Hi Guys,

Currently in the market for an XF as a daily driver for the Mrs .. and a tow vehicle for the race car. As usual with these things I have been doing the research into the model and ~think~ I have most stuff sorted. However I have a few Q's .. and some other stuff that it would be great if I could get it confirmed/denied/clarified.

Preferred option currently is an 3.0D. Looked at a couple over the weekend and definitely like the portfolio spec. Am I correct in understanding that the only real differences between the Lux and the Port are .. nicer trim - seats, headlining, carpets etc - 20" wheels and nicer stereo? .. and any of those options could be added to a lux version to bring it to same spec?

The S version of the diesel - is it basically just a tune (ECU) difference? .. or are there other differences that would prevent you from upgrading a standard 3.0D to S spec?

VIN number check on the current preferred vehicle (advertised as a 2014 S portfolio) decodes as 2015 model (10 digit in VIN = F)- what month do the change over to MY15? .. also, when I enter the VIN on the decoder linked from these forum I get a "no result" .. other decoders seem to give me random results. Is there a preferred decoder for XF's? .. I would really like to know what options this had from factory.

I can access the ECU via the OBD2 port .. how long does the ECU store engine fault codes? .. and what other info should I be looking at from the output to assist me in getting a good vehicle.

.. and (the usual question) .. when looking at 3.0D XF's .. what (if any) are the usual issues I should on looking for? .. do they have a weak spot or a usual faulty area?

Sorry for all the Q's .. any info you can provide will be immensely helpful

Thanks

Andrew & Cheryl

 

I can help answer a couple of questions for you.
The S version is basically just a higher tune of the non-S, but it has a few more extras as well, most of which were high cost options on the non-S. The main one is bigger/better front brakes, 355 mm vs the weedy 326 mm. Then, depending on model year and market, the S came standard with such things as adaptive suspension, soft grain leather, premium audio etc etc that the non-S missed out on. In the later years of the X250 the S was a bit like a Portfolio spec non-S. But of course a non-S could be specced with pretty much everything an S came with except the higher tune motor.
Some say the extra you pay for the S is worth it, others disagree, and the premium for an older version S (2009, 2010 or 2011) is not much these days.