Many of you will not know me, but I’ve been a member of the Ride Drive team for over a year now and work the from the London area.  My full-time job is in diplomatic protection, and as such, I have spent a large part of my career driving for a living, and this is where my love of Jaguars came about, as well as a passion for fast cars in general.  Over the last ten-years I have spent many hours a day in cars and they have become a place in which I feel comfortable, especially the Jaguar with its ‘clubby’ leather seats, polished walnut and super smooth ride. I was trained to drive them fast and to their maximum potential, even though some weigh in at over 3.5 tons when fully armoured, but I have never owned one of my own.

Last year, and in my off duty time, I had the opportunity to do a vehicle repatriation job for Land Rover, which involved helping to bring back Supercharged Range Rovers, and then the G4 Challenge Range Rover Sports, from a press launch and world challenge race in Morocco, driving back through Morocco, Spain and France over a few days on each trip. This work was completed by driving in close convoy at relatively high speed with a team of well-trained drivers who knew each other well, and who worked with each other on a regular basis.  This was a bit like special escort work all over again, and having got to know the people, and gained their respect, I was later asked if I was interested in driving and example of the new Jaguar XF to Spain for a dealer launch.  What do you think the reply to that question was?

As some of you may know I had an unfortunate Road Traffic Accident (RTA) last summer whilst riding a motorcycle, which resulted in a broken left hand and right leg, as well as all the other scrapes etc. that come with the territory when coming off a bike. Yes, I was wearing protective clothing, and this obviously helped, but not enough. As a result of the RTA my family and I missed a previously planned holiday to Italy, during which we were going to drive around the lakes near Rome, this being something I had been really looking forward to, as I love driving abroad. After spending the summer trapped in the house, being looked after by my wife and kids whilst my injuries healed, it was a real treat when I was able to drive again and so be independent. Of course I had volunteered for the Spanish trip, and this was something really great to look forward to. The plan was for this to happen just after the New Year, and would take 3 or 4 days to complete. Boy, did I start to panic when I got a nasty virus before Christmas, but thankfully I got over it in time.

I was picked up from my home at about 4.45am on the 2nd January 2008 by a colleague, and after collecting another member of the team, we made our way to Gaydon in Warwickshire, which is the HQ for the Land Rover & Jaguar, the Premier Automotive part of the Ford Group. We arrived early and after being given the keys to our assigned cars, we went out to check them over, to familiarise ourselves with them and to stow our luggage etc. We then had a full briefing from Roddy, our team leader and the man who had overall responsibility for the whole trip. He outlined the route and provided details of where we would be stopping over each night before handing out radios, peage telepasses and contact details of all concerned, and of course the tickets for the flights back home.

There is a tremendous amount of work involved getting this set up, and Roddy emphasised the importance of getting there with no damage, as these were really prototype vehicles with no dealer back up for spares.  The cars had to be in pristine condition as they would be on show to all the dealer principals from around the world over the next couple of months, and so a good impression was required. After a quick comfort break it was time to get out and on the road, which was not a quick process, as we all had to sign for everything in triplicate before being released.

I had previously been sent a ‘Youtube’ link showing footage of the car and I had used this to familiarise myself with the model before seeing it for real.  Having the opportunity to see the footage showing the controls, and aspects of the different available options, was helpful.  It’s amazing what is on the web about vehicles these days. I was all set up with the touch screen Sat Nav showing the way, Ipod connected into the HiFi (and I mean HiFi) and with the climate control set for comfort. However, I couldn’t Bluetooth my phone to the set up as it’s a Smartphone, but most of the others on the trip didn’t have this problem.  Had it worked for me, this is a very useful system that makes the phone not just hands free, but part of the steering wheel buttons where you can accept or make a call using the voice control; very cool.

The car I had be charged with looking after was a left hand drive, Spanish registered, dark pearl grey 4 door XF saloon, with a light tan and brown leather interior.  This was a basic model with the 2.7 Turbo diesel engine, 6-speed automatic gearbox that is operated by a very neat twist control and paddles fitted to the steering wheel. The car is a big move away from previous Jaguars, and represents a make or break edition for the company. I’m a big fan of the old Jag’s, having driven many of them over the years, and I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, as at first it seemed so different. I liked the new look with a long bonnet, complete with power bulge lines, and the recessed grille bearing the familiar Jaguar head badge.  The rear end has a distinctive set of LED lights, similar to an Aston, that came in very useful later on, and a chrome strip that stretched across the back with the ‘jumping jaguar’ carefully placed in the middle.

The extensive use of wind tunnels and computers during the design stage has made many cars look similar in shape, and this one is no exception.  As you cast your eye along it you see how it morphs from a BMW type front end to a Lexus rear, but overall it is like nothing else on the market. The brown leather interior carried over onto the top of the dash and prevented any reflection up onto the raked screen, which was thoughtful, and the security system was cool too.  Like the proximity keys of the new Harley Davidson, the car needed the key near to it, but not inserted into a slot, before any response could be gained from the starter button.  This in turn opens all the vents, which then swivel round from the closed position. The lights have an automatic setting, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to switch them on when it gets a little dark, and the wipers also work in the same way, but obviously coming on when they sense rain (not poor light). The handling ability of the car was to prove a real asset during the trip, as indeed was the cruise control feature. The soft hue of the lights across the dash was a nice touch, and easy on the eyes, particularly after long days of driving, but the automatically dipping internal rear view and door mirrors took a bit of getting used to, as they change the colour of the image to a greenish hue that looks a little wierd. The top spec models have these and more features, like electric blinds and TV in the Sat Nav set up. All the interior lights were touch-sensitive and the conventional type handbrake has been replaced with a switch.

We managed to set off before our predicted leaving time and headed out to the M40 only a couple of miles away, giving us the opportunity to get used to driving a left hand drive car on British roads, as well as to settle in with the cockpit set up. We were in a convoy of 9 vehicles, the lead car being Roddy’s Discovery, followed by 6 Jaguar XF’s, another Disco behind them and a large top-of-the-range Transit carrying all the extra bits on board, this bringing up the rear. We had a good trip southwards down the M40 and then joined the M25.  It was now daylight and we had started to cause a bit of a stir as the people around us realised they were seeing something unusual. We arrived at Folkestone early, and upon checking in with the tunnel people, we managed to get on an earlier train than planned.  What a result! Once on board the train we had our first chance to discuss the cars and their differences, as some were of a higher spec than others. Generally we were all fairly impressed with our experience so far and were looking forward to the sensation of driving on roads where we would be sitting on the more appropriate side of the car.

Coming out onto French roads we decided to top up with fuel early, but inadvertently caused a bit of a road block at the first service area, as the locals all wanted to get photos and ask questions about the cars.

After prising ourselves away from the cameras we cracked on, heading for Reims and our first overnight stop.  The route was the A26/E17 motorway with a couple hundred miles to cover. Now, I have ridden this road on a bike quite a few times and always remember it as a windy and mostly rainy slog to get to Reims. This time wasn’t so bad on the weather side, but we did notice a large increase in the numbers of French Police doing their speed traps, especially on the other side of the road where they were targeting the vehicles heading back to Calais. We obviously took notice of this, and as Roddy had pointed out at the briefing, any speeding tickets would be our personal responsibility, so we all kept a careful eye out.

Driving in a convoy we seemed to be drawing plenty of interest, as loads of people were taking photos with their phones as they passed. We had the usual pushy drivers doing all they could to get ahead, but we just pulled over out of the way to let them go. We did, however, encounter a particularly annoying Italian in a BMW X5, driving right up behind each of us, leaving hardly any gap at all, and climbing all over us like a swarm of knats. However, we remained cool and the moment soon passed as he pulled ahead. We pushed on and did pass a couple of fixed cameras, all signposted to be fair, without setting off any flashes, and were making good progress.

Shortly up ahead I saw our Italian friend in his BMW X5, who had been stopped by the police.  I later found out that a couple of the team had been coaxing him to push along the road a bit harder, and then had backed off to let him run over a hill into a speed trap on the other side.  We did have a bit of a laugh on the strength of that one I have to confess.

When we pulled into the Novotel on the outskirts of Reims, and parked in the special area set aside for us, it was just getting dark and very cold. We checked in, had dinner and after making sure the cars were secure for the night, and were being looked after by a local security firm, again part of the organisation Roddy had responsibility for, we were off to bed. (The local dog handler turned up late, but did a good job through the freezing night).

7.30 the next morning and wheels were a-rolling, and this was going to be a long day with 1200 Kms to cover. When I went out to my car it was still dark and the car park was like a skating rink. We carefully loaded up our gear and set off in convoy numbers in the rain - and then it happened, our first problem.  We got split at the first roundabout as a miss-set Sat Nav sent a couple of vehicles on the road to Paris instead of Lyon. The rest of us pulled in to the next service area and filled up with fuel whilst we waited for the others to turn round and catch us up. Once we were all reformed together we headed off towards Troyes (A26/E17), Dijon (A5/E17) then A31/ E17 and on towards Lyon (A6 / E15) on the peage. It was extremely icy and a few of the cars had a skid or two, but I used the cruise control, as this gave me really excellent control. I could vary my speed by a couple of kilometres at a time with each roll of the switch as this provided me with the smoothest acceleration and braking, and by steering gently I had the car feeling totally planted and no dramas. We had some sleet and then rain, which all made for steady driving and slow progress.

During this boring drive we got a call from Roddy over the radio system to say that a couple of the cars had been caught in a speed trap the previous day and that the Spanish office had been faxed with the details.  He then read out the registration numbers of the vehicles concerned. “Bugger!” I thought.  “That was my number,” and I listened in horror as he carried on to say that the speed recorded was 160kmph (100MPH), and that he didn’t know how much the fine would be. I was gutted and tried to think if I had really been that quick – and if so, where? It all went very quiet on the radio for a while, and I was still raking through my brains when we stopped for a break.  Being resigned to the fact I was done for I confessed to Roddy as being one of those offenders.  The other was one of the ‘Italian Job’ crew. I was very subdued, thinking of how much the fine could be and how I would explain the financial cost when I got home. Pushing the misery aside I thought I would worry about it more when the time came to pay up, and drove in formation with the others as we all made our way down to Lyon.  The weather got a bit better, and as we skirted around Lyon (A6/E15) on the ring road I had cheered up, as we were about to go through a bit of France that was a favourite for me - the Rhone valley.

This really is a superb part of the world, and many of you may have gone this way down to Italy.  We used the motorway (A7/E15), but if you have chance to do this run, drive down the RN7 as it’s a cracking ride or drive with plenty of places to stop and refuel, as well as get a drink and food. We were on a mission though, and were due to stay in a nice hotel, with dinner booked for 8pm.  We cracked on with the motorway route using the telepasses at the peage without problems.

We had a good couple of hours of driving when Roddy again came over the radio, saying there had been further word about the speeding offences.  To my horror I learned the fines were to be 325euros!!! My heart sank again, but then he gave details of another offence, which had come through, this time for 175 Kph. The registration number was given, and I saw it was the other car that had been involved in the ‘Italian Job’ incident.  All went quiet again with me feeling really quite miserable.

We stopped a couple of hours later, and after filling up with fuel, we all gathered for a coffee. My face must have been a picture when Roddy called me over and told me that the whole speeding offence thing was a wind up.  I didn’t know whether to thump him or laugh with him, but luckily I do have a lively sense of humour and saw the funny side of it all.  Apparently, the reason for such a cruel joke was in retaliation for us turning his Supercharged Range Rover into a Moroccan Taxi on a trip the previous year, when we had decorated it with a load of dangly bits and pieces.  Nice one Roddy, you Ba****d.

We had now got down to Montpelier (A7/E15 to A9/E15) and were rising into the mountains. Little Dave, who was driving the Transit van, was starting to struggle to keep up, because of cross winds coming up the mountains from the coast. This was the start of what was to become a period of really bad weather that we were to endure for three and a half hours. The rain started with a vengeance just before dusk, and we were soon on double-speed wipers with much reduced visibility. This only got worse as we got higher, and I can honestly say I have never driven in conditions like it.  Even the spray from the lorries on the other side was blowing over and down on us like water jets in a car wash, the standing water and spray from the lorries on our side was treacherous too, but I have to say the Jag never put a foot wrong. As steady as a rock it climbed the mountain, overtaking where visibility allowed, and where I could see far enough ahead for the distinctive rear lights of the Jag in front. After dark the rain kicked in again and we were really tested to our limits for the few hours that took us to get over the mountains. As we came to the Spanish border checkpoint everything had been battened down and not a soul was in sight.  We slowed to go past the cameras, driving through 2 or 3 inches of water, which was incredible.

Descending the other side the weather began to get better as we approached the turn off at Girona.  It was a 30km drive to the Sa Punta Hotel on the coast at Pals from here. We had a fairly uneventful time on this leg, that is until Bob decided to carry straight on as the rest of us turned left at a junction.  Luckily we managed to get him to turn round and come back to us, and so the group was re-formed. We had been on the road for over 12hrs by now, and dinner had been put back by an hour already. When we got there the hotel was fantastic and we wearily checked before meeting again for a celebratory drink in the bar.  What followed was a superb dinner, cooked with local produce and certainly just what we needed after the long day on the road. My room was beautiful, but there wasn’t really time to enjoy it, as it was going to be another early start the next day and some serious sleep was needed so as to prepare.

After an early breakfast we set off back towards the Pyrenees (they were all covered in snow) and then rejoined the AP7/E15 towards Barcelona. I had ridden this road on my bike, and when we came to Lloret de Mar, and Barcelona, it’s a fast motorway, but with plenty of peage stops. We all experienced a problem at some stage going through the barriers, as they wouldn’t always read the passes. We couldn’t stick them to the screens and this caused a few headaches whilst queues of impatient locals built up quickly behind us, although here the points are manned, unlike in France where you’re on your own if there’s a problem. We stayed on the A7/E15 all the way down through Valencia, Elche, Almeria and Alicante, which took several hours, but the scenery was magnificent with the sea on our left and mountains to the right, with many fascinating local castles perched on the hills looking down at the coast below. Some of the towns here are now spreading out to the hills from the coast.

We took a route along the A91/A92 towards Granada after going through Murcia. This again is a wonderful bit of road with some amazing sights. We continued to climb into the mountains, and as it got dark it was very atmospheric.  We drove along the top whilst watching the sun setting in the west behind some of the peaks ahead.

Picture if you can a scene out of Lord of the Rings where Sam says to Frodo, “ That way lies Mordor, Mr Frodo.” All that was missing here was the giant fiery eye. Luckily I couldn’t hear the crashes of thunder and lightning that would have accompanied it.  This was perfect, as it doesn’t get much better. This is what a trip like that is all about.  Those little moments of magic that you can never recreate. You wouldn’t want to be riding a bike out there in the dark, I can tell you.  A sure recipe for disaster, as no one gives anyone any quarter.

We approached Granada and started to descend quickly.  This was an opportunity to test the auto box to the max. You can hold the vehicle in gear on most auto boxes, so as to assist with braking, and to gain more control on twisty bits of roads by manually selecting a lower gear, (usually 2 or 3) but this was a six speed auto box and needed to be put into sport mode, otherwise it returns to the normal drive gear after a couple of seconds, unless you are accelerating. Once sport is selected the car again handles unbelievably well, providing excellent control potential and saving on the amount of braking required.

We successfully negotiated Granada and I began to recognise the road, as I had ridden it back from Fuengirola last summer, albeit the other way. I knew we weren’t far from the hotel where we would be staying, and where the dealer launch was being held. We got to Loja, turned off the A92 and then took local roads that led to the 3km driveway of the La Bobadilla Hotel. As it was pitch dark at the time we really didn’t experience the dramatic visual presence of the place.  Anyway, we quickly became involved with the parking and unloading of the cars inside the purpose built marquee, this being truly amazing as it demonstrated the large scale of the operation. After everything was sorted we checked in to what is the grandest hotel I’ve ever stayed in. It really is a cracker, and I had a great room.

It had been another 12 plus hours in the car with another 1200 Kms covered, and most of them spent driving, and whilst I leave you to do the maths, I will say that it was a very welcome time to go to the bar for a drink before dinner.  We again were served some lovely local food, and breakfast the following morning was equally fantastic.  There really was something for everyone here.

Before leaving for the airport we had time to have a tour of each other’s rooms, many of which had roof terraces overlooking the Andalucian Mountains. The place was amazing, and is worth a look at their website.

Overall the trip was a brilliant experience, and with nearly 3000kms covered overall, I really got a feel for the XF Jaguar. I have to say the car was great, and I would love to try out the V8 petrol models, as I think they will be fantastic.  As far as the 2.7 diesel is concerned, it is a very capable vehicle and I have really enjoyed driving it.  I found that compared to previous editions it had a firmer ride, fantastic handling ability, and I loved the low down grunt provided by the diesel engine.  It’s like my Harley where the power is all usable, right across the range, so you don’t have to rev the guts out of it to get the performance you need.

I have to say I don’t think the Jaguar brand has anything to worry about with the XF, as they have now produced a great new model that will easily rival any other in its market category.  It has the technology, the style, panache and the pedigree to hold its own, and it needs to. This is an extremely competative market sector and huge sums are unvested by manufacturers to promote their products.

If anyone reading this page are planning to drive through France to Italy or Spain in the summer, try and use the roads parallel to the motorways, as they are nicer to drive, have better scenery and more places to stop for food and drink.