Hi Ian
Stop/Start is quite a marmite function. Most people love it or hate it. Potential negatives are usually related to engine and/or starter wear and tear. Most engine and starter pinion wear is at start up, however stop/start actually pre-engages the starter pinion so not really an issue. The middle position is people not liking not being in control or insecurity that engine will start again š
Positives are that it does reduce emissions (the actual rationale for its introduction). If it engages you know your battery/batteries are OK as it will not engage if it is not sure it can restart the car.
Personally I let it engage at least once each journey before disabling as this confirms batteries are OK.
If going anywhere when car is to be left for a few days I would always disable as the XF does conduct occasional self tests of the battery which involves discharging to 75% capacity. My concern is always that id gets to that point just before I park up so instead of starting with 100% I would be starting with 75% š
As you may know the XF along with many modern cars does seem to suffer from parasitic drain so I only leave mine for a week at most before attaching my ctek.
J