Jaguar XF 3.0 AWD

SPECIFICATIONS

1. AWD is exclusive to the 3.0-liter supercharged six-cylinder engine 2. New engine options include a turbocharged 2.0-liter four and a supercharged 3.0-liter six cylinder. 3. The supercharged six-cylinder engine makes 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. 4. Pricing starts at $53,000 and climbs to $76,825 fully loaded. 5. EPA estimates suggest 16 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway or a 19 mpg combined.

PREVIEW

Starting with the 2013 model year, Jaguar is introducing a series of changes to its model lineup meant to make them appeal to a broader market. For the mid-size XF, that means dropping the naturally aspirated V8 and adding a 3.0-liter supercharged six-cylinder in its place.

People who live in cold climates like all-wheel drive luxury cars. Given the success its Range Rover brand cousins enjoy, it’s hard to wonder what took so long for Jaguar to figure that out.

INTERIOR

Hopefully this goes without saying, but Jaguar knows luxury interiors like Churchill knew cigars. Carbon fiber inlays are available, but the elemental weave seems nothing short of vulgar in the XF’s cabin.

Satin rosewood and aluminum are the base car’s standard cabin appointments. Leather upholstery is also standard, although it lacks the rich texture you would hope for on a car that climbs close to $77,000 with the most expensive options chosen. The car doesn’t need to be that expensive, with a starting price of $53,000. Then again, some of the options are pretty appealing if you can afford them.

At least that’s true if you’re on the shorter side of the stature spectrum. With 37.1 inches of headroom, the XF offers a full two inches of cranial clearance than the BMW 5 Series. That goes up by half an inch in the rear, but is still bested by its Bimmer competitor. Legroom is another story. In front, the car offers 41.5 inches, which is on part with others in the segment, and 36.6 in the rear to beat BMW.Even as the base model, the XF boasts a luxury-rich cabin thanks to the use of wood and aluminum, but there’s one option this car isn’t the same without: the suede cloth headliner. It soaks up light and transforms the car from so-so to so sweet.

UNDER THE HOOD

Regardless, the all-wheel drive XF can only come with one engine: the 3.0-liter supercharged six good for 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, which carries the car to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. Jaguar claims the car should manage 16 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway or an average 19. Those numbers are helped in large part by a new eight-speed automatic transmission, but the car still fell short of its EPA mileage estimates. Even with long highway stints, the computer reported an average 16 mpg.

You give up Jaguar’s throaty V8 in favor of a more subdued-sounding engine, but the company swears this is a genuine V8 replacement. Perhaps so, but peak torque doesn’t kick in until 3,500 rpm, and the car’s automatic transmission frequently feels hesitant to deliver the low-down lurch associated with a blower.

That is, unless you press the checkered flag button beside the drive mode selection knob. Doing that puts the XF into “Dynamic” mode, which grants access to the car’s full capability.

Still, the six-cylinder feels out of breath as the tach nears its peak, and it’s hard not to look wistfully at last year’s base V8. It boasted 45 extra hp and 38 lb-ft of torque.Power delivery still feels delayed at times, but the wait is never long and any doubts about the car’s ability to build speed disappear. Squeeze the throttle and the engine launches you forward with purpose.

What stings more is that the all-wheel drive six-cylinder actually weighs 67 lbs more than the old rear-drive V8 model. The weight difference is further underscored by this year’s weaker engine.