The rear-wheel-drive XF is already extremely stiff torsionally and uses aluminium in numerous areas to keep its kerb weight (officially 1891kg) in line with the sector average for big four-seat saloons.
It also looks modern, compact and muscular, its basic architecture lending itself extremely well to the visual upgrades required to distinguish the XFR
The entire nose section has been redesigned to allow more air to flow into and out of the engine bay. Hence there are two small slats in the bonnet and two big chrome-edged cooling ducts beneath the headlights, plus a more dominant radiator grille in the centre.
The engine is a new 5000cc supercharged V8, and it produces an effortless-feeling 503bhp at 6000rpm and 461lb ft at 2500rpm.
Mated to this is an uprated version of the ZF six-speed automatic transmission from the regular XF, and as before it comes with paddle-shifters behind the steering wheel. Jaguar has completely reworked the software, however, to allow varying degrees of sporting intent, including a mode that will not allow the gearbox to shift up, even if you hit the rev limiter.
As before, there is a Dynamic mode and DSC, but if you hold the button down for a rather lengthy 15 seconds the whole lot can be disengaged, at which point you’ll also become aware that the new E-diff can be locked up by 90 per cent, although in normal driving you’re more likely to appreciate the extra traction it generates on all surfaces, rather than how sideways the XFR can go if you want it to.
The springs and dampers are about 30 per cent stiffer all round, but the dampers themselves are extremely sophisticated and are continuously variable in their operation. In theory they should allow the XFR to ride pretty much perfectly in all conditions and on all surfaces, although they are still reactive in nature (in other words, not active).
