If we had £40k to burn, then this is the car we’d choose to tow with. The 3.0-litre diesel engine is superb – smoother than Pierce Brosnan in a silk-lined tux. Yet it’s also savagely powerful when the occasion demands, pulling car and van from 30-60mph in just 8.3 seconds. Of all cars tested, only the Audi Allroad went quicker. The brakes were every bit as strong as the engine, stopping car and caravan in just 10 metres.
Only complete disregard for our own safety could unsettle the XF through the lane-change test. It pulled the van securely between the cones at speeds that would have had lesser cars sliding off the track.
At sensible speeds, it’s a serene, relaxed experience – an easy vehicle to drive smoothly, with precise steering and remarkable agility for such a big car, towing or solo. The ride isn’t as smooth as the XJ, but that’s the only area in which the XF defers to the older design.
Rear-seat space, especially headroom, isn’t generous, and the 75kg noseweight limit is rather limiting. Even so, we still want one.