Jaguar C-XF: Giant Leap For The Big Cat

By Motoring Channel Staff - 16/Jan/2006

Detroit, USA — Jaguar's retro-styled S-Type was supposed to rival the best from Germany; the BMWs, Audis, and Mercs. But over time the British mid-sized luxury sedan has languished while it's competition - the BMW 5-Series in particular - has prospered.

S-Type sales have fallen, it's popularity has plummeted, but Jaguar fans do have something to get excited about, as parent company Ford has unveiled the S-Type's replacement, the radical XF sedan.

Expected to be released to Jaguar showrooms and dealerships in early 2008, the new model is a big departure in a stylistic sense, with an almost coupe-look replacing the stocky sedan proportions.

Gone is the retro styling of the S-Type (see image) that once categorised many Jaguars, with their quad headlights and blistered hood mouldings, long flat hood and low stance.

What we have here with the C-XF concept car is an altogether dynamic design, one that is as far removed from the old S-Type as could be.

The British prestige car maker has crafted something that takes a leaf out of the Lexus book of design, with a strong and sleek front end that even gets rid of the old Jaguar grille and presents an almost entirely new style that is sure to ruffle a few feathers in Germany, as well as England.

Geoff Cousins, the UK Managing Director of Jaguar, had this to say about the new Jaguar, which was one of the stars of the 2007 Detroit Auto Show: "This stunning new concept from Jaguar is another step in the right direction for us. The outstanding success of XK in 2006 and the increase of XJ sales by 25% proves that sales are growing for our higher end vehicles reflecting our movement of resources to keep in line with our strategy for higher margin business."

The hype surrounding this new car is big - and building - and you can be sure that motoring journalists the world over will be clamouring for a drive of this dynamic new luxury car when it launches in 2008. Though the vehicle featured on this page is a concept car, Jaguar will unveil the full production version of the XF sedan later in the year, at Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, which occurs in September.

Unveiled by its designer, Ian Callum, and Jaguar's MD, Bibiana Boerio, the new model features a big oblong grille that is supposed to be similar to the original XJ grille. The headlights are also completely different to the items seen on the S-Type: all the light globes are housed under the single smoked lens, where the inside edges are pinched tight.

Adding menace is the strong hood, which follows the lead of the headlight design, with power lines that run its length, punctuated by one large power bulge that runs along the hood's centre, almost like a stretched version of the Australian-made Ford Falcon XR8 muscle car.

The lower bumper section of the C-XF is also very sporty, with various aero protrusions and flanges, though the production model may be toned down somewhat in this area.

Viewed from the side, the new Jaguar sports sedan has a sleek profile with a low roofline, though sources say the roofline will be raised for the production launch in Frankfurt later in 2007. The door handles for all doors are located high up in the B- and C-pillars and a powerful stereo system can be spotted through the rear windscreen.

Sitting on large 20-inch alloy wheels with super wide rear tyres, the car sits low to the ground, featuring a far more simple bodykit along its flanks than the front or rear, with nondescript side skirts. The rear is a more dynamic affair with a super low rear windscreen, slim line brake lights, an integrated twin exhaust system and split rear diffuser.

With this all-new look, some of the Jaguar faithful may find this new design too radical, but if nothing else this bold new design will create much needed publicity for the mid-sized luxury sedan.

As well as the new look exterior, which drops the leaping cat hood ornament in favour of a far less egregious badge, Jaguar has also given the interior a new splash of paint, new fittings and new standard features. Nothing is in concrete yet, but it is expected that things like radar-based cruise control, electronic park brake, and a range of dynamic active safety systems will bolster the cars new image.

Like many other premium car makers (such as Audi/Bang & Olufsen) Jaguar has also partnered with a premium audio brand for the new XF sedan. Bowers and Wilkins (B&W) is the company, and they will be providing the interior acoustics for the cars when they launch in 2008.

The new model is a 4-door sedan, and will seat five adults in relative comfort. The production version is likely to feature a toned-down version of the pulsating 'engine start' button, that creates an emotional link between the driver and the beating heart of the car, a dirty great big V8.

At present the C-XF is just a concept car, but the final version is expected to be very close to this vehicle, which is powered by a strong 4.2-litre V8 engine complete with a supercharger, which makes a credible 298kW of power (400hp) @ 6100rpm.

Peak torque from the V8 engine is 560Nm @ 3500rpm, giving the vehicle very strong mid-range acceleration.

Jaguar is expected to offer a range of different engines in the new XF sedan when it launches in 2008, including high performance diesel motors, plus 6- and 8-cylinder petrol engines for customers who want raw power.

The new model is set for an early 2008 launch - expected to be on sale before June 2008 in Australia - and will be built at Jaguar's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, alongside the highly-regarded XK. Both cars were designed and developed at Whitley Product Development Centre, and both cars represent the changing face of Jaguar, which must adapt to changing customers tastes, or suffer from continually falling sales and a poor public image.

Ford also has another potentially useful publicity weapon for its 2008 Jaguar XF sedan, and that is a very lucrative motion picture tie-in. The Aston Martin DBS was the car of choice for secret agent 007, in the latestJames Bond film Casino Royale, but Aston Martin is currently being sold off form Ford Motor Company, so it isn't likely to feature in the next flick in 2010. Ford payed $100 million for product placement in three Bond movies, two of which it has already used, and the chances of this new Jaguar XF becoming the gadget-riddled 007 spy car in the next James Bond film are high.

Jaguar has been offering retro-styled cars for a long time now, and it's clear they're not as popular as they once used to be. Under the guidance of the canny American designer, Chris Bangle, BMW has taken its range of once-degraded 'sausage-like' models and developed an entirely modern range of cars. Jaguar appears to following a similar plan, but judging the new C-XF's style, this new design ethos is highly original.

Related articles:
- Jaguar S-Type (2008)
- Jaguar XKR (2007)
- Jaguar XK Convertible (2007)
- Jaguar XK (2006)
- Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe (concept)