Jaguar cars

Spy Shots: Production Jaguar XFR-S Spotted for the First Time

Previous spy shots of the Jaguar XFR-S have been spotted numerous times with bits and pieces of production parts scattered throughout the prototypes. Now, the puzzle has finally been put together as our spy photographers have captured the model in full production garb. These images were taken at the Nurburgring while the XFR-S whips around the testing track with a new design for the front spoiler, more muscular side sills, and a wider track and wheels. The rear of the XFR-S gets a more pronounced diffusor and a new rear spoiler.

The future Jaguar XFR-S will be powered by a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine that will deliver a total of 550 HP, making it an ideal competitor for the likes of the Audi RS6, the BMW M5, and the Mercedes E63 AMG.

The 2014 Jaguar XFR-S is rumored to make its debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Motor Show, with sales beginning shortly thereafter at £70K, or about $110,000 at the current rates.

Jaguar XF and XJ to get new engine and all-wheel drive capabilities

Like the actual jaguars that rely on four legs to mobilize, automaker Jaguar has introduced all-wheel-drive versions of their XJ and XF models in selected markets, alongside stars Jane Krakowski and Tracy Morgan, and figure skater Johnny Weir. The ironic thing is that the UK - Jaguar’s homeland - isn’t expected to be one of these markets as strong competition from other automakers has limited the company from increasing its 5% share of the luxury saloon market.

In any case, the XJ and XF models will retain all of their technical specs with the exception of some significant changes to the drive system, which will now use an all-wheel-drive system that will split torque equally between the front and rear wheels. Most of its power, though, will still be directed to the rear wheels in standard conditions in order to maximize the car’s overall efficiency.

In addition, the ’AWD’-badged XJ and XF models will also get the treat of receiving the company’s new 3.0-liter supercharged engine with 335 horsepower on tap and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine, according to Jaguar, will see an increase in efficiency - about 5% - from the current 5.0-liter V8s that are fitted into the current model. The more efficient powertrain will also see an improved mileage of 29 miles to the gallon. Finally, the car’s suspension set-up will also be tinkered with in order to retain the same driving feel as that of its rear-wheel-drive counterparts.

With the UK out of the question, Jaguar is looking at other markets to bring the ’AWD’ XF and XJ models, including North America, Russia, China and Continental Europe.

Video: Jaguar Engineer Talks up the F-Type

We’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of the new Jaguar F-Type, which is due for unveiling at the Paris Auto show on September 29th through October 14th. Sightings of the F-Type have been plentiful, but it is heavily disguised in an F-Laden wrap, leaving just enough to the imagination to have us intrigued.

Well, Jaguar decided to toss us a little teaser in the form of a video, which you can see above, roughly a month before the car’s unveiling. The video has the F-Type on center stage and Jag engineer, Ian Hoban, playing a supporting role as the narrator. He proceeds to remind the world of something that has gotten lost lately: what a true sports car is. It’s not a big bundle of muscle, it is a manageable car with high power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratio. It’s also responsive, and handles and brakes on demand.

Hoban claims that the F-Type will live up to what the definition of a true sports car really is. The F-Type will meet this sports car definition using a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 or a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine – the latter engine already exists in Jaguar’s lineup. Power will head to the rear wheels via a shift-happy 8-speed transmission. The F-Type will also help save a little fuel, as it will boast start-and-stop technology.

The video really gives us a good listen to the throaty pitch that the new F-Type will deliver. We gotta say that so far, we are rather impressed by it. The guise that it wears, however, seems to show us a fairly bland and pretty typical Jaguar body. We’ll see what the final result in next month and then make a final judgment on it. Until then, thanks for the ear candy, Jaguar!

Click past the jump to read Jaguar’s press release.

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

We absolutely just love talking about wagons that we’ll never get to see on our side of the pond. Wait, scratch that. It actually sucks to hear that Jaguar has finally unveiled the XF Sportbrake and Europe will be one of the few that will actually revel in its luxurious five door space. It’s not their fault that the British brand is going where the wagon demand is at its highest nor that we decided bigger was better before giving these in-between vehicles a chance, but we’re still a little envious.

The XF Sportbrake was supposed to make its world debut in March at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, but Jaguar decided to offer the first details one week before the actual event. While the car’s front is identical to the sedan version, the new XF Sportbrake is entirely new from the B-pillar and back. Under the hood, Jaguar has placed a range of four-cylinder 2.2-liter and V6 3.0-liter diesel engines with power going up to 275 HP.

UPDATE 08/08/12: Jaguar has released a video explaining the versatility of the new Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Check out the video to see just how much can fit into the back of this spacious ride!

Hit the jump to read more about the new Jaguar XF Sportbrake.

Car Infographics: The Supercars of the 2012 Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics are in full swing now and medals are quickly adding up. We started wondering what about the varying cars of the world? There is no auto racing in the Olympics and a love of awesome cars is one thing that is shared throughout the entire world. So why not include them?

Here at Topspeed, we felt it was time to give our 4-wheeled friends a fair chance and display the top supercars from each of the countries participating in the 2012 Summer Games – those that produce supercars. So let’s have a look at what these countries have to offer. You may be surprised to find out what countries produce some awesome supercars and what ones don’t produce any at all.

We stand to learn a lot about the world of supercars while putting this piece together, so we are certain you will learn a ton right along with us.

Click past the jump to read our entire list and check out our full infographic.

2012 Jaguar XF-R

For the better part of the last decade, Jaguar has been slowly rebuilding its image, eliminating the cushy luxury car image it has had since the mid-1980s and replacing it with a more performance-based luxury image, much like it had in the 1960s. The 2012 Jaguar XF is a key example of how Jag has been rebuilding that image.

Even at the base level, it is obvious what Jaguar’s intentions were with the XF, as it not only boasts luxurious features, but also a 385-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8 engine that sends the sedan to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds.

As we said, that is just at the base level. At the top end, you have the XFR, which is a completely different animal that really ties together luxury and performance, and wraps it all with a nice little bow.

The true test is how does this luxury performance sedan actually stack up to its competition, like the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG?

Click past the jump to read our full review and see exactly how the 2012 XFR stacks up.

Jaguar XF Gets Two Smaller Engines for 2013

We recently took a closer look at the replacement of V-8s with supercharged and turbocharged 6-cylinders, and we determined that the V-8 is a thing of the past, for the most part. We also made it clear that top-live cars will continue offering V-8 options, but we also anticipated that standard V-8s would slowly disappear in these models too. Well, it looks as if Jaguar received that memo, as it is axing the standard V-8 in the XF sedan.

Taking its place at the base of the XF lineup is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, which is a Ford design, that pumps out 240 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. The changes don’t stop there on the 2013 XF, as Jaguar is also adding in an optional 3.0-liter V-6 with a supercharger that punches out 340 ponies and 332 pound-feet of torque. The XF will still have its trio of V-8 engines available as options, so if you are looking for a little more oomph you can opt for one of the V-8s, which crank out between 385 and 510 horsepower.

These two new engines expand Jaguar’s competition against the likes of the BMW 528i and the Audi A6 2.0T. The BMW 528i’s base 2.0-liter boosted 4-banger cranks out the same horsepower as the upcoming 4-cylinder XF, but in the torque game, the 528i comes up about 9 foot-pounds higher than the XF. The A6 2.0T, on the other hand, matches the XF’s 240 ponies but falls flat in torque, as it gives up a full 40 foot-pounds to the XF.

This new 6-cylinder in the XF also gives Audi’s A6 3.0T and BMW’s 535i a run for their money. The Audi comes in 30 horsepower and 22 pound-feet short of the XF, while the BMW comes in giving up 40 horsepower and 32 pound-feet to the XF.

So needless to say, Jaguar means serious business now, as it has an engine for the XF to compete with, and even crush, the competition. That’s something we haven’t seen from Jaguar in a long time. It’s good to see Jag back to its old form.

Rumormill: Jaguar Producing F-Type GT3 Racecars

Finally, the Jaguar F-Type made its public debut at Goodwood and tackled the hill climb with its 380-horsepower, 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 whistling away and its top down. Unfortunately, the Jag was still wearing its rather funky looking camo, but it’s easy to get a good idea of what we are going to see once it’s officially released.

Its appearance at Goodwood and its hill climb run is not the only F-Type talk going around. Recently, an unconfirmed rumor has come about that has all of us auto junkies’ interest on high alert. Supposedly, Jaguar is cooperating with Williams F1 to build 20 racing spec F-Types.

The rumored intention for these racing spec F-Types is to enter in the FIA’s GT3 competition. According to the rumors, which are fueled by AutoExpress, the GT3 F-Types will not have the factory 3.0-liter under the hood, but rather a 500-horsepower turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine. This is anticipated to get the F-Type to 60 mph in just shy of 4 seconds and pump its top speed up to nearly 200 mph.

As we said, these are completely unconfirmed rumors, but seeing a race-ready F-Type would not surprise us. It would also help increase public awareness in this new Jag on the market.

We’ll keep a close eye on this situation and let you know if any additional rumors or hard facts become available.

2012 Jaguar XJ_e plug-in hybrid

Jaguar and Land Rover showed up to the Goodwood Festival of Speed ready to tackle naysayers with an ultra-low carbon XJ_e plug-in hybrid engineering research project. The goals of these automakers was to demonstrate how an advanced parallel plug-in hybrid design can deliver reductions in CO2 emissions of over 70% without impacting the car’s performance.

The new XJ_e research vehicle is powered by an advanced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) system that combines an efficient 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection petrol engine, with a 92 HP generator and a 12.8kWh Lithium Ion battery pack. It offers an electric-only range of 25 miles, and, in hybrid mode, can travel up to 679 miles with a fuel consumption of 87mpg. This can all be achieved while still hitting the 0-60 mph mark in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited).

Bob Joyce, Engineering Director, JLR, commented: "The XJ_e investigates how a 5.0-litre V8 engine could be replaced by an advanced 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain to deliver similar performance and refinement, but with CO2 emissions of less than 75g/km. While the XJ_e is an experimental project, it highlights that JLR customers can expect some exciting low-carbon products in the future."

Video: Jaguar F-Type V8 spied testing at the Nurburgring

While we are all waiting to see the new Jaguar F-Type next week at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the company is busy testing out the sports roadster at the famous Nurburgring race track. British magazine, AutoCar, was lucky enough to shoot a video of the hot laps, allowing us to hear the sound of the 3.0 liter V6 supercharged engine!

This engine delivers a total of 250 HP in a normally aspirated version and 375 HP in the supercharged R version. As you probably know, the F-Type will be built as a two-seater convertible, with a coupe version to follow, and will feature all-aluminum construction. It will be priced under the current XK, so expect to pay about $85K if you want to buy one.

This is all we have for now, but tune in next week when the official details of the Jaguar F-Type are revealed!