A powerful rear-drive car on snow and ice? Not a problem with winter tires. And no oversized grille. The new XF's fenders are more muscular, but tastefully so.
Sleek styling, without compromising passenger or trunk space. A difficult combination to pull off. Recent BMW designs have a similar fluidity, but with more convolutions, less clean.
BMW offers the most coupe-ish four-door coupe. It's a 6 with a longer wheelbase and two more doors. Classic long hood, short deck proportions. Optional 20-inch wheels shrink the perceived size.
The BMW 5 Series has a much more sedan-ish profile. The roof of the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is about three inches lower. Not good for rear seat room.
Elegant proportions. But not everyone notices this. Could the XF's styling be overly subtle? If there's a bad angle on the new XF, I couldn't find it.
Certainly not a bad interior. But especially in a Jaguar I'd prefer styling less modern and severe. I much prefer the more distinctive, plusher interior in the slightly larger, somewhat pricier XJ.
The BMW 5 Series has a somewhat nicer interior than the XF, but the 6 Gran Coupe is a big step up. Instrument panel has upholstered top, aluminum fascia. Wood can be subbed for the shiny black trim.
Some ergonomic flaws. Nice: set the mode separately for engine, transmission, steering, suspension. The XF's driver seat is only adequate for the class. The seat in the XF S has more adjustments.
Roomy rear seat, despite what the XF's sleek styling might suggest. Roomiest trunk in the class, even with a spare tire beneath its floor.
The supercharged V6 is powerful and fairly efficient, but could be more refined. The big shiny thing on top of the V6 is an intercooler for the air compressed by the supercharger.