Autoblog

Jaguar XFR-S is motor-porn on a mountain road

Jeffrey N. Ross — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Videos, Jaguar

The 2014 Jaguar XFR-S might have only been good enough to take the runner-up spot in our Editor's Choice top five debuts at the LA Auto Show, but we'd be hard-pressed to find a car with a more exhilarating exhaust note. As proof of this, Jaguar released a video showing the XFR-S tearing up a windy, European mountain road in close to a minute of hardcore driving footage.

The big blue cat has the same great exhaust note of the XKR-S, and the driver puts all of the car's 550 horsepower to work demonstrating the handling - and drifting - abilities of the new XFR-S. If there's any disappointment to be had, it's the fact that you have to jump to the 30-second mark of the video for any of the action to start.

Scroll down to watch the video, and be sure your speakers are turned all the way up.

Continue reading Jaguar XFR-S is motor-porn on a mountain road

Jaguar XFR-S is motor-porn on a mountain road originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

2014 Jaguar XFR-S is the power and the fury

Zach Bowman — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedan, Performance, Jaguar

If there's something wrong about a sedan with a 550-horsepower supercharged V8, we don't want to hear about it. Instead, we want to marvel at the car in person, which is fortuitous because Jaguar has officially unveiled the 2014 XFR-S at the 2012 LA Auto Show. That blown 5.0-liter V8 dishes up a full 502 pound-feet of torque, which is good enough to shuttle the four-door to 60 mph in a scant 4.4 seconds. And, thanks to a start stop system and a few other fuel-saving tricks, the 2014 XFR-S gets away without being hit by the gas guzzler tax.

That's all good news, but we're just as excited about the fact that engineers managed to crank up the vehicle's chassis stiffness by a ludicrous 30 percent. Stiffer dampers and springs also give the car a little more poise, and a wide-open exhaust lets the whole world know you're kicking down their door. You know, in case the electric blue paint and wild body work didn't tip your hand. Check out the full gallery above for a closer look.

2014 Jaguar XFR-S is the power and the fury originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

2014 Jaguar XFR-S super sedan is 550-HP worth of cool

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedan, Performance, Jaguar, Luxury

The 2014 Jaguar XFR-S was considered last year, teased last week and now has been totally let loose. The most powerful sedan the company has ever made and the newest addition to its line of R-S performance cars - following the XKR-S - and we'll be getting even fewer of them than we thought. 200 had been the rumored allotment for the US, but the official word now is that we'll see just 100.

Each XFR-S will use the same 5.0-liter supercharged V8 that powers the XKR-S, meaning a 40-horsepower and 41-pound-foot bump over the XFR for 550 hp and 502 lb-ft in total. Shifting through the adaptive, eight-speed ZF transmission gets it from standstill to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, but for all that, it gets the same gas mileage as the XFR, aided by its stop/start system, and so doesn't get hit with a gas guzzler tax.

Other XKR-S bits have made the jump, including an upgraded suspension front and rear, the near-straight pipes for the cracking exhaust note we drank up like ambrosia and twenty-inch, six-spoke lightweight wheels that are an inch wider than on the XFR. Lateral stiffness is up 30 percent, the electronic systems have been recalibrated to handle the extra oomph, throttle response has been sharpened and can be made even sharper by going into Dynamic Mode.

The Jaguar is wrapped in a new suite of bodywork, starting with a deeper front bumper sporting larger side intakes and a carbon fiber splitter. An aero blade molding behind the front wheels and sharper side sills are meant to do more aero work, channeling air neatly back to the deeper rear bumper with more pronounced side moldings and a central diffuser. Atop the decklid will be one of two spoilers, the larger of the two options doing its part to reduce lift by 68 percent overall. Inside will be found carbon-printed leather with contrasting stitching and micro-piping, along with an 825-watt, 18-speaker Meridian audio system.

The XFR-S hits showrooms in Summer of 2013 and will start at $99,000 before destination and handling, a $15,800 premium over the XFR. There's more on it in the press release below, and live photos from the LA Auto Show floor won't be long in coming.

Continue reading 2014 Jaguar XFR-S super sedan is 550-HP worth of cool

2014 Jaguar XFR-S super sedan is 550-HP worth of cool originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments