2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged

"Took the Jag out for a road trip up to the Bay Area," writes senior editor Ed Loh, "and discovered a few interesting things. While it's a fast and smooth long-hauler, the seats don't agree with my back beyond the four-hour mark-I started to get lower back pain that wasn't alleviated by fiddling with the inflatable lumbar pad. Nothing seemed to relieve it, even resting for an hour or two at the outlet stores in Gilroy."

Other annoyances? "Jaguar has this image of being a more mature, adult brand of luxury. I see it in its 'Gorgeous...' campaigns. So why don't they treat me like an adult and let me enter addresses while I'm driving? (The Hyundai Genesis does.) Gorgeous Ed would like to know where he's going.

"Another minor navigation-related quibble: After entering a destination, if you pull out of a tight space or anywhere other cars or walls or barriers might be, the parking aid comes on-a screen that dominates the entire LCD-so you don't know which direction to turn (even though, annoyingly, you can see the nav menu beneath it). As far as I can tell, there's no way to cancel out of this screen. It shuts off after five mph or so, but if you're wondering where to go right out of a driveway or parking garage, you're out of luck."

C'mon, humble Loh, there has to be something about the XF you like. "A nav bonus-if you want to make the voice-guided cues louder or softer, just turn the radio volume dial while she's talking to you.

A simple, but genius interface (no need to hunt through menu screens)." Okay, not great, but it's something. What about your girlfriend? Did she like the Jag? "She loved it, especially the rain-sensing wipers and overall feel of the car. She never complained of fatigue or weariness, just motored along to her favorite country music stations. When we arrived back in L.A., she was surprised at how refreshed she was after four hours on the road."