2013 Jaguar XF 2.0T
The engine-downsizing program will continue until morale improves.
Under Tata, Jaguar is getting the attention it was denied during its
stint as furniture in Ford’s living room. In the auto industry,
attentiveness is fairly easily quantified, and Tata’s doting rings in at
$2 billion. We’re told that’s the amount the Indian industrial
conglomerate has earmarked for Jaguar R&D for each of the next five
years. For the XF, Tata’s investments have already spawned niche
vehicles such as the gorgeously utilitarian Sportbrake, an XF wagon for European markets, and the 550-hp XFR-S, of which only 100 are coming to the U.S. next year, making it as rare as a reliable British car.
Jag also checked critical mainstream-consumer boxes by adding an all-wheel-drive XF and bolstering the number of engines on the XF’s options sheet.
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2013 Jaguar XF 2.0T
The engine-downsizing program will continue until morale improves.
Under Tata, Jaguar is getting the attention it was denied during its
stint as furniture in Ford’s living room. In the auto industry,
attentiveness is fairly easily quantified, and Tata’s doting rings in at
$2 billion. We’re told that’s the amount the Indian industrial
conglomerate has earmarked for Jaguar R&D for each of the next five
years. For the XF, Tata’s investments have already spawned niche
vehicles such as the gorgeously utilitarian Sportbrake, an XF wagon for European markets, and the 550-hp XFR-S, of which only 100 are coming to the U.S. next year, making it as rare as a reliable British car.
Jag also checked critical mainstream-consumer boxes by adding an all-wheel-drive XF and bolstering the number of engines on the XF’s options sheet.
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Where previously there was an all-V-8 lineup, now the roster consists
exclusively of boosted four-, six-, and eight-cylinder engines. A
supercharged eight still rules the Jaguar pride, but where the
blower-less V-8 once stood as the beta, now there’s a supercharged V-6.
And dropping a full $6000 from last year’s basic XF—and three grand
down on the new V-6 model—is this four-cylinder, with a turbo puffing
the 2.0-liter’s output to 240 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque.
On paper, output is the only sacrifice the 2.0 makes, down as it is 100
horses and 81 pound-feet to the supercharged six. In practice, though,
the turbo’s slow spool-up makes the four somewhat binary. It trudges
along in the commuting queue just fine, and it’s smooth when asked to
behave badly. But between flat-line and flat-out, it falls flat. Toe
just slightly into the throttle, and the 2.0-liter bogs. Applying more
foot pressure doesn’t do enough—right up until it does too much. Then,
you get an abrupt downshift as boost builds, whipping the car forward
with far more gusto than you wanted or were prepared for.
A dozen or so brands have a 2.0T in their portfolio. The configuration
is becoming sort of a spec engine for the entire automotive industry.
BMW’s has the same horsepower count (but maxes out 500 rpm sooner than
Jag’s) with just four more pound-feet of torque peaking 750 rpm earlier.
Yet the XF’s 6.8-second 0-to-60 time trails the slightly lighter BMW 528i by nearly a second, and we noted no issues with the German’s power delivery. Even the Kia Optima’s 2.0T
has better manners. The solution could lie in retuning the transmission
to delay the downshift until after the boost comes on instead of
changing gears in the thick of the torque’s buildup. But the 4052-pound
XF isn’t going to get much quicker until it gets lighter. A ton is a lot
of vehicle mass per liter of displacement. In return for its
compromised power delivery, the inline-four betters the smoother V-6’s
mileage by 2 mpg in both the city and highway ratings, rising to 19 and
30 mpg, respectively. Check the sofas; you may have another $3000 for
the V-6 in there somewhere.
Aside from the engine, there’s little dilution of the XF’s strengths
with the turbo four. It still has delightfully tactile steering, giving
it a helm far livelier than the relatively relaxed car it controls. It
still has a lovely interior, a sort of techno update on old-world
opulence that celebrates aluminum and LCDs as much as it does wood and
leather. The XF tested here was still as expensive as an uplevel car,
too. From a base of $47,850, it climbed to $68,175 with the addition of
just about every luxury option available, including navigation, keyless
entry, heated and cooled front seats, a faux-suede headliner, 20-inch
wheels, a Meridian surround sound system, and a rearview camera. Before
we added a lavish combination of options, we’d spend an extra three
grand for the blown six. Or just wait for Tata to divert a few more
bucks to transmission calibration
Jaguar XF deserves this accolade as it leads the race of premium cars.Its a epitome of innovation,lethal performance,seductive design and outclass machinery.
ReplyDeleteWe agree with you Jake! It is an excellent machine. We are looking forward to having them at our dealership.
ReplyDelete