Skip advert
Advertisement
Long term tests

Jaguar XFR

A teeny fault with the Adaptive Dynamics doesn't tarnish the huge fun we get from Jaguar's XFR

There’s an orange screen between the Jag’s two dials. Well, it’s not actually, it’s black and white, but it glows orange whenever the car needs to tell me something that Just Can’t Wait. Of late this has been that the first service is due (in around 1100 miles), but there’s been another, less ignorable message: a warning that there’s a fault with the Adaptive Dynamics system. This one is less frequent, but it’s accompanied by the car jamming itself in the sportier of its two modes. This is my preferred setting anyway, so it’s not a huge problem, but I’ll get it looked at when the car goes for its service.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The screen also turns tangerine when fuel gets low. This doesn’t happen quite as often as you might expect – I tend to get about 300 miles from a tankful, averaging 22-23mpg on the trawl to work and back, although this drops dramatically if the Brackley roundabouts are quiet and I’ve remembered to press and h-o-l-d the DSC button.

The XFR drifts as effortlessly as snow; big lazy arcs, the car seemingly held at an angle by two-ton momentum alone and yet so controllable, so precise, so catchable. And so hard to resist nailing it all the way through second and third along the next straight. The XFR may find itself bathing in the soft orange glow of a petrol station forecourt sooner as a result, but it’s so worth it.

Running Costs

Date acquiredJune 2009
Total mileage13,917
Costs this month£0
Mileage this month3289
MPG this month21.3
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The Peugeot 208 GTi is back: we've had a first look at the new £35k hot hatch
Peugeot 208 GTi
News

The Peugeot 208 GTi is back: we've had a first look at the new £35k hot hatch

Peugeot’s new electric hot hatch has been shown at the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours, and UK pricing has come with it. Here are all the details
16 Jun 2026
New Maserati GranTurismo revealed – GT car updated to face Aston Martin DB12 S and Ferrari Amalfi
Maserati GranTurismo front
News

New Maserati GranTurismo revealed – GT car updated to face Aston Martin DB12 S and Ferrari Amalfi

Maserati’s iconic grand tourer launched in 2022 and is getting a nip and tuck three years on, with more power, a tweaked face and an off-road mode
18 Jun 2026
Why the ‘experts’ are completely wrong about buying a second-hand car
Used Bentley
Opinion

Why the ‘experts’ are completely wrong about buying a second-hand car

Navigating the absurd world of used car ads makes buying new seem sane, reckons Porter
12 Jun 2026