BULLSEYE, I was just quoting #s. If you honestly think that the # of gs a car can pull on a skidpad, or how fast it can go thru a slalom is not a "definitive" way to determine how well a car handles, then I guess we have different points of view. I am totally unfamiliar with the M3, but if you say it only pulls .87g but can still run rings around a XF on a road course, I would have to conclude that's more your opinion than actual fact. (I wish HDDP would jump in here and pass along some of his words of wisdom) After all, a 500 hp Ford GT pulls .99g and still goes thru the slalom 1/10 of a mph slower than a 215 hp XF, but I bet it would run rings around the XF on a road course, so does that mean it's a better handler than the XF?
Like it or not, the XF is a damned good handling car. Since there are a multitude of cars out there that I will never have the opportunity, and or the inclination to ever test drive personally, The next best thing is to "read" about it in a Nationally accredited Automotive Magazine. If they think handling goes hand-in-hand with skidpad and slalom #s then it's OK by me.