Jaguar XF Saloon (2008 - 2015) 2.2d Premium Luxury 4d Auto Owner Review

I've owned the car for over 3 months now and have clocked up more than 4,000 miles. These are my impressions:- A very handsome car with a truly unique interior design which is genuinely stunning at night thanks to the attractive facia and phosphor ambient lighting. I never grow tired of the start-up process -- rotating vents (which make a great sound), rising gear selector knob, etc. -- and feel a sense of occasion each time I drive the car. The ivory leather is soft, the wood is attractively integrated into the cabin, and most materials are good quality and tactile. The car is a fantastic motorway cruiser: quiet, smooth and cocooning thanks to the high waistline. I achieve over 50 MPG on average per tank - high of 53 and low of 46, so significantly better than most owners, and in line with the manufacturer's claims. Use the (fun) flappy paddles or Sport mode regularly, and you will see fuel economy decline significantly. The car handles sharply, with tonnes of grip, and surprisingly fast steering. The boot is generous, albeit with a narrow opening; ensure you choose a model with the folding rear seats for some decent practicality to handle trips to Ikea. Now for the negatives... The main issue is reliability. The car has had many problems that needed resolving, luckily all covered by the garage warranty. A new wiring loom in the boot was needed to stop a "Boot Open" warning light. A noisy ventilation fan motor was replaced. Both front doors needed new locks as they were not locking correctly. A leaking (corroded) brake hose caused a (dangerous) car test failure. Alarmingly, the body control module under the dashboard needed repairing owing to a series of shorted connections; this was discovered after the climate control stopped responding to the touchscreen when the car was in the garage having its brake hoses replaced (vents stuck closed, no climate/ a/c or external temperature reading). A new battery stopped other electrical issues, including a warning that the electric handbrake was not functioning. The windscreen washer fluid level sensor is now acting up and will require replacing soon (the garage managed to stop the "Low Fluid Level" warning by cleaning out the washer fluid reservoir, but the sensors fail regularly apparently). That's a lot for a 7-year-old car with a detailed FSH and about 80,000 miles. Other than questionable reliability/ build quality, I would criticise the ride for being a little on the firm side (my car has 19" wheels which have 40% low-profile tyres, so I imagine the standard 17" wheels improve ride but at the expensive of aesthetics). The 2.2 diesel engine sounds fairly unpleasant (my previous 2.0D X-Type had a quieter, more pleasant engine note from the cabin). Luckily, the car potters about at very low revs thanks to the excellent 8-speed auto box, so rarely is the engine noise intrusive. Brakes are effective, but the pedal feel is a little spongy for my liking. I also find the Dynamic Stability Control far too sensitive, regardless of mode -- a small quibble. Finally, for a large car of 5 metres' length, cabin space is only OK, not aided by the sloping roofline. So, a stylish, comfortable driver's car, an attractive, unique alternative, that does everything well, is often wonderful, but flawed and with dubious build quality.