Road Test

By Craig Peterson

Wings on the Road
Jaguar XFR has the power to cover a lot of ground — quickly

Even magnified by a 10-power camera lens, from the air our Jaguar XFR test car looked like a Hot Wheels model. As the Cessna 150 throttled back overhead, the sedan wafted sedately over the barren two-lane highway. Once it had disappeared behind us, I steadied the video camera against the blast of cold air from the open window, pressed the record button and then nodded at the pilot to cue the action.

"OK," he radioed the Jag driver, "give us a five-count; then punch it. We'll tell you when to back off."

A simple command perhaps, but in this instance a tough moment to capture during practice for a possible commercial. Tape rolling, I'd barely gotten the road centered in the viewfinder when the car popped into view. Like the Millennium Falcon shifting into hyperdrive, the Jaguar flicked across the camera frame like a paper clip plucked from the air by an alnico magnet. Gaining speed at an astonishing rate, within moments it had disappeared from view.

When we later reviewed the shot, the entire sequence had lasted less than six seconds. It was over so quickly I forgot to radio the driver, but he'd figured things out and was waiting for us at a crossroads ahead.

The notion of a two-ton luxury sedan scampering away from a light aircraft may seem like a stretch, but this vehicle is far from ordinary. In Jaguar-speak, the R-type appellation means the XF sedan, introduced in 2008, has been joined by this range-topping sibling blessed with, among other items, a beefed-up suspension, bigger brakes, wheels and tires — plus a supercharger.

Imbued with a rousing 510 horsepower, it can easily exceed the little Cessna's 122 mph maximum speed — while still in third gear. And it has a six-speed transmission.

The standard XF sedan ($52,000) is eminently suitable as a foundation for the go-fast R version.

Graceful proportions, flowing lines and muscular, bulging fenders lend it a contemporary presence while clearly suggesting that it doesn't hail from Germany or Japan.

The XFR looks little different save for some aerodynamic bodywork tweaks, special 20-inch alloy wheels, chromed hood vents and a quartet of exhaust tips. Subtle R badges are the only other visual clues that this XF is special.

Manufacturers typically provide vehicles to the media in colors that stand out, which accounts for all of the Arrest-Me Red and similar hues seen on cars in magazines. This one wore porcelain-color enamel. It looked about four inches deep and allowed the eye to savor the curvaceous bodywork without distraction. White makes some cars look like appliances; on this one it looks elegant.

The subdued presentation is traditional Jaguar fare, hinting at potency but without shouting the news to the world, traffic cops included. From a marketing perspective, the right people will know what they're looking at; the rest probably don't matter.

Like the bodywork, interior design is contemporary, a pleasant mix of textures, materials and hues. Charcoal leather covers the seats, dash and door panels; the seat bottoms are tan and elegant stitching of a matching color is used as an accent on the door pulls. The center stack and console are trimmed with gray carbon-fiber and brushed aluminum. So are the air vents, whose louvers open automatically when the ignition is switched on.

Equally theatrical is the transmission selector, a blue-backlit rotary knob that rises from the console upon engine startup. The latter is controlled by a keyfob remote and a red start/stop button. And the glovebox door has no conventional latch, relying instead on a touch-sensitive switch that rarely seemed sensitive to anything at all, particularly when it was cold. To some, this is rather a lot of needlessly fussy controls for some basic functions.

There's less ambivalence about the Jaguar XFR's driving dynamics. Its well-damped suspension soaks up bumps without telegraphing unpleasantness into the cabin. Hardly any noise intrudes at freeway velocity and thanks to a redesign, supercharger whine under full throttle is almost imperceptible. Ride comfort is exemplary even over cratered surfaces.

For performance-minded drivers, the electronically-controlled suspension can be set to Dynamic mode that heightens responses, and the stability control system can also be deactivated, giving you the freedom to make mistakes, but not without consequences.

With galactic-level power on tap — the test car did 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and the quarter-mile in 12.77 seconds at 111.9 mph — for all but the experts and always on slick surfaces, the XFR's electronic safety net is best left on duty.

Amazingly, the new 5.0-liter, high-efficiency engine returned 18 mpg overall despite merciless driving. This also enables it to escape a stiff gas-guzzler tax. Base-priced at $79,150, our test car had no options — nearly the entire catalog is standard equipment — giving it a sticker price of $80,000, including destination charge.

Probably the best mid-sized Jaguar ever, the XFR is a pedigreed super-sedan for the discriminating few.

Craig Peterson’s auto stories have appeared in Car and Driver and Road & Track. He is the author of two books on driving-related subjects.

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