New Jaguar XF endures Swaziland litmus test
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the British celebrated automaker embarked on a fresh aggressive market offensive last week in Manzini, Kingdom of Swaziland, with the media launch and two-day test drive of all-new Jaguar XF medium-sized executive luxury sedan.
It was a memorable event that saw the JLR Sub-Sahara Africa (JLRSSA) team in Pretoria, South Africa led by Willem Schoeman, PR/marketing manager, playing host to many journalists in Africa in the estimated 1.2million sparsely populated Swazi kingdom on two weeks rotation of four different media groups from many African countries including BusinessDay Nigeria.
In the usual business-like JLRSSA style, full activities of last Thursday event started immediately the 39-seater Embraer 145 flight conveying the media team from respective African countries from the OR Tambo airport take-off point landed at Mustapha International Airport (MIA) in ManzinI, Swaziland.
Upon arrival there were some units of the new Jaguar XF model and the team instructor’s lead car already packed outside the arrival point of the airport. Shortly after a brief from the team, the cars were immediately allocated to the motoring journalists for a take-off after signing of indemnity forms by the journos and reading of the ‘riot act’ by the Jaguar team leader.
Despite fatigue and jet-lag of flying for almost six hours from Lagos to Johannesburg and another 40minutes from OR Tambo airport into (MIA) Manzini, the journalists took off with BusinessDay behind the wheels of a light-chocolate coloured Jaguar XF luxury sedan.
With the first leg of test-drives covering 89 kilometres before launch break, the second part of the drive consumed another 124 kilometres stretch. In Nigeria, the steering is located on the left hand side of the car and driving is on the right side of the road, but typical of any other country, located on the southern hemisphere, like Swaziland, one was faced with the uphill task of not steering of the road.
The following day of the brain and brawn road test was equally not an easy task. During the exercise, the team woke up very early and checked out of the Tintswalo at Waterfall bush lodge as early as 7am and defying the feeling of love and warmth offered by the environment to face another daunting test drive.
After navigating through the tricky and twisty lanes of Manzini and Mbabane regions, traversing through unfriendly bumps and hostile craters that dot the narrow and wide highways, our reporter and other automobile reporters behind the wheels found themselves at the newly constructed King Mswati III International Airport. Mswati is the traditional monarch of Swazi kingdom upon whom certain state decision lies.
It was at this session on the 3.6 kilometre distance tracks of the newly built airport completed last March and due for flight commencement operations in September this year that we were handed over crash helmets and reflective jackets for another round of driving test.
This time around, we were educated and taken through the role and impact of anti-lock braking system (ABS), the emergency brake assist (EBA) and other safety features of the Jag XF while on high speed of up to 200 kilometres per hour speed when the breaks are suddenly applied in the event of an emergency.
The media team were also taken through on driving skills and manoeuvrability on sharp bends, tight corners and when confronted with obstacles on the road and indeed the XF displayed great agility and stability; a feature lacking in contemporary automotive engineering when compared with rivals.
Depending on the market and what their demands requires, the new XF range comprises eight models, with a choice of four engines of two turbodiesels (2.2-litre four-cylinder and 3.0-litre V6), a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol with 177kW, as well as the supercharged 3.0-litre V6 with 250kW and 450Nm.
The flagship of the range is the V8-engined XFR-S (405kW), offering a blend of exceptional performance along with superb dynamic ability. The 375 kW XFR remains available.
Nigel Clarke, operations director, for JLR sub-Sahara Africa, in a statement signed by Willem Schoeman, PR/Marketing Manager, JLRSSA, said, “The XF range has been the Jaguar brand’s mainstay for a many years and with this latest one, we will continue to do so. Extended Navigation is especially significant in sub-Saharan markets, where it will give us a unique selling proposition,” he stated.
MIKE OCHONMA