New Jaguar XF showcased at New York Auto Show

Jaguar has revealed its new XF at the New York Auto Show. The new XF is lighter and stiffer than the car it replaces, and will come with JLR’s new 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol and diesel engines.

The new Jaguar XF sports an aluminium-intensive construction that was debuted on the XE sedan. It features as much as 70 percent aluminium in its construction, which, the company claims, makes it 190kg lighter than its predecessor and nearly 30 percent stiffer. Jagaur also claims that the new XF will get a 50/50 weight distribution because of the use of steel in the rear section.

The new XF is powered by JLR’s new 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel and petrol engines as well as a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel and a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine. The Ingenium diesel engines will be available in two states of tune – 161bhp and 178bhp – while the twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 will generate 296bhp. Jaguar has released no details about the Ingenium petrol engines, but the supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol is expected to generate 375bhp.

The new XF shares its suspension set-up with the XE sedan, which means it gets struts with double wishbones at the front and an ‘integral link’ independent set-up at the rear. The new XF is smaller than the car it replaces but gets a larger wheelbase which, the carmaker claims, lets the XF offer the best-in-class knee room at the back.

On the inside, the car gets more contemporary styling unlike its XJ sibling. It gets a wide centre console with plenty of storage spaces, and brightwork and wood detailing. The new XF retains Jaguar’s traditional rotary gear selector and the outer vents roll up when the car is started.

The new XF comes with a big, 10.2-inch ‘dual-view’ smartphone-like touchscreen, and JLR’s latest multimedia system, known as InControl Touch Pro. The main instruments are displayed on a 12.3-inch TFT panel, which can be reconfigured.

The steering uses the same electric power-assisted set up as the Jaguar F-Type and XE, while active dampers will be on the options list; a feature called Jaguar Configurable Dynamics will allow the driver to tailor the settings of the dampers, steering, engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox. The XF also gets Jaguar’s All-Surface Progress Control, a program that allows the driver to get maximum traction in adverse conditions. The system automatically applies the throttle and brakes while leaving the driver to steer the vehicle.

Jaguar will offer the new XF in Prestige, R-Sport, Portfolio and S specifications. Top-end S models get Jaguar’s Configurable Dynamics system. Other features will include a laser head-up display, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keep assistance and traffic sign recognition systems.

The new XF will go on sale internationally by the end-2015.