This is Jaguar’s fastest ever saloon car: the new XFR-S, a more powerful, more hardcore version of the firm’s Jaguar XFR. It has been revealed to European buyers at the Geneva motor show.
The new super-saloon gets the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 from the XKR-S, which gives it 39bhp and 41lb ft more than the XFR. Although the XFR-S is the quickest saloon that Jaguar has built, the official performance figures indicate that it isn’t quite as rapid as the more expensive XKR-S.
The saloon reaches 62mph in 4.6sec, whereas the coupé gets there in 4.4sec. However, it’s likely that the car will, in real-world conditions, accelerate faster and produce a 0-62mph time approaching that of the coupé.
In addition, the car’s 0-100mph time is likely to be “below 9sec”, according to Jaguar’s chief vehicle engineer, Mike Cross. That would put it very close to the XKR-S’s time of 8.6sec. Top speed is limited to 186mph.
Much of the work carried out in creating the XFR-S has its roots in the development of the F-type. “There’s more F-type learning than there is XKR-S,” said Cross.
So the car has the F-type’s Quickshift transmission, in place of the standard six-speed automatic. Quickshift was first unveiled in the new F-type and gives the XFR-S an eight-speed gearbox.
Jaguar claims that Quickshift allows faster gearshifts than the standard automatic and enables the car to provide smooth changes in traffic and rapid shifting under harder driving. It features what Jaguar calls Corner Recognition, by which it can detect when the car enters a bend and hold the right gear for leaving the corner. Fitting Quickshift also means that Jaguar has been able to equip the XFR-S with stop-start.
Jaguar’s engineers have uprated the XFR’s suspension to improve the car’s handling. The suspension is 30 per cent stiffer than the XFR’s, and spring rates have been increased by the same amount. XKR-S suspension components have been used at the front, along with new wheel bearings. The rear has a completely new subframe.
As with the XKR-S, the electronic control systems from the R model have been uprated. The Adaptive Dynamics programme (using continuously variable dampers to control body movements) has been altered so that damper rates are much firmer in Dynamic mode.
In addition, the throttle responses have been changed, the electronic rear diff is reworked to allow for the increased torque output, and the traction control now allows the driver to push the car further before it intervenes, or it can be turned off altogether.
The bespoke 20-inch wheels (available in gloss black) are 25mm wider than an XFR’s at the rear and 12.5mm at the front. Tyres are, again, unique to the S, with 265/35s at the front and 295/30s at the rear.
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It's downright irresponsible
It's downright irresponsible of Autocar to accept Tata's money for advertisements like this. The XF has a terrible safety record. In 2012, to not get a 5 star NCAP rating, the car needs to be a death trap. People are dying unnecessarily because of these biased reviews encouraging them to buy JLR cars.
Advertisements? It's a report
Advertisements? It's a report by a British magazine on a new British-designed, British-developed and British-built car that has just been unveiled at the LA show.
I will concede that the 4 star NCAP rating is somewhat uncompetitive compared to the competition, but the term "death trap" makes you sound like a drama queen. You then say that people are "dying unnecessarily" in these cars - do you have hard facts and statistics on this matter? Again, a touch over-dramatic.
Customers who are in the market for a vehicle of this type have the ability to look at the ratings and crash reports on the NCAP website before they purchase and then take that into consideration when making their selection.
bangertastic
Sorry mate, looks like you spotted him first, I guess the £5 should go to you.
GermanPower wrote: It's
Spotted the troll. Must be my turn to win the £5.
sprouting rubbish
How has the Jag XF or any model for that matter, have a 'terrible safety record' You state these as absolute facts and yet fail to list down where these 'facts' came from. You then go on the say that these cars are death traps. Your verbal diatribe is both embarrassing and incorrect. So people are dying because of this are they? Not for quesionable driving skills, terrible road conditions, car failure, etc. Yes the four star rating is not fantastic and this will be addressed sooner rather than later. But to say people are dying unnecessarily because of the XF is a little pathetic
I'll take mine in Italian racing red
All it needs now is a more extreme track focused version and it will be awesome. Not that it isn't awesome already.
people moaning about the
people moaning about the spolier you can get a smaller one but that 0-60 time is only 4.6secs and the xfr does 0-60 in 4.7 in top spec