Jaguar XF Supercharged Pt. 3: Performance Review

Grace, Space, and Pace. The new Jaguar XF Supercharged has all the qualities Sir William Lyons envisioned for his famed brand back in its early days. For this new XF, we've covered the "Grace" portion in our design review. And we discussed its "Space" when we looked at its gorgeous interior. Now in our performance review we will focus on my favorite part of that famous Jaguar equation: Pace.

That the Jaguar XF is the company's best car since Ford began influencing the Jaguar product line is without question. You can argue about its design, or its ride quality, but this car is more competitive within its segment than any other Jag in the last twenty years.

Mainly up against the BMW 550i, the Mercedes-Benz E550, and the Audi A6 4.2, the Jaguar XF Supercharged brings significantly more power to the party than any of those competitors. The 4.2-liter supercharged V8 makes a strong 420 hp and 413 ft-lbs of torque. That's 60 more horsepower than the BMW, 38 more than the Benz, and a whopping 70 more than the Audi.

Now you might be thinking that the supercharged version of the XF should go up against the performance versions of those three cars - the M5, the E63 AMG, and the S6, respectively - but that's a job for the upcoming Jaguar XF-R. The XF Supercharged is in fact positioned appropriately. And although its base price is higher than its three key competitors, you'll find that when you option those three cars to match the Jag, all but the Audi cost more than the XF. But enough about positioning, let's get back to its performance…

Firmer than you might expect a Jag to be, the ride is nonetheless complaint enough to wear the leaping cat badge on the trunk. Surprising, given it rides on big 20-in. wheels and correspondingly low-profile tires. But Jaguar has a mastery of the black-art of combining performance handling with luxurious ride quality going back to the mid-'50s and the Mark 1.

So it rides well and it handles even better, with little roll and seemingly never-ending grip from those big Pirellis. The only thing slightly disappointing with the handling is that there just isn't enough feel through the steering wheel. But we shouldn't forget that this is a luxury car first, and a performance car slightly second, so the steering being a bit isolating is understandable.

As I mentioned, the power is fantastic - getting the car up to speed in a hurry. And once you realize that your license is in jeopardy, you can save yourself a back seat ride in a black-and-white by pressing on the firm brake pedal and feeling those 14" rotors rein in the speed. We had the Jag on a mountain road that was closed off by two of California's finest - thanks CHP - and as you can imagine, I wasn't especially kind to the brakes. But they took their beating without complaint, remaining effective throughout. The only signs of abuse being a bit of noise and the brake pedal getting a little long.

A lot has been made of Jaguar's six-speed automatic. It's even been called the best automatic in the world by some motoring journalists. While I won't go quite that far, I will say that it seems perfectly judged in this application. The transmission is both smooth and quick. It fits the character of the XF due to this duality - smooth at a cruising pace, and very quick when you're driving more aggressively - just like the car. Speaking of driving more aggressively, in its manual mode the gearbox will match revs perfectly, just as a good driver would. This is a welcome trend that we're seeing in the newest performance-oriented automatics. And in the case of the XF, those shifts are actuated by paddles that are located correctly on the steering wheel itself.

So it's a true Jaguar in the mold of the original formula, with Grace, Space, and most definitely Pace. It delivers everything this famous British marque stands for better than any Jaguar in the past twenty years, finally giving Jaguar a competitive, no-excuses entry into the highly contested mid-size luxury sedan segment.

Watch the video
Read Part 1: Design
Read Part 2: Interior & User Experience

2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged

Performance
- Acceleration: Builds speed effortlessly while supercharger whines away sounding great
- Handling: Amazingly composed for such a heavy car - TONS of grip
- Braking: Very good - repeated abuse makes for a soft brake pedal

Design
- Exterior: Potential candidate for most beautiful 4-door sedan - has to be seen in person
- Interior: Even stronger case for most beautiful automotive interior (under $100k)

Utility
- Comfort: Trades a tiny bit of Jaguar's slinky smoothness for sporting intent - comfy seats
- Space: A Jag with rear-seat headroom? Yes - quite comfortable front and rear

Safety
- Dynamics: Perfectly judged luxury sports sedan moves
- Technology: Everything you'd expect at this price point

Value
- Price: When compared with equal options, very competitive
- Mileage: Decent as long as you stay out of the throttle

Emotional Appeal
- Heart thumpin' factor: Finally a 4-door Jaguar that you wouldn't be crazy to consider
- Fun to spank: It can certainly handle it, but you'll feel guilty beating on this beauty rather than just cruising along elegantly

SPECIFICATIONS

Layout: Front engine / Rear wheel drive
Engine: 4.2 liter, supercharged, DOHC V8
Power (SAE): 420 hp @ 6250 rpm
Torque: 413 lbs-ft @ 4000 rpm
Redline: 6250 rpm
Gearbox: 6 speed automatic
Curb Weight: 4160 lbs.
0-60 mph: 5.0 sec.
1/4 mile: 13.5 sec.
Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited)
Mileage: 15 city / 22 highway
Base Price: $62,975
Competitors: BMW 550i, Mercedes-Benz E550, Audi A6 4.2