2008 ST Car of The Year

Last May, when I drove the new Jaguar XF (See story on Jaguar XF 4.2), I had little idea that it would turn out to be The Straits Times Car of the Year. For sheer speed, the jury had a line-up including an Aston Martin, Mercedes C63 AMG and the ultimate driving machine called BMW M3 to consider. Contenders like Renault Clio R27 and VW Passat R36 were probably more fun-to-drive candidates, while any recently released Audi would have certainly looked more stunning. For obvious reason, the new Mazda6 was also shortlisted by the jury for its “you need not be rich to be clever” appeal. Let’s take a closer look at the winner. Just in case you find this picture rather distracting, please be reminded of the usual disclaimer i.e. specifications and ‘model’ shown herein may vary in different countries.

How did the XF deliver the knockout blow? Fundamentally, it ticks all the right boxes such as sports car performance, desirable 4-door executive saloon body, sub-$300k price tag and, of course, high comfort and refinement level. The XF may have also won decisive votes for its underdog status against the array of German offerings. It is indeed a time for change.

The following week, Straits Times’ Life! mailbag published 2 letters from readers who gave opposing views regarding the crowning of the XF for the Car of the Year award.

Such comments are common and, at times, irrelevant. Take these 2 letters for instance. The readers were upset that certain cars were omitted from the list. They probably have overlooked that “nominations were confined to all-new export models that were launched locally in the calendar year. Facelifts were not included.” Perhaps those letters should never have been published.