Jag fits new blown V6 to XJ, XF

Jaguar has announced that its new supercharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 will replace the naturally aspirated V8 in its upgraded 13MY XF and XJ models, which are due on sale here in Australia in October.

Also due to power the British brand’s all-new F-Type roadster that will make its global debut at September’s Paris Motor Show before arriving here in mid-2013, the new downsized force-fed engine will produce 340hp (254kW) and 450Nm of torque in both facelifted models.

While the 13MY XF sedan and XJ limousine will make their Australian debuts at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney on October 19, immediately after their official release, Jaguar’s new XF Sportbrake wagon will be an order-only model in Australia.

“XF Sportbrake will be sold as retail order only at this point in time as we will not hold stock of vehicles,” said Jaguar Australia Brand Manager Kevin Goult. “The vehicle will be available in Australia but we just won’t have it on the showroom floor.”

Also new for the upgraded 13MY XF and XJ line-up is an eight-speed automatic transmission with fuel-saving idle-stop technology as standard equipment across both model ranges, including V6 and V8 engines.

Full Australian specifications are yet to be revealed, but in the UK the XF will also be available with a 2.2-litre diesel engine in two states of tune - 121kW/400Nm and 149kW/450Nm – both returning combined fuel consumption of 5.1L/100km and emitting 135g/km of CO2 with standard 17-inch wheels.

Similarly, Jaguar’s 3.0-litre diesel V6 will be available in the XF in both 179kW/500Nm and, for the 3.0 V6 Diesel S, 205kW/600Nm guises.

The four- and six-cylinder oil-burners will be the only engines available in the new all-diesel XF Sportbrake in the UK, where first deliveries of Jaguar’s first ever wagon will take place late this year.

Fitted with the 121kW 2.2D, the XF sedan sprints to 100km/h in 10.5 seconds (149kW: 8.5 seconds), while the equivalent XF Sportbrake 2.2D models hit 100km/h in 10.9 and 8.8 seconds but consume the same 5.1L/100km. With the 179kW V6 diesel, the XF sprints to 100km/h in 7.1 seconds (205kW: 6.4 seconds), and both models consume 6.0L/100km.

Both XF Sportbrake V6 diesel models consume 6.2L/100km (down six per cent) and, while the 3.0 V6 Diesel matches the sedan with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.1 seconds, the 3.0 V6 Diesel S is two-tenths slower than the equivalent sedan at 6.6 seconds.

Currently, Australia’s XF is available with 140kW/450kW 2.2-litre diesel, 175kW/293Nm 3.0-litre petrol, 177kW/500Nm and 202kW/600Nm twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel and 283kW/515kW V8 petrol engines.

The new supercharged V6 will replace the latter, representing a performance reduction of about 30kW and 65Nm and increasing the claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time from 5.7 to 5.9 seconds.

However, the new 3.0 Supercharged engine will bring a significant fuel consumption reduction over the 5.0-litre V8 it replaces – from 11.1 to 9.4L/100km – while CO2 emissions fall to 224g/km.

For now, the range-topping XFR sports sedan continues to pack Jaguar’s 375kW/625Nm supercharged 5.0-litre V8, but will become available with a new XFR Speed Pack that increases the speed limiter ceiling to 280km/h and features revised engine and gearbox calibration, plus a new front bumper splitter and new rear spoiler.

Like the 13MY XJ, the revised XF will be available in the UK with a Meridian sound system for the first time, replacing the Bowers and Wilkins system, while the flagship XJ range will come with recalibrated spring and damper settings aimed at improving ride quality.

While most XFs already came equipped with a ZF eight-speed auto, the newer transmission now replaces the six-speed transmission in the current XJ range.

In combination with an idle-stop system, it’s claimed to make the new 3.0 S/C Petrol variant the most fuel-efficient XJ ever. Claimed to consume 9.4L/100km – 14 per cent less than the 5.0-litre V8 it replaces - the 254kW/450Nm 3.0-litre V6 delivers the highest specific power output of any Jaguar engine.

As in the XF, however, the downsized forced-induction engine reduces the XJ’s 0-100km/h performance by two-tenths compared to the 5.0-litre V8, to 5.9 seconds.

The 13MY XJ 3.0 V6 Diesel S returns the same 6.4-second 0-100 sprint time as before, but reduces fuel consumption to 6.0L/100km, while the upgraded XJ 5.0 S/C accelerates to 100km/h in the same 4.9 seconds but will consume 11.3L/100km – down from 12.1L/100km.

In the UK, the 13MY XJ range – which continues to come in both short- and long-wheelbase configurations - will also score a digital radio tuner and, for XJ Portfolio and Supersport models, a premium 20-speaker 825-Watt Meridian sound system, which will be optional across the XJ range.

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