Jaguar XF recharged

Feast your eyes on the new Jaguar XF-R. Special, isn't it? This is Jaguar's signal of intent to the Germans, whose dominance in the field of very fast executive saloons has gone largely unchallenged for eons.

Most of the base car has been tinkered with, but the engine provides the real highlight. It's an all-new aluminium 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8 and it replaces the current 4.2-litre V8 currently powering the XF SV8 and the XK coupé - an engine now in its 12th year with 600,000 units sold.

The completely new engine pulls off that very modern - yet always impressive - feat of being both faster and more efficient. So, while power goes up to 503bhp (from 416bhp) and torque to 461lb.ft (from 413lb.ft), fuel economy improves very slightly to 22.5mpg and CO₂ drops to 292g/km.

More important is that Jaguar has made sure that maximum torque comes as early as possible - so it can all be found at just 2,500rpm. As such, mash the throttle and pick-up will be razor sharp. The 0-60mph sprint is done with in just 4.7 seconds, and perhaps even more impressively, 50-70mph comes in under two.

At the same time, Jaguar will ditch the 2.7-litre V6 diesel unit in favour of a pair of brand new twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6s, with power outputs of 237bhp and 271bhp. Both are capable of 42mpg and CO₂ emissions of just 179g/km (better than the 2.7-litre) and the former will hit 60mph in 6.7 seconds. The higher powered version, however, is a proper high-performance oil burner. Set to be badged 'XF-S', the 271bhp diesel saloon gets to 60mph from standstill in just 5.9 seconds.

Another engine, a 380bhp non-supercharged version of the XF-R's 5.0-litre petrol unit, will also find its way under the XF's bonnet. And accompanying the new engine line-up is a somewhat premature facelift - though it's fairly subtle - extending to new wing mirrors with integrated indicators and a new range of interior trims.

The XF-R, however, has undergone a complete mechanical overhaul to go with the aggressive exterior body kit - with stiffened suspension and a sharper steering rack making the XF feel fundamentally sportier.

The JaguarDrive transmission selector houses a three-way adaptive chassis switch, allowing the setting to be selected between Normal, Winter and Dynamic modes. Normal is biased towards comfort, with the electronic damping making sure the road's undulations are smoothed over as a Jaguar should. Dynamic mode, however, utilises the new electronic differential to allow huge controlled rear wheel power slides! The traction control can be fully turned off too, for a more rewarding, controllable driving experience, combined with damping that constantly monitors throttle and steering inputs to make sure the big cat stays level through the corners. It also delivers the engine's torque more aggressively, making this possibly the sharpest Jaguar ever.

But, as ever, we'll let you know for sure once we get behind the wheel.

Mark Nichol