Jaguar’s XF joined the lineup in 2008, offering an answer to the sporty mid-size sedans from
Jaguar’s German rivals. The six-cylinder XF stands out from the crowd with an infusion of
drama and emotion into its handling and performance, showing off the truly dynamic driving
attitude that Jaguar is known for. For 2014, the XF is taken to the next level with the
XFR-S, Jaguar’s answer to the M- and RS- series cars from BMW and Audi respectively.
The XFR-S adds horsepower and visual aggression to the XF, resulting in a track ready car
that makes no secret of its intent. It’s the second R-S vehicle from Jaguar, following the
awesomely ultra-violent XKR-S. For these cars, Jaguar pulls out all the stops, applying all
of its racing know-how to a roadgoing luxury car with no compromises.
So what do these upgrades do to the driving emotion of the XFR-S? I expected this car to do
nothing less than blow my mind, and that’s exactly what it did.
Jaguar makes no secret that this is no ordinary XF. The XF’s handsome, coupe-like lines are
accented by a new front fascia with a mesh grille, side skirts and a carbon fiber splitter.
The large grille and rounded headlamps are a callback to classic Jaguar sport sedans.
Blackout trim gives the car a menacing look. An optional carbon-fiber rear spoiler stands
proud on the decklid, café-racer style, and the big twenty-inch wheels are unique to this
car. A quad exhaust lets the supercharged V8 sing as well.
Inside, upgraded upholstery with high-contrast piping and carbon-fiber patterned leather set
the XFR-S apart. Sport seats are unique to the XFR-S. An 825-watt Meridian sound system is
standard, and centers the surround-sound individually at each seat for an amazing musical
experience. Navigation and a sunroof are also available. Jaguar’s navigation system is
still a bit user-unfriendly in comparison to the sophisticated interfaces used by BMW and
Mercedes. From a practical standpoint, the XFR-S will carry four passengers, and there’s a
decent-sized trunk as well.
Ergonomic quibbles matter a lot less the moment you hit the start button and Jaguar’s
rotary-dial shifter rises into place, however. The 5.0 liter supercharged V8 barks to life
through that quad exhaust with Jaguar’s signature rasp, and it’s clear that this is no
ordinary premium sport sedan. Thanks in part to direct fuel injection and variable valve
timing, and in a large part to the Roots-type supercharger, the XFR-S sits comfortably in
E63 and M5 territory with 550 horsepower on tap. With 502 pound-feet of torque, this is the
most powerful sedan Jaguar has ever built. Acceleration is smooth and neck-snapping at the
same time. The 4.4-second 0-60 sprint is fast, yet refined, and on a track this cat will
run all the way to 186mph. Better still, a stop-start system helps the XFR-S to return
23mpg on the freeway, avoiding a gas guzzler tax. The standard eight-speed automatic
transmission also provides additional top-end gears for relaxed cruising. Downshifts with
automatic rev matching make the most of the available power instantly; the XFR-S is always
ready for action.
The double-wishbone front, multi-link rear suspension is shared with the XF, but beefed up
and re-cambered for track duty. It’s stiffer, but on the road it’s still tractable enough
for daily driving. Jaguar has upgraded the suspension’s lateral stiffness, increasing the
XFR-S’ ability to hold the road in fast turns, and a “race mode” on the selectable shocks
tightens things up even further for maximum lap times. The massive high-performance brakes
are cooled by clever underbody air channels.
Of course, such automotive magic can’t be found just anywhere. Only 100 XFR-S models will
come to the United States for 2014, and the starting price of $99,000 is worth every penny.
