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DRIVEN: Jaguar XFR Performs With Silky Power
Gorgeous sedan combines supercharged 510 horsepower with luxury accommodations.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted February 05, 2010   Phoenix, AZ
The Jaguar XFR cuts an aggressive figure with its louvered hood and flaring grilles. (Photo: Jaguar)
Jaguar enters the realm of super sedans with its new luxury-laden, 510-horsepower XFR.

A supercharged version of the all-new 5-liter V8 found in the regular-duty XF, sans R, adds sensational performance to the comfort and refinement of Jaguar’s midsize sedan.

The XFR, new for 2010, launches into the fast company of Mercedes-Benz AMGs, BMW’s M cars and the Cadillac CTS-V. With brawny power, precise handling and sleek styling, this British bad boy steps right into the fray.

You can check out the four chrome exhaust tips as the XFR zooms away. (Photo: Jaguar)
Except that Jaguar does things in its own way. There’s an extra sparkle of finesse in its interior features and an adventurous streak in the body design that speak to Jaguar’s racy heritage as well as its forward-looking innovation.

The price tag is right in there, too, starting at $80,000 for the XFR, more than $20,000 above the XF Premium.

The XF signaled Jaguar’s departure from the stylings of the past, leaving behind the ovoid grille and the sloping body shape of the S-Type that evoked the memorable Jaguar sedans of the 1960s.

The new look is eye-catching with an aggressive stance to its sharply defined contours. The XFR adds snorting louvers to the hood and big, bold lower air inlets trimmed in chrome, as well as a quartet of chrome exhaust outlets.

In normally aspirated form, the all-new 5-liter engine generates 385 horsepower in the XF, which is enough to uphold the Jaguar’s credentials as a sports sedan. I drove that version recently and found it to be thoroughly balanced and agreeably powerful.

But that supercharger puts the whip to this steed, with a luscious mountain of torque and speedy response that says, “go there, right now.” The Roots-type blower is fairly quiet, with scant levels of the typical supercharger whine that thrills hot rodders but generally annoys everyone else.

And this is one lush hot rod. It’s hard to resist blowing the doors off muscle cars or sports compacts that crosses your path, all the while cradled in the XFR’s premium interior.

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