Diesel? Dull?
https://www.carwow.co.uk/best/fastest-diesel-cars
I get why some people with little or no interest in cars go diesel. The main interest (usually the only interest such people have) is "how many miles will my car travel on one gallon of fuel"
To such people cars are 'white goods with wheels'. Functional, practical, worthy but dull. A means of getting from A to B.
What I don't get is why anyone of sane mind would buy a 'performance diesel'
Sane mine? Is this genuine or just pi$$ taking?
For me, I am strongly looking at a performance diesel, as I want 6 cylinders and RWD. Take the diesel XF-S with 3.0d lump, currently my ideal choice to replace the 3.2. (Maybe XJ 3.0d)
Is there a petrol option? No. I'd have to go for your XF-R for petrol engine, of that age. There is no 3.0 V6 petrol, it would *have* to be the V8. But that means huge price tag difference as it's XF-R not XF-S, I cannot afford the difference. This is the key issue, the alternative petrol version in 2008-15 era are not there for second hand market. It *has* to be a diesel, this may change in around 5 years, as the current low VED and more choice of petrols, filter down to second hand market.
Secondly, VED. All big petrols of this vintage, until very recently carry the £500+ VED. The performance diesel XF is no more than my current 3.2 petrol for VED.
Then there is MPG, I could expect mid to high 30's out of an XF 3.0d, maybe even into the 40's as you've seen. Compare that to sub 20mpg of XF-R. I currently only do around 6-7k per year now, but that could very easily change to 12k-13k, so I would need flexibility of better MPG on a replacement.
So some very good reasons to pick a diesel.