The new Jaguar XFR roars in Rivals

I drop into the driver’s seat of the new Jaguar XFR. The start button flashes red. I push it and the circular, spinning gear wheel rises like a phoenix from the console. It’s symbolic for Jaguar. Air vents, nowhere to be seen, suddenly open on the dash. The new 2010 model year XFR is open to the public. I turn the gear lever to ‘D’ and press the right pedal to start the road test. From all four exhausts comes a roar… a deep growl that only a high-output V8 can produce.

I listen carefully. I think I hear him say ‘AMG E63 I’m coming for you’. Revs up and he speaks again: ‘BMW M5…I’m here.’ Jaguar calls it the beginning of “revitalization.” Jaguar doing what Jaguar does best: performance saloons, although the XF sometimes looks more like a coupe than a four-door. XFR is the latest addition to the XF range. A powerful and high-end flagship. A car to take on the Germans: Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.

The XF range was launched in 2008 with Jaguar’s well-known 4.2-litre V8 alongside a petrol V6 and a 2.7-litre diesel V6. Two of those engines have missed the cut in this makeover. The 4.2-litre has been replaced by a new Jaguar-designed 5.0-litre V8 that generates 283 kW of power (up 23 per cent) and 515 Nm of torque (up 12 per cent). The XFR gets special treatment via an Eaton supercharger with a new intercooler and this brings it up to 375kW and 625Nm.

The highly sophisticated 2.7-litre diesel engine also gives way to a much-improved 3.0-litre engine that features a different and improved twin-turbocharger system than that found on the 2.7-litre engine. The supercharged V8 propels the XFR to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, a cat whisker behind the E63 AMG and a similar whisker in front of the M5. It is being in good company.

We took our test drive from Sydney onto winding roads, interspersed with long straights. The big cat clings to wet roads with surprising ease. There are not only new engines on board the XF, but also new technology. The Adaptive Dynamics system monitors body movements 100 times per second and wheel positions 500 times per second to instantly adjust for optimal handling and ride. Inspires driver confidence. There’s also active differential control that limits slip between the rear wheels.

Unlike its direct competition, the Jaguar doesn’t sacrifice ride and comfort for handling. It has both. We hit a long straight, climbed a steep hill and a slow truck. We’re out, past the truck and back in before you can say ‘God Almighty’. It takes 1.9 seconds to accelerate from 80 km/h to 113 km/h. Australian rugby league football king Wally Lewis would be proud. A perfect pass. For those who like to be in control of the ride, the XF range features F1-style paddles on the steering wheel. One on the left for downshifts and one on the right for upshifts, making up for the lack of a lever. The six-speed transmission is the proven ZF gearbox that handles the task of harnessing grunt with utter ease and smoothness.

The XFR has a conservative appearance. Its alloy wheels are 20-inches, and the only reference to being supercharged is subtly written on the rims and hood grilles. The XFR has unique interior and exterior design features, including revised bumpers and lowered front air intakes, sill extensions, hood louvers, four exhaust pipes, and a decklid spoiler. It is the first XF to bear the ‘R’ badge, Jaguar’s symbol of a high-performance model.

While the XFR lived up to high expectations, the surprise package in this latest XF range is the 3.0-litre turbodiesel. It is simply impressive for its lack of diesel noise, economy, emissions and outright performance. With an economy of 6.8 litres/100 km, this super quiet oil burner will take you from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.4 seconds.

To put that in perspective, the naturally aspirated XF 5.0 V8 will go from 0 to 100 in 5.7 seconds and the 3.0 diesel will be breathing down your neck the entire time. Jaguar has removed the twin-turbo setup from the 2.7-litre and replaced it with primary and secondary turbochargers that work in parallel with the aim of eliminating turbo lag. The diesel has 202 kW of power, but the important figure is the torque: 600 Nm on barrel from just 2000 rpm. At 1,500rpm, the 3.0-litre diesel has 61% more torque than the 2.7-litre, which means the car rockets away. It cuts the 2.7-litre’s 0-100 km/h time by 1.8 seconds or more than 20 percent.

The current XF model has already made an impact on Jaguar. In Australia, 511 XFs were sold, upending Jaguar sales by 27 per cent in 2008. More significantly, the average age of Jaguar buyers plummeted from 55 to 49 years since the XF was launched, with the average age of XF buyers aged 44, with 50 per cent of buyers new to the Jaguar brand. In effect, this means that Jaguar is shedding the label of being an ‘old’ car.

FIRST TRACKS OF DRIVING

In this update, Jaguar has concentrated on improvements to the transmission and suspension, and that stands out dramatically. In our road test, we drove the XFR for more than 220 miles across a variety of roads. We covered 140 kilometers in the diesel, which is identified with a simple ‘S’.

They are different cars for different buyer profiles, but they have common attributes: excellent handling, effortless performance and the luxury expected of a Jaguar. The most visible part of any car is the boot, and Jaguar has placed a chrome Jaguar Jumper in the center of the boot. The grille and center of the steering wheel feature the ‘roarer’, Jaguar’s roaring emblem, leaving no doubt as to which brand you drive.

The XFR is shining in its performance, but this comes at a small cost for comfort. The ride is slightly firm, but luxuriously comfortable, even through rough country roads. The ‘S’ has an even smoother ride. Performance cars can be a pain in the urban jungle. The XFR Jaguar is at home both on the open road and in the suburbs with the driveline smooth and satisfied with driving in rush hour traffic while eating up the motorways.