The 2021 Jaguar XF facelift has been revealed and gives the British brand’s second-generation mid-size luxury sedan a long-overdue overhaul, both inside and out. Read on to find out what’s new.
- 2021 Jaguar XF gets mild exterior revisions for a more aggressive look
- Thoroughly revised cabin gets improved creature comforts and luxury
- New tech includes 11.4-inch touchscreen with JLR’s Pivi Pro infotainment
Jaguar XF facelift design
The revisions to the Jaguar XF’s exterior aren’t that extensive. It retains its sharp design and sporty, cab-rearward proportions, but some of the details have been subtly updated.
Embellishments for the facelift include a larger grille with metallic studs in it, more aggressive air intakes in the front bumper and, though the current XF is available with full-LED headlamps in the top spec, this updated version gets a set of high-resolution ‘Pixel’ adaptive projector LED headlamps with a new ‘Double J Blade’ DRL signature, much like on the XJ and updated F Pace.
As you might expect, there are new alloy wheel designs, and you also get redesigned air vents on the flanks, and an optional ‘black pack’ that replaces some of the chrome with gloss black trim and darkens the tail-lamp surrounds. Rounding off the changes at the rear are sportier-looking bumpers with a contrast-coloured rear valance built in.
Jaguar XF facelift interior
The biggest change, understandably, comes to the Jaguar XF interior, as even when new, its design and quality fell short of what its rivals were offering. The XF facelift’s interior was developed from the grounds up, alongside that of the Jaguar F Pace SUV facelift.
The entire dashboard is new, with a more curved design and more angular AC vents placed higher up. The door pads too are different, with the memory functions and lock/unlock buttons now located higher up, window switches in a new recess, and large, prominent grab handles. Storage space here is said to have been increased too.
The quality of materials is said to have been significantly improved for the updated XF, with trim, upholstery and switchgear lifted straight from the latest Range Rover. This includes slabs of open-pore wood, higher-grain leather upholstery with logos embossed in the seats, brushed aluminium window switches and machined aluminium speaker grilles for the Meridian hi-fi audio system.
You’ll also find JLR’s latest high-definition 12.3-inch screen-based dial cluster and button-heavy steering wheel we first saw on the Jaguar XE facelift, as well as its new rotary-dial based AC control knobs.
However, while like the XE, the XF has also ditched the signature rotary knob gear selector, what it gets instead is a new, stubby selector with stitching that is meant to resemble a cricket ball seam.
Replacing the 16:9 widescreen touchscreen is a 11.4-inch high-definition one with a 4:3 aspect ratio curved glass surface that sits proud of the dash, just like in the F Pace. This is because it has adopted JLR’s latest Pivi Pro infotainment (more on this shortly) that debuted on the new Land Rover Defender. And with all the controls moved further forward, there is said to be more storage space in the central tunnel.
Jaguar XF facelift features
The Pivi Pro software is the crux of the tech revisions inside the 2021 Jaguar XF, and it gets a host of connected car tech. This includes vehicle tracking, remote monitoring of the vehicle status via a partner phone app, over-the-air updates, an onboard E-sim for data, and real-time traffic info for navigation. And, of course, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The screen itself is said to be far sharper and quicker in its operation than the old InControl Touch Pro unit, which is not surprising as the outgoing system was already far from the segment best in this regard.
Other noteworthy features include wireless phone charging, an ionising air purifier with filtration up to PM2.5, a heads-up display, active interior noise cancelling, JLR’s ‘Clearsight’ digital rear-view mirror, 360-degree cameras and adaptive cruise control.
Jaguar XF facelift engines
The 2021 Jaguar XF facelift, gets a range of 2.0-litre, four-cylinder ‘Ingenium’ engines – two petrols and one diesel; there are no six-cylinder options this time around (although they were never offered in India), which could give it a disadvantage against its rivals.
The P250 petrol, the same rear-driven powertrain used in the current car, makes 250hp and 365Nm and is capable of 0-100kph in 6.9sec. The more powerful P300 (as seen in the Jaguar F Type sportscar), however, produces 300hp and 400Nm, is capable of 0-100kph in 6.1sec, and comes with AWD as standard.
The diesel engine is now a mild hybrid, pairing a 204hp, 430Nm (24hp more than before) 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine with a 48V lithium-ion battery and a belt-integrated starter-generator (ISG). This one does 0-100kph in 8.0sec and is claimed to be 14 percent more fuel-efficient than the earlier diesel. All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard.
Jaguar XF facelift India launch
The Jaguar XF and XE sedans, globally, haven’t been performing as well as their SUV counterparts from within the brand, or from sister-brand Land Rover, and JLR hopes to remedy that to an extent with this extensive update.
For one, the model range has been significantly trimmed down to just three trim levels – S, SE and HSE, to avoid complexity, and the prices have actually been reduced compared to the outgoing car to make them more aggressive against better-selling rivals overseas, like the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E Class.
Whether those price revisions will translate to the India-spec car remains to be seen, but you can expect the model to be launched sometime in 2021. JLR has plenty lined up before this, including the new Land Rover Defender launch, the Jaguar I Pace electric SUV and the updated Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
What do you think about the updated Jaguar XF? Can it give a better fight to its rivals from Germany and Sweden? Tell us in the comments below.