It's been around 4 months now since I bought my 2011 XF Luxury Ultimate Black, I'm very happy and proud to have this car, I can confidently say I made the right choice, and here is my review:

PROS:
1. The car is definitely eye catching and unique, many people approach me to say how they like it and ask me about it.

2. Ultimate black colour is magnificent and gives the car the "Royal" look. Although it gets dusty very fast, but once u clean it looks GREAT, especially when it polished, and has the edge against other colours.

3. The car looks at its best from the back (It's funnt to say that) ... I notice many cars get close from the rare just to know what car is it. The front look can be improved, but it still is unique.

4. Inside the car is very luxurious and the round turning gear is my favorite. the leather finishing can't be better.

CONS:
1. When I step on the break and release it slowly, I hear a very noisy sound. I explained this to the dealer and he told me it's normal and nothing to worry about !!!?

2. The steering wheel adjustment is frustrating and limited in front and back direction.

3. The look of the speed changing/RPM & distance screens is boring and can be improved.

Looking forward to hear your comments

 

Thanks for your review .
I have my input on CONS 1 about noisy brake pedal . Do you hear it each time you press the pedal with the car in P and running ? if it's a mechanical whirring like sound I can hear it in other marques I have ever driven . It comes off when you release the brake pedal and goes off when you get back press the brake pedal

 

Good to hear some comments on the car. I have had my 2010 Premium for 18 months and have 21K miles on the clock.

I agree with pro comments 1,3 and 4. Tend to have issues with black due to the fact that it looks dirty most of the time, it is very dusty in my part of the world). Good when clean but I have reverted to Silver (I know, boring) but the car really looks good in the Texas sunshine.

On the cons front, the noisy brakes are something I have noticed under similar circumstances. They sound like damp brake pads but the car is completely dry. I can cause them to "creak" if I gently apply the brakes when the engine is idling but there is enough power to move the car without the brakes. I have not noticed any ill effects, but it is odd all the same.

As regards cons 2, we are all different sizes and the fore and aft movement is fine for me, although I do have the wheel in the most aft position so I can imagine if you have longer legs it may not work for you.

I am not sure to what you are referring in your last con (3), but if it is the display between the speedometer and tachometer, I agree that it is somewhat "rough" looking and is not in keeping with the rest of the car. The circle in which the clock is displayed has a lot of "jaggies" (either due to poor screen resolution or a poor graphic, not sure which) and the tank gauge is poorly designed since the reserve highlight tends to contract the overall scale so it looks as if you are running out of fuel when you are not (maybe that is the intention) but, to me it looks rather poorly designed. I am sure some people are quite happy with it, but I am not particularly enamored of the design.

Generally I like the look, handling and power of the Premium XF. I tend to find the steering a little light but have adapted well enough and the navigation system is atrocious (it is almost completely useless in our area and can only be used to get home if you are lost, albeit in a rather around about manner). The sound system is excellent (B & W option) and the seats quite comfortable although they do not give me the lateral support that I need when the car is used for slightly aggressive cornering. I love the ergonomics of the selector etc. It works well and is easy to use. The media control is not that good but works well enough, although I cannot use it when driving, a common complaint of these types of media center controls. I hate to say this, but I found the BMW iDrive easier to use (I know people probably think I am mad, but I am a computer systems engineer and am very familiar with this type of control).

Overall I love this car and will be keeping it for a while. Thank you for sharing your initial impressions.

 

Three deficiencies I noticed.
1. The seat does not move back and out of the way for entering / exiting. I'm getting old and I'm not as flexible and the Japanese parking spaces are tight.
2. The parking proximity sensors in the front does not work during slow speeds when in Drive, only seems to work in reverse... once again... tight Japanese parking spaces.
3. The Back button on the central screen is located just above the lip of the surround and is difficult to engage.

1 +2 should be simple programming fixes. Both standard in pretty much all J spec Benzs.

 

For item 2 above, I think you will find that all you need to do is press the P button on the roof mounted console and they will be enabled. You have to be in Drive and below the speed that makes the blind spot detectors operate to make this work.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the info... Interesting approach with the sensors. My wife's E class requires pressing a button to deactivate the parking sensors. I didn't realize that the Jag had a default with the front sensors off.