Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel S Luxury

Drivers have become too reliant on satellite navigation. How many times have we heard stories about people driving into streams or lorries being sent down side roads?

Having lived with the sat-nav in the XF for the past three months, I’ve learned not to rely on what it says.

The issue is not the route – Jaguar’s sat-nav cleverly gives you three route options from the outset from which you choose the most appropriate, perhaps drawing on some of your own knowledge.

The issue is journey times. While most sat-navs tend to understate journey times, the XF’s is commonly over-optimistic to the tune of 30 minutes on an average two-hour trip.

It appears to convert miles to minutes based on an average journey speed of 60mph – which, as anyone knows, is just not possible on UK roads.

Once you’re aware of the problem, you can adjust accordingly – but it did initially result in me being late for several meetings.

That complaint aside, the XF has been a pleasant surprise.

It has one of the nicest interiors of any premium model – plush leathers, beautiful stitching and modern aluminium flourishes across the dashboard – and some neat touches, such as the air vents which rotate to close when the ignition is switched off.

Even the wood feature encasing the central drinks holders is tasteful.

To drive it has been a joy, with the 3.0-litre diesel delivering ample thrust no matter the gear, the speed or the incline.

And all with improved fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions than the 2.7-litre version thanks to the parallel sequential twin turbochargers.

Most of the time, a variable geometry turbocharger does all the work, leaving the secondary turbo dormant, which ensures improved efficiency.

But when the revs hit 2,800rpm, this smaller, fixed-geometry blower kicks in to provide an additional burst.

The XF might not have the beating of the BMW 535d for sheer thrills, but it is, in short, an excellent choice for the company executive.