2 Door Jaguar XF

 Jaguar XF.

Reviewers were universal in their love of the new 2009 Jaguar XF’s exterior and interior styling.

Edmunds.com credits its “crouching stance” and “coupelike roof,” that taper into a fastback-style tail, but thought the nose was “somewhat quirky.” Though both Edmunds.com and Automobile comment on the XF’s passing resemblance to the Lexus GS series, Automobile thought that gave the new Jaguar a little less “drama than you’d expect...nice but not stunning.” Without the Jaguar hood ornament, they think, you wouldn’t know which company built the new XF. Kelley Blue Book felt the “unorthodox” look has a “sleek, flowing profile.”

From the rear, the high-mounted LED taillamps looked familiar to an Aston Martin, Cars.com said. Motor Trend sums up the exterior critiques by saying, “Make no styling judgments until you've seen the XF in person...in the metal the XF radiates a modernity and sexiness that simply don't translate to the printed page.”

Inside, Automobile thinks “the XF's interior really scores,” and that “the cabin overflows with neat details, such as the gear shifter, covered HVAC vents that rotate to open, a start button that pulses red when you enter the car, and blue lighting around the instruments and dials.” The tech mavens at C/Net were “most impressed by the dashboard components,” like that clever shifter dial that reminds TheCarConnection.com’s editors of a high-end audio system. It’s the combination of “traditional cues with contemporary touches,” in Cars.com’s words, that gives this new Jaguar an ambience completely different from the larger XJ sedan--and from any Jaguar before it.

TheCarConnection.com’s car experts think the 2009 Jaguar XF is without question the most attractive car Jaguar has accomplished in decades. There's nothing heavy-handed or retro about the look. Quite the contrary--it is an extraordinarily modern interpretation that traditional luxury benchmarks like Audi should note well.