As we revealed when the concept car was shown, Jaguar has at last gone down a new road – finding a sporty style that makes the new Jaguar XF SV8 sedan look like a sporty coupe.
Not only is the exterior new, but the inside is too – with novel features like a gear mode selector button which is flush fitting until you start the engine. Also, Jaguar has taken stability control a stage further, adding an understeer control feature – sounds like the car is set up to understeer a bit much, though.
New style, new suspension
Under the skin, there is new suspension, but the well-tried V-6 and V-8 engines coupled to the ZF six-speed automatic gearbox give a similar performance to the S-Type. The disappointment is that Jaguar's bosses in Detroit would not allow the car to be based on the all-aluminum structures used on other models, so it is heavy.
Therefore, the XF SV8 does not accelerate quite as fast as the much larger XJR, and both fuel economy and CO2 emissions are slightly worse, which is out of step with current trends.
Super styling with wedge coupe line
Without doubt, though, the Jaguar XF looks great, with that new bold grille with extra air intakes below and modern looking headlamps which manage to reflect the look of older Jaguars. The side air intakes act as splitters, improving aerodynamics.
The upward wedge line – just a tad reminiscent of the Lexus IS – works well, as does the coupe-like fastback, cunningly shaped to conceal the adequate space in the rear of the car. An advantage of the high tail is that the trunk is larger, but rear vision is not likely to be brilliant.
Vertical slots behind the front wheels hint at the power within. The rear end is smart, too, like a taller Aston Martin. But the alloy wheels with wide spokes are rather non-descript – they could be off anything.
Jaguar says that there is more space in the Jaguar XF than inside the Audi A6, BMW 5 series, Lexus GS300 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Low drag
Jaguar claims that the XF is completely balanced aerodynamically, with zero front and rear lift at speed. Also, the XF is slippery – it has a good drag coefficient of only 0.29.
New ideas inside
So is the XF all about style? No, there are some new ideas inside, intent on making the driver realise that Jaguar is ahead of the competition. It all starts when you get into the car.
When you press the start button on the center console, the rotary knob for the gear mode pops up. To select what you want, you turn it through P, R, N, D and Sport. Behind the knob are buttons to disable the stability control which has two different levels of control. Shifting is by paddles, there being no gear lever of course.
To leave more room, the seats are smaller than before – about time too, seats on most cars these fill every last inch of the width of the car. The instrument panel and fascia are very simple, with the air outlets for the air conditioner being closed when the ignition is switched off. They open then the ignition is switched on. There is a touch screen in the middle of the fascia to control the audio and other systems – included are Sirius Satellite Radio in the USA, and DAB digital radio in the UK.
Jaguar's most powerful V-8
The XF SV8 gets the most powerful of Jaguar's V-8s – the supercharged unit from the XKR which develops 420 bhp at 6,250 rpm, with 408 lb ft (560 Nm) torque at 3,500 rpm. This engine is sufficient to get the XF to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds – the larger XJR needs 0.1 second less – and to cover the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds. Quick for a car of this type, but not breaking into the sub-5.0 second bracket. Even so, with the paddle-controlled box, you will be able to get very fast acceleration at most speeds – for example 50-70 mph in 2.4 seconds, ideal for overtaking.
Since the body is all-steel it is very rigid and fairly light, with some panels made from exotic stuff like dual-phase hot-formed boron steel, and extra-strong dual-phase DP600 steel, which is used for the sills.
Jaguars offer a fine combination of suppleness and handling, and we expect the XF to continue that pattern, although it is quite a tall car – it is the same height as the XJR, and a shade taller than the S-Type R. Double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension provide better geometry than struts, so handling and ride should be good.
Electronic damping – but does it work?
The XF SV8 gets the latest version of Jaguar's electronic damping, which has two stages, whose characteristics are adjusted to suit driving conditions every few seconds. On the S-Type R this system could not cope well with switchback roads, and hopefully this system will work better.
To give good response at high speeds, the steering has variable assistance, and you get two-stage stability control, Understeer Control Logic, traction control, ABS and the other usual braking aids. JaguarDriveControl changes the settings for engine mapping, transmission shifts and brake intervention to suit the driving conditions.
Clearly, a lot of effort has gone to make the Jaguar XF SV8 a cut above the rest, and to make the whole driving experience more enjoyable – even when in traffic jams. The pleasure will rely a lot on electronics, and moves the car well away from the raw, undiluted sports cars that many supercar drivers want.
Despite the progress, it is a pity that Jaguar was unable to produce a lighter car weighing around 3,600 lb (1,635 kg) which would accelerate faster, use less fuel and so be more environmentally friendly.
