Unofficially, the team behind the XF called it “the new Mk2”, both to differentiate it from the S-type and XJ, and to associate it with the charisma, the compact shape and the fine driving qualities of that enduring '60s icon.
This new rival to the Mercedes E-class, Audi A6 and BMW 5-series certainly doesn't need a collection of outmoded styling cues. After the failure of successive retro designs, Jaguar, under the guidance of design director Ian Callum, has found a new look.
The XF ditches both the “shield” grille of the old Mk2 and recent S-type saloons, and the “mouth” grille of the XK. Instead, it uses a new “ovoid” shape, related (albeit faintly) to the grille of the first XJ6.
Its stance is low-nosed and confident, full of latent power, with the grille countersunk into the body in the manner of the original XJ, not merely stuck on.
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