Jaguar XF

The most important Big Cat ever has finally leapt into view. After months of spy shots and a sensational concept model, the eagerly anticipated replacement for the Jaguar S-Type has finally broken cover – and Auto Express has the full story.

We have had exclusive access to the new XF throughout its development, and even helped remove the disguise from an early production car in this week’s Inside Story. As well as getting our hands on the Jag you see here, we’ve uncovered dramatic plans, with news of estate and convertible variants, as well as a high-performance R version.

The XF is a sporting saloon on which Jaguar is pinning all its hopes. Tasked with leaving the past behind, it marks the beginning of a new era for the troubled British firm.

Making its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in two weeks, it will go head-to-head with the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class. The order books are open now, with the first examples due to reach customers in March.

The XF is packed full of innovation, including touchscreens, a glove­box which opens at the wave of a hand and a new hidden gear selector. But it’s perhaps the looks that are its most striking aspect.

When we gave you the first glimpse of the C-XF concept, many thought Jaguar’s design director Ian Callum could never bring such a shape to production unchanged. As you can see here, he’s been able to do exactly that.

The front end – which debuts the styling direction for a whole new range of Jaguars – is dominated by the same recessed mesh grille with a Jaguar badge in the centre. And the bumper gets a low splitter with chrome blades at its corners.

Wraparound headlights feature twin circular elements reminiscent of Jaguar’s trademark quad lamps. On the bonnet is a pronounced ‘power bulge’, and sharp lines run from the new grille to the A-pillars. Key to the car’s sportiness is a rising waistline. Combined with the steeply sloping back screen and wide rear track, this helps give the XF the look of a four-door coupé, similar to the Merc­edes CLS. At the back, there are bright LED tail-lights and the Jaguar name in chrome across the bootlid.

The styling isn’t only distinctive – it’s aerodynamically efficient, too. Together with a lightweight compo­site air-channelling undertray, the XF returns an excellent drag coefficient of 0.29 – a figure which even betters that of the XJ220 supercar.

Inside, it’s just as clever. The dash has a clean design, with a simple twin-dial instrument binnacle, a centre console with touchscreen and a neat blend of soft-touch materials, traditional wood and aluminium finishes.

The XF has plenty of party pieces. Keyless start is standard, and as soon as the driver gets in, the ignition but­ton pulses red like a heartbeat. At the same time, the air vents open from their flush, closed position.

Gear selection is by means of a cylinder which rises up to meet the driver’s hand. Simply rotating it selects a mode – you can leave the system in automatic ‘D’, or take full control via steering wheel-mounted paddles. What’s more, proximity sensors trigger the glovebox to open or the interior lights to dim with just the wave of a hand, while there’s classy phosphor blue cabin illumination. So it’s clear Jaguar has pulled out all the stops.

Three trim levels will be available – Luxury, Premium Luxury and SV8 for the flagship supercharged V8 car. All XFs will have a generous level of equipment, with items such as electric seats fitted as standard.

Satellite navigation, MP3 player connectivity, and three different sound systems – including a range-topping Bowers & Wilkins set-up – feature on the extensive options list, as do adap­tive cruise control and voice control. A rear parking camera and blind spot warning system can also be specified.

Thanks to the increased rear track and improved headroom, Jaguar pro­mises more space in the back than in the S-Type, and with a 540-litre boot – or 960 litres with the rear seats down – it should be practical, too.

For real load space, though, buyers will probably go for the Touring est­ate. It’s one of three further XF models Jaguar has on its wishlist. A two-door drop-top is also being considered, as well as a BMW M5-rivalling R-badged super-saloon, powered by a 500bhp 5.0-litre supercharged V8.

While that engine is all-new, and won’t debut for another year or so, buyers will get four power options at launch. Alongside the 207bhp 2.7-litre twin-turbo diesel and 238bhp 3.0 V6 petrol, taken from the S-Type, there is a 298bhp 4.2 V8, plus a 416bhp supercharged version for the SV8.

All engines are hooked up to Jag’s excellent six-speed automatic transmission. This means performance is impressive; even the entry-level V6 petrol covers 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds. The SV8 completes the sprint in 5.1 seconds, and can reach 155mph.

But with only the 2.7 diesel dipping below 225g/km of CO2 (it emits 199g/km and returns an excellent 37.6mpg), all petrol XFs will sit in the top road tax band. That means tax of £400 a year in 2008/09 and possibly £25 a day to enter central London under new congestion charge plans.

As ever, Jaguar is using a front-engined rear-wheel-drive layout, and the XF shares much of its platform architecture with the current S-Type. However, engineers employed the latest steels for the body panels and alu­minium for suspension components.

At the front are unequal length wishbones – chosen to improve the ride of the car – while at the rear the XF gets a multi-link layout, ensuring impressive agility and grip. Both are mounted on subframes and, together with class-leading torsional stiffness, promise a sporty blend of ride and handling in Jaguar’s fine tradition.

The SV8 features the same CATS adaptive damping system as the XK Coupé. There are also 20-inch alloys and traction control that can be com­pletely switched off, letting keen drivers explore the limits of the model. Other variants use a two-stage system, which allows some wheelspin before electronic intervention. All XFs have understeer-reducing technology, too.

Jaguar will release full pricing details next month, but the entry-level 3.0 V6 Luxury model should start at around £30,000, with the top-of-the-range SV8 costing £45,000.