[A-Kraut]

Was the sportbrake ride different in a good way?

Very much so I´d say ... at least as far as being "smoother" is concerned ... have not tried it on a track of course

 

[wilf]

Autocar commented on the "softer" ride of the sportbrake comapred to the saloon. They also ascribed it to the different rear suspension.

 

[k44ent]

Interesting, when ever the XF Saloon is tested against the BMW 5 series it scores well in the steering and handling department being better than the BMW for steering feel and handling (less body roll). I noticed in an article last week, BMW 520d touring, XF Sport brake 2.2d and Audi A6 estate that the BMW had more precise steering and less body roll than the XF. Looks like the Sportbrake is softer than the saloon which will suit some buyers. I have always felt that it's the rear suspension on my car that is quite hard but I actually like it that way

 

[CharlieFarlie]

If the suspension on my car was any softer I would be looking at firming it up ..

 

[Saoirse]

spires...............all the way:driver:

 

[TheStig]

Somewhere I've seen some dynamic cornering shots of the sportbrake & it does seem to roll a lot. I've never seen a picture of the saloon rolling this much.

 

[coneman]

Interestingly, I was following an Audi A3 convertible today and boy did that look to have hard suspension. It was bobbing up and down like a dinghy in a force 8.

I love my 'S' suspension. It is quite 'busy', 'knobbly' or however else roadtests describe these things and doesn't like transverse ridges (what car does?). However, for the feel, agility and responsiveness, I think it has a remarkable lack of harshness.

 

[DaveTheCat]

The ride was something i was a bit concerned about, coming from a VW Touareg, but I can honestly say that even riding on 20"'s the ride is as smooth as anything and a really comfortable drive.

Compared to the M spec 3 Series I had 18 months ago this car is like sitting in a Rolls Royce.

 

[Frank]

My wife and I were kindly given a ride home the other night (after my retirement bash) by a colleague with a well-used (120K+ miles) and 6 years+ Ford Mondeo.
Rather embarrassing when wife made a quite a point at how much more comfortable it was than my XF

 

[D3GGY]

My wife and I were kindly given a ride home the other night (after my retirement bash) by a colleague with a well-used (120K+ miles) and 6 years+ Ford Mondeo.
Rather embarrassing when wife made a quite a point at how much more comfortable it was than my XF

Time to trade her in. The wife I mean!

 

[Frank]

Nah, she's a keeper. Perhaps I'll get her seat repadded, the XF's I mean!

 

[Lance]

My wife and I were kindly given a ride home the other night (after my retirement bash) by a colleague with a well-used (120K+ miles) and 6 years+ Ford Mondeo.
Rather embarrassing when wife made a quite a point at how much more comfortable it was than my XF

I agree with you wife - the XF's suspension and seats are so badly designed that they were causing me a serious back injury - I was forced to reshape the drivers seat with foam up to 40mm thick ( http://www.jaginfo.org/showthread.php?1125-Drivers-Seat-Modification ) and replace the suspension with something more sensible ( http://www.jaginfo.org/showthread.php?1337-Will-post-2002-S-Type-shocks-fit-an-XF ).

A telling test is to open up the boot and sit on the rear sill whilst measuring the rear bumper height - the XF feels like you are sitting on a block of concrete, if you repeat the test on a 'comfortable car' it will probably move about 4 times the distance the XF does.

 

[Frank]

Sorry for the duplicate info posting, but though I'd add my latest findings re the XF ride here as anyone searching in the future for a possible solution may not be ar*ed to plough through the Hunt for and XF replacement thread. Hope it will help someone:

Background: Courtesy Oliver and with the assistance of Nick (Stratsone, in Hanley) I test drove a current 3.0D PL and an XF-S. Both were better than my XF, the 3.0D being much better. Nick came out with us (my wife was with me) and we included a run in my car. Nick confirmed what I'd suspected all along, my car is unusually hard....he likened it to a race setup. As my XF already has Spires Comfort mods of springs and shockers, this suggests some other problem.

Following the above tests, I had a chat with Matt at Spires and he says that what I have now on my XF should be the same as the current 3.0D we drove yesterday. He did have a suggestion based on some talk of a problem with wind up on the wishbone rubber joints and that now Jaguar have a different assembly procedure. He offered to give it a go on my car but I'd be paying for 5 hours work with no guarantee of success. I was getting ready to give it a shot when a deal I'd had already begun before the comparison tests came through, so obviously now I will not and we will never know....but I mention it here in case anyone is suffering and wants to contact Matt. Such a problem may well explain the differences people here have experienced between what should be identical models. In theory such a problem should be fixed by the dealer under warranty if Jaguar were to acknowledge it and issue a TB on it.

Matt also said that J spec tyres are not just XL but have even stiffer sidewalls, specified by Jaguar to give better steering feel, so going with standard XL tyres might be a better bet when changing tyres if the ride bothers.

 

[Jimpy]

I have not found my 2013 3D a hard ride but after owning it for 2 months & not being over happy with the handling, ("it's wobbly in bends" as she who must be Obeyed said from the passenger seat ) I checked the tyre pressures & found them to be 29-30 psi all round, I increased the pressure up to 32 psi & Bingo a different car to drive but still not a hard ride & now goes round corners so it seems tyre pressure have a lot to do with it as well.

 

[Frank]

I have not found my 2013 3D a hard ride but after owning it for 2 months & not being over happy with the handling, ("it's wobbly in bends" as she who must be Obeyed said from the passenger seat ) I checked the tyre pressures & found them to be 29-30 psi all round, I increased the pressure up to 32 psi & Bingo a different car to drive but still not a hard ride & now goes round corners so it seems tyre pressure have a lot to do with it as well.

Well of course tyre pressures are important, first thing to be checked. But the problem with my car (and a few others) is a bit more serious than that and seems to be a production/assembly problem.

 

[Rigger]

Had my MY2010 XFS for just over a year now. I sympathise with you Frank, as my car has never felt overly tight on the springs. My car feels firm, but not uncomfortabley so, and when I select dynamic mode, I can really punch it into the corners, while it still feels settled. I do sometimes get that secondry feel that PH were on about, but like everyone else one here, I would imagine that whatever car you are in you are going to avoid most of the potholes. All in all for me, I love the drive my cat gives, and thats on 20" Volans (255 on the front, and 285 on the rears). Looking forward to dry roads again up here, so I can get to push dynamic and select sport and really get the claws out of the cat.

As other stated earlier in the thread, I've had a slight wobble on the rears when pushing on in damp weather, but I was pushing, and building up to see where the grip would start to lose traction, so I was ready for it. I was quite impressed to be honest, maybe I was lucky getting the XFS I did. Then again - RTM, when driving in the damp, you should select winter mode - the back end will be less likely to step out.

 

[Frank]

Glad you have a good example XFS Rigger and enjoy it. Mine has got to the point that after 18 months it has to go. Shame reallty because the rest of my example, apart from the seats, generally hits the mark. Potholes are not a problem - well they are around my way, all the roads seem to be a series of virtually connected potholes - it is the twitchy/jittery ride on almost smooth surfaces.

Intrigued by your switching to Dynamic mode though regarding handling (unless I have misunderstood) because AFAIK the 2010 XF-S has passive suspension so switching modes will make no difference in handling department, other than remapping the throttle response and gearchanges to keep it more "on the boil" - which will in turn help in hustling it through the corners.

Rear wheel wobble as you put it is a fact of like for powerful rear wheel drive cars, which is why I have a soft spot for Audi quattro, especially in the slippery wet roads in the UK for most of the year. Of course our old FM friend Jagular doesn't understand this point...

Continue to enjoy your XF and as I mentioned already, have fun choosing your new one!

 

[Colin11]

Frank... Rigger like me has The Dynamic Suspension which does stiffen up with Dynamic selected

 

[Frank]

Frank... Rigger like me has The Dynamic Suspension which does stiffen up with Dynamic selected

Interesting, because I didn't think AD was available on the XFS until the facelift model was introduced? According to the MY2011 brochure it only specifies AD on the XFR and not even and option on any of the other models.

 

[Colin11]

definitely was introduced as an option on the 3.0 "S"

http://www.zercustoms.com/news/2011-Jaguar-XF-S.html