Engine
As we mentioned elsewhere, Jaguar does not give us any information about the availability of gasoline engines. What Jaguar has confirmed though, is that the Sportbrake will be equipped with Jaguar’s range of four-cylinder 2.2-litre and V6 3.0-litre diesel engines.
The 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine is Jaguar’s offering for a frugal engine and is offered in combination with an eight-speed gearbox and Jaguar’s Intelligent Stop-Start system, enabling the XF Sportbrake to offer the performance and driver appeal expected of a Jaguar with reduced emissions and improved fuel consumption. A Twin Solenoid Starter then restarts the engine in less time than it takes the driver’s foot to move from the brake to the accelerator, says Jaguar. The system also offers something Jaguar calls ‘change of mind’ functionality. While the parameters are being assessed by the system to determine whether to stop the engine, if the driver decides to take a gap in the traffic, the system enables engine to quickly restart even during its rundown phase.
Jaguar’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine is offered in two states of tune in the XF Sportbrake, both mated to the same eight-speed gearbox controlled via steering wheel-mounted paddles. The range-topping ‘S’ model offers 275PS (202kW) and 600Nm of torque.
Handling
A self-levelling air suspension at the rear replaces the coil springs fitted to the XF sedan. This enables to keep the car level even when fully loaded and offers the dynamics of the XF sedan, without compromise. All XF Sportbrake models are available with the Jaguar Adaptive Dynamics system which continuously monitors the suspension and, courtesy of active dampers, can alter damping rates up to 500 times a second to ensure optimal stability and handling with no loss of comfort. The system also allows the driver – at the touch of a button – to alter suspension and throttle response parameters to increase the level of involvement.
A host of technologies make the XF Sportbrake a competent car, including Adaptive Front Lighting, which deflects headlamp beam into corners, while intelligent high beam functionality automatically switches between low and high beam when appropriate. Adaptive Cruise Control , Intelligent Emergency Brake aid safety of the passengers.
Mike Cross, Chief Engineer, Vehicle Integrity
