2016 Jaguar XF Sheds Weight, Looks Great
While the new Jaguar XE has gotten a whole lot of attention, the British automaker doesn’t want us to forget about the XF sedan either. The mid-sized XF was always a bit on the heavy side, being the only steel bodied Jaguar in the line, but that’s about to change. Starting with the 2016 XF, the car is moving to an aluminum-intensive architecture, shedding 132lbs. on the RWD model, and 265lbs. on the AWD.
Combine this weight loss with either a 340hp or 380hp supercharged V6, and the new XF should go fast, and get better mileage than its predecessor. In addition, the XF offers a near-perfect 50:50 weight balance and electric power assisted steering, which should mean that it will handle great too. I’m assuming a V8-based XF R will show up at some point down the road as well.
The new car looks great too – especially in its XF S form, which is outfitted with sporty aerodynamics and some awesome looking alloys. I especially love the new front end. It’s much more sporty and less “old man” than the prior generation. The wider grille, larger air intakes and F-Type inspired running lights and taillamps look great. Despite cutting 0.3 inches off the length of the prior model, its wheelbase is two inches longer, which increases space in the cabin, especially for rear seat passengers.
https://youtu.be/TZB-A5HtntI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6uVH8m1hwY
To promote the reveal of the XF and its significant weight reduction, Jaguar had stuntman Jim Dowdall drive the car across a pair of narrow high wires over London, England:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhmMwFyGeIE