The Jaguar XF-R has doffed a little more of its mask, and now we can clearly see the copious amounts of black mesh that will fill in the front air dam's side vents, replacing the aluminum strips there now. Otherwise, and as usual, you'll need to know your Jags in order to tell this R apart from its lesser siblings. In addition to the mesh the mesh, the hood vents, rear deck spoiler, and quad pipes are the giveaways. Otherwise, the car will get 20-inch wheels of a different design than the ones found on the XF Supercharged. And speaking of that other blown cat, the supercharged 5.0-liter lump that will power the XF-R will be up 80 hp up on the "regular" blown XF; in addition to a faster 0-to-60 time, we imagine there'll be increased sound and the fury to go along with it.
Over in Europe, the Jaguar XF has been available with diesel power since its debut last year. However, as well regarded as the old 2.7-liter V6 oil burner was, its 207 horsepower couldn't run with the big dog twin-turbo 286 hp diesel six from BMW. So for the 2010 model year, Jaguar has developed a new dual turbo 3.0-liter that's available in 240 hp or 275 hp S trim. While 275 ponies might not seem all that special these days, the engine's 443 lb-ft of torque from as little as 1,600 rpm has what it takes to push the XF Diesel S to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds en route to a top speed of 155 miles-per-hour. That's 0.3 seconds quicker than the normally aspirated 4.2-liter gasoline V8 that serves as the base powerplant here in the US. Even more impressive is that the diesel offers this performance while achieving a combined fuel economy rating of 35 miles-per-gallon U.S. - a 12 percent improvement on the old 2.7. All of this is achieved through a 29,000 psi common-rail fuel system and a particulate filter. The forced-induction setup is particularly interesting: Most dual turbo configurations use a small responsive unit at low revs and a bigger unit at higher speeds. In this case, however, Jag's new XF uses a larger variable nozzle turbo at low speeds to reduce pumping losses and fuel consumption.
It seems like it was just yesterday when Tata agreed to take Jaguar and Land Rover off of Ford Motor's hands for $2.3 billion. But it probably feels like forever for Tata, as a global automotive crisis followed almost immediately after the purchase. The Indian automaker has already pumped hundreds of millions of pounds of working capital into the struggling brands and now Tata is adding "tens of millions" more to stave off an immediate cash crisis. The cash infusion came after the British government also promised tens of millions of pounds to Jaguar and Land Rover, which employs thousands of British workers. "Tens of millions" doesn't exactly sound like a lot of money in the wake of $17.4 billion dollars in loans given to GM and Chrysler, but Jaguar and Land Rover operate on far smaller scales than its American counterparts. Jaguar and Land Rover has seemingly struggled forever, but after sampling the excellent XF sedan, we're happy the British automakers are worth saving.
The Jaguar XF has earned its status as a true Jaguar now that it's been recalled... twice. In bang-up British car fashion, at least one of the problems is electrical. The XF's instrument panel is supposed to offer audible feedback for a variety of functions like turn signals, safety belt warnings and basically anything that dings. Wires that power the instrument cluster's integral speaker can fracture, rendering the panel mute. The fix is apparently little more than a reconfiguration of some software – we wonder if the panel's software will pipe its audio to the stereo instead – that strikes us as one of the slick things you might be able to pull off with CAN. The other XF recall involves a rear seat belt that could have been improperly installed. The outboard rear seat belts may have an improperly installed D-Ring that could fail to rotate properly, which would hinder occupant protection in the event of a crash. The fix for the rear belts is to inspect and correct the problem. Welcome to the family, XF!
Jaguar is making some quality vehicles right now, as evidenced by the very competent XK coupe and XF sedan. However, the XF and XK have a long way to go before they can stand up to the most famous leaping cat of all: the Series 3 E-Type. The legendary roadster lived on for 13 years, with 72,529 samples sold during that time. With a little help from a treasure-trove of brand new E-Type parts, Jaguar Enthusiasts Club member Ray Parrott made it 72,530.
When Jaguar completed the E-Type's production run, the company shipped off all of the roadster's leftover parts to one E-Type fan. The owner held possession of the cache since 1974, but old age forced him to sell off the NOS parts. A friend of Parrott's purchased the parts then sold them to him. What was included? An unused V12 engine, gear box, instrument panel, body, and upholstery. In all, 95% of the parts needed to make E-Type 72,530, including original Dunlop tires. So Parrott did what any engineering whiz with a love for E-Types: he found the other 5% of parts and built the 34 year old, all new roadster. The completed E-Type is a black V12 roadster with a tan interior. Parrott is awaiting registration of his new baby, and he even built a new high-end garage next to his home to house his five E-Types. We're guessing Ray's new E-Type is worth a pretty penny.
There's a new Jaguar XJ coming at some point, but there's not much wrong with the current top cat. The XF likely signals a shift out of the generations-long styling rut the brand has been in with its revered sedan, but it's hard to find fault with an all-aluminum sedan sporting V8 power and serving up old-world cachet. To sweeten the deal, Jaguar has added more standard content to the 2009 XJ, though we still don't get the 2.7-liter diesel that other markets get to enjoy. Settling for the AJ V8 is no chore, and the XJ Super gets the supercharged 4.2-liter engine we know and love from the XJR and others.
Newly designed seats improve leg- and footroom for rear seat passengers, and seat heaters are standard in all models. Soverigns get cooling functionality added to the chairs, as well as 20" wheels, soft grain leather, Jaguar branded sills and the traditional wool rugs in the rear. Navigation is standard in Executive and Soverign trim levels, along with parking radar, and bi-xenon lighting. If these are the last XJs before the model is redone with an all-new look, they may be very well equipped final examples of a classic sedan idiom.
The Jaguar XF-R is almost complete, and the house of the saltant feline looks to retain its suite of exceptionally modest modifications for the hottest version of its hottest seller. Outside, the car gets hood vents and larger intakes for better breathing, and a sliver of a trunk spoiler hovering over quad tailpipes out back. Larger wheels wearing lower profile rubber hanging off of a seriously firm suspension will be on the menu, all the better to harness the signature trait of an R car: the 500-horsepower supercharged V8 up front. We'll see it some time next year, our bet is at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The reports are true: a 3.0-liter diesel Jaguar XK is on the way. The new XK, long due for a serious refresh, will show up in 2009 with the minor addition of the JaguarDrive selector a la XF and the major addition of a diesel engine to boost fuel economy and sales, along with two new V8s.
Since Jaguar's 2.7-liter V6, which puts out 204 hp and 320 lb-ft., is only getting bored out to 3.0 liters it probably won't match the numbers put up by BMW's 3.5-liter, at 286 hp and 427 lb-ft. But the larger lump should goose the horsepower number and seriously increase torque (we hope) at least to the level of Audi's 3.0-liter V6 diesel, which turns out 240 hp and 369 lb-ft.
If diesel economy and pump prices still don't register with you, there will still be two gas options to fuel the fires. The 4.2-liter V8 goes away to make room for the new 5.0-liter with 400 hp, and if you want whipped cream and cherries on top, hit Jaguar up for the supercharged XK-R with 500 hp.
Hello Kitty, we've been expecting you. According to Auto Express, what you see here is slated to hit showrooms in 2010 and will go up against such luxury and performance stalwarts as the Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe, BMW's 3 Series Coupe and the Audi A5. It's definitely got the looks to compete on equal footing, with the trendy high belt-line and minimal glass surface area. Where the XF sedan features slinky lines, this XF bulges in an exaggerated show of power, making the new Coupe a much more aggressive design overall.
Jaguar's latest leaper is also expected to showcase the automaker's newest V8 engine, now displacing 5.0L and generating 500 supercharged horses. This engine will also make an appearance in the XFR and allow Jaguar to offer a British alternative to the BMW M cars, MB AMGs and Audi Rs, not to mention the latest Cadillac CTS V-Series, which is soon to lose two of its doors, as well. We don't know when and where this car will debut, but UK pricing is expected to be about £35,000 (about $53K in US dollars).
Jaguar and Land Rover are having a Hell of a time trying to sell luxury vehicles in this armpit of a global economy, and parent company Tata Motors is looking for a big-time loan to keep the British Marquees afloat. In all, Tata is seeking £1 billion from the British government to to help pay the bills. That's a fairly large sum considering that it represents £67,000 to each of the British marquees 15,000 workers in the UK. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is said to be close to a decision regarding the loan, though it's likely the money would come with a stipulation that protects workers in the UK.
We'd say that sales at Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles are in really bad shape, but the truth is that we don't even know how bad things have gotten. Tata has decided to stop providing US sales data for its struggling luxury brands.
