Skip advert
Advertisement

New Jaguar XE SV Project 8 review

The 592bhp XE SV Project 8 is the fastest Jaguar ever, but is it a winner? We find out...

Overall Auto Express rating

4.5

How we review cars
Find your Jaguar XE
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

Jaguar’s SVO engineers have produced a really fast and fun track car that also works very well on the road. Yes it’s pricey, but the Project 8’s performance and attention to detail justify the outlay. The only disappointments are that Jag is building just 300 left-hand-drive examples, and that it doesn’t plan to use the lessons learned to produce a more affordable performance model for the regular XE line-up.

Advertisement - Article continues below

We’ve seen the spy shots, drooled over the static motor show stand star and even been for a ride in the passenger seat, but now we’re finally getting to drive Jaguar’s stunning XE SV Project 8.

Billed as the fastest road car the brand has ever built, the newcomer has already claimed the lap record for a production saloon car at the tortuous Nürburgring in Germany and aims to be the most thrilling four-door machine that money can buy.

Best performance cars on sale

Plenty of column inches have already been lavished on the Project 8, but given how special the car is, it’s worth revisiting some of the highlights. For starters, while the wild bodywork bears a passing resemblance to that of a regular XE, only the aluminium roof panel and door skins are carried over unchanged. For the wider wheelarches, deeper front and rear bumpers and bonnet, lightweight carbon fibre is used.

Under the dramatic exterior is a chassis that’s been extensively modified. For instance, the front and rear tracks have been extended by 24mm and 73mm respectively, while the double-wishbone suspension gets stiffer bushes and motorsport-inspired rose joints for even greater precision and control. On top of this are retuned anti-roll bars and recalibrated adaptive dampers and electric power steering.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Qashqai

2022 Nissan

Qashqai

18,211 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L

Cash £18,156
View Qashqai
2008

2019 Peugeot

2008

12,914 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £10,805
View 2008
C3

2019 Citroen

C3

13,207 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £10,434
View C3
Puma

2023 Ford

Puma

18,433 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £16,140
View Puma

Yet it’s what’s lurking under the lightweight bonnet that really grabs your attention, because it’s here you’ll find the supercharged 5.0-litre V8. Based on the same unit used in the F-Type SVR, it has a revised induction system and a titanium exhaust that help liberate 592bhp and a rippling 700Nm of torque. Helping put all this power to the road is a clever rear-biased four-wheel-drive system (a maximum of 50 per cent of the engine’s power can go to the front axle in Normal mode, but in more sporty settings it’s as much as 100 per cent to the rear), which is driven through an eight-speed auto box that’s been tweaked to deliver faster shifts.

Compared with the outside, the cabin of the Project 8 feels rather restrained. Well, up to a point. Up front, there’s the standard XE dashboard, complete with touchscreen infotainment, plus a pair of high-backed, figure-hugging seats.

However, things get more radical in the rear, where the bench seat is replaced by two individual chairs – unless you go for the Track Pack, which replaces the seats with a rollcage and strengthening panel.

Thumb the starter button and that V8 bellows into life before settling to a purposefully burbling idle. Pull the stubby gear selector into Drive before squeezing the throttle and the big cat leaps into life. As you’d expect, acceleration is eye-widening, the Jag lunging relentlessly towards the horizon with every prod of the accelerator pedal.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

There are seemingly endless reserves of power, and as the needle on the rev counter swings around to the red line it’s easy to believe the claimed 0-60mph time of 3.3 seconds – if anything, the Project 8 feels quicker still. Just as impressive is the ear-splitting noise that accompanies it; the bellowing, crackling exhaust note is pure NASCAR. It’s not subtle, but then you don’t buy a car like this to blend into the background.

Guide the Project 8 through a series of bends and it’s clear the chassis is well up to the task of handling that volcanic engine, even when considering the combination of track-biased Michelin Cup 2 tyres and a damp test route.

Best track day cars

Eco driving mode has been deleted, leaving Normal, Dynamic and the newly added Track. In the former the steering is direct and meaty, allowing you to place the car with confidence despite its width. There’s plenty of front-end grip, too, while the four-wheel-drive traction helps fire you down the next straight with breathtaking violence.

The damping is taut as well, but with enough suppleness to cope with some viciously torn tarmac. Switch to Dynamic and you get a sharper throttle and recalibrated transmission and electronic limited-slip differential, allowing you to tweak your line through a bend using a combination of throttle and steering.

As you’d expect, the Project 8 feels right at home on a track, despite a hefty kerbweight of 1,745kg in its lightest Track Pack guise. Within the safe confines of a circuit you can exploit the balanced and approachable driving dynamics, and even switching off the electronic stability control fails to upset this XE’s poise – you can push the car into tail slides, but it’s at its best when being driven with neatness and precision.

It’s also on the track that you can really experience the potent, fade-free stopping power of the carbon-ceramic brakes standard on the Project 8.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £14,995Avg. savings £3,297 off RRP*
Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

RRP £28,065Avg. savings £3,053 off RRP*Used from £15,000
Toyota Yaris Cross

Toyota Yaris Cross

RRP £26,495Avg. savings £2,306 off RRP*Used from £15,644
Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,924 off RRP*Used from £11,595
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Stop settling for boring SUVs and get a used executive express for less
Used executive cars - opinion

Stop settling for boring SUVs and get a used executive express for less

Content editor George Armitage thinks buying a used executive car is better value than buying a brand-new SUV for family car duties
Opinion
25 Aug 2025
Car Deal of the Day: Jaecoo 7 offers Range Rover looks at a bargain price
Jaecoo 7 - front cornering

Car Deal of the Day: Jaecoo 7 offers Range Rover looks at a bargain price

Jaecoo is one of a flurry of Chinese brands wooing British buyers. Its 7 small SUV is our Deal of the Day for August 25
News
25 Aug 2025
Car Deal of the Day: Sporty Cupra Leon will set pulses racing at only £211 per month
Cupra Leon cornering

Car Deal of the Day: Sporty Cupra Leon will set pulses racing at only £211 per month

Our Deal of the Day for 24 August is a very affordable offer on Cupra’s fun-to-drive hatchback
News
24 Aug 2025