The all-new Jaguar XF brings an unrivalled blend of design, luxury, technology and efficiency to lead the business, car segment, underpinned by class-leading driving dynamics and refinement.
The dynamic, coupé-like design is formed around Jaguar’s aluminium-intensive architecture and combines the outstanding proportions, elegant surfaces and perfect lines which define all Jaguar cars, with a longer wheelbase, more interior space and exceptionally low aerodynamic drag.
The cabin is a seamless blend of contemporary luxury materials and finishes, traditional Jaguar craftsmanship and state-of-the art technology, with features such as a reconfigurable 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster, laser head-up display and the InControl Touch Pro premium infotainment system – the all-new XF is the most connected Jaguar ever.
The 2007 XF was a radical step forward for Jaguar – and for the business car segment. Combining a sleek, coupé-like exterior and a luxurious interior, it set the class benchmark for aesthetics and driving dynamics.
Features such as the rotary shift controller, rotating air vents and phosphor blue ambient lighting set the cabin apart from the competition and made the XF a highly desirable, aspirational vehicle. It was like nothing Jaguar had ever made before, and like nothing the competition could offer. The XF went on to become the most-awarded Jaguar ever. The all-new XF retains its predecessor’s core attributes, but uses Jaguar’s aluminium-intensive architecture to enable weight savings of up to 190kg – making the 163PS diesel model 80kg lighter than the nearest competitor – plus an increase in torsional stiffness of up to 28 per cent. The architecture also delivers dramatic improvements in packaging and the proportions so essential to Jaguar design.
The all-new XF is 4,954mm long: at 2,960 the wheelbase is 51mm longer than before, the front overhang 66mm shorter. Though 7mm shorter and 3mm lower than the original XF, rear seat space is class-leading thanks to 15mm more legroom, 24mm more kneeroom and up to 27mm more headroom than before. Aerodynamics are also superior: the drag coefficient drops from 0.29 to just 0.26.
The light, stiff body is also fundamental to the all-new XF’s superb vehicle dynamics. Double wishbone front suspension and Integral Link rear suspension – combined with near-50:50 weight distribution – deliver the ideal balance between ride and handling.
Adopting Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) maintains Jaguar’s leadership in steering feel but also reduces fuel consumption by up to two per cent and three per cent for diesel and petrol models respectively. EPAS also enables functions such as camber compensation and advanced driver assistance systems including lane-keep assist, driver condition monitoring and bay- and parallel park-assist.
Advanced passive damper technology delivers exceptional ride quality as standard through an extra valve which reduces damping forces at low speeds. For even better control the Adaptive Dynamics system monitors body movement 100 times a second and wheel movement 500 times a second to determine the optimum damper settings for the driving conditions.
Jaguar Configurable Dynamics technology, optional on all V6 models, provides the ultimate in control and enables the driver to individually tailor settings of the dampers, steering, engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.
All-wheel drive (AWD) was engineered into the vehicle from day one. The torque on-demand system is new, and the transfer case features a lighter, quieter, more efficient chain drive.
Capability is also enhanced by the advanced control system first used in F-TYPE AWD: Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD). This delivers rear-drive handling with the performance and traction benefits of AWD.
A first for XF AWD is the addition of the Adaptive Surface Response (AdSR) mode to Jaguar Drive Control. Leveraging Jaguar Land Rover’s unrivalled expertise, AdSR identifies the type of surface, such as snow or gravel, and adapts the mapping of the engine, transmission, steering and Dynamic Stability Control to make the vehicle even more composed in low-grip conditions.
Ability is unrivalled in rear-wheel drive form too. All-Surface Progress Control, developed for low-speed driving in adverse conditions, automatically manages the brakes and the throttle to deliver the best possible traction, enabling the car to pull away smoothly and without drama: the driver only has to steer. ASPC operates between 3.6km/h and 30km/h, and the desired speed is set by the driver using the cruise control switches.
Infotainment and connectivity is the most advanced Jaguar has ever offered. The all-new InControl Touch Pro system builds on the intuitive user interface of InControl Touch, and supports all the same features – including InControl Apps, InControl Remote and Wi-Fi hotspot – but offers a 10.2-inch touchscreen and Dual View technology which simultaneously allows the driver to see information such as navigation, while the front seat passenger watches TV or a DVD.
To enrich the experience there’s also natural voice control, supporting commands such as ‘more like this’ for track selection, and 10GB of the 60GB solid-state drive is dedicated to media storage, enabling Gracenote album art to be displayed. Audio systems include the exceptional 17-speaker, 825W Meridian digital surround sound system.
To handle the enormous amounts of data, InControl Touch Pro features a high-performance quad-core processor and runs on state-of-the-art, ultra-fast Ethernet, a network technology which offers exceptional data transfer rates of up to 1Gbit/second. Combined, they deliver incredible graphics, fast response times and help to future-proof the system for significant upgrades in functionality over time.
To minimise driver distraction the all-new XF offers a colour laser head-up display. Compared to competitor systems, this technology is smaller, lighter, and generates high contrast images which are easier to read in strong sunlight.
Stereo camera technology enables autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane-keep assist systems. Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist takes the stress out of motorway driving in stop-go traffic by tracking the vehicle in front, at a safe distance.
The traffic sign recognition system brings Jaguar’s first application of an intelligent speed limiter. Once set, the system monitors speed limit signs, compares them with navigation data and, when a change in speed limit is posted, can regulate vehicle speed by either smoothly accelerating the car up to a higher limit or slowing it down to a lower limit.
The all-new XF is also the first Jaguar to offer adaptive full-LED headlights. Featuring two banks of LEDs and reflectors – one for dipped beam, the other for main beam – they generate light with a colour temperature closer to that of daylight than is achievable with Xenon lights, delivering better illumination. At the same time, energy consumption is reduced. So efficient are they that, unlike first-generation designs, cooling fans are not needed.
If the high-beam assist function is specified, the stereo camera will detect other vehicles in the distance, and the headlights will be dipped automatically as necessary to avoid dazzling other drivers.
More on this all new Jaguar XF in a few days.
