expect. It’s a joy to drive briskly, but still settles down nicely on the motorway and delivers a ride that is as civilized and mature as a Jaguar should be.

The four-pot might not have the soundtrack of a six-cylinder, and it can sound a little droning at low speed, but these aren’t dealbreakers. The car features noise cancelling technology like that in expensive headphones, playing artificial silence to cancel out the monotonous thrum of road and wind noise.

Switch to the MHEV diesel and you will be given about 30 percent less power (down to 201bhp), but torque is up a little and the electrical assistance helps fill in the gaps of the engine’s torque curve.

Jaguar Land Rover believes the majority of buyers will opt for the diesel, despite current trends against filling from the black pump, and while it lacks the outright power of the petrol, it’s refined enough and obviously the more economical of the two with a claimed 50.6 to 57.2MPG in the UK.

There is a lot Jaguar should be proud of with this update. The XF retains its good looks and engaging drive, has undergone a price cut (to start from £32,585) and a simplifying of the engine range, and all while receiving a new interior that is a giant leap forward, putting the Jag’s cabin on par with the best Germany has to offer.