Jaguar reveals 2.2 diesel for XF

JAGUAR has revealed it will offer a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine in its XF model line, lowering its diesel baseline – and the entry price to the series – when it joins the large luxury sedan range later this year.

The first details of the new engine issued this week were accompanied by photographs of a prototype development car disguising the front and rear end of the current XF, which points to an imminent facelift for the range coming at the same time as the lower-displacement diesel.

Jaguar Australia brand manager Kevin Goult has confirmed to GoAuto that the 2.2 diesel will be available in Australia and that it should make its debut here at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne on July 1.

“The Diesel will be available in Australia and we have every intention of a debut at the Melbourne motor show in 2011 – a great opportunity for the Jaguar brand to again showcase product to the Australian car purchaser at a time when fuel price at the pump is particularly high,” he said.

The new 2170cc four-cylinder engine will combine with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, with specifications and an estimated on-sale date to be announced at the New York auto show on April 20.

However, the Tata Motors-owned British luxury car-maker has revealed that the engine develops 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque, and that it is capable of returning an impressive 5.4 litres per 100km combined-cycle fuel economy while emitting 149g/km of CO2.

This compares to the XF’s current base-diesel $99,900 3.0D – a model introduced last September that uses a detuned 177kW/500Nm version of Jaguar’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel, and which returns 6.8L/100km and 179g/km.

While the 3.0D can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 7.1 seconds, the ‘2.2D’ (as it will presumably be known) achieves the mark in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is listed at 225km/h, down from 240km/h in the 3.0D.

Exact Australian launch timing is still to be confirmed, but, significantly, the new diesel will provide the Cat marque with a means to better rival cheaper entry four-cylinder diesels available in competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz E-class ($81,472 E220 CDI), BMW 5 Series ($83,300 520d) and Audi A6 ($75,300 2.0 TDI).

The current entry point to the XF range is the 3.0 V6 petrol model, which starts from $93,900.

“Introducing this new diesel engine derivative for Australia provides a strong opportunity for Jaguar to look at the position of the Diesel XF product range against the German competitors and to identify where the opportunity for Jaguar is,” Mr Goult said.

“It'll certainly provide a competitive challenge to Mercedes and BMW.”

Mr Goult would not be drawn on exterior changes to the XF, other than to say that more would be revealed in New York.

The new diesel engine features an idle-stop system, a water-cooled turbocharger with low-friction pistons, new injectors and a new crankshaft.

It is also installed in a north-south configuration for the first time, enabling engineers to add a new oil pan and new electronic systems affecting the crankshaft to allow the idle-stop system (dubbed Intelligent Stop-Start) to operate more efficiently.

“Intelligent Stop-Start aims to reduce the prolonged time spent in the shutdown and start-up phase usually experienced in such systems,” the company said.

“The Jaguar system overcomes this partly through the inclusion of the new crankshaft sensor and fuel rail pressure holding system, meaning the engine needs less time to restore drive.”

According to Jaguar, the engine does not need to shut down completely during the idle-stop process – as is the case with conventional systems – but can restart while shifting down from as little as 400rpm.

The company says the inclusion of the idle-stop system is estimated to increase overall fuel efficiency between five and seven per cent. Also contributing is the new eight-speed automatic gearbox, which effectively uses the seventh and eighth ratios as overdrive gears.

Sound-deadening material around the engine and bulkhead are claimed to contribute to a cabin noise reduction of three decibels in the XF, while ‘active’ engine mounts are installed to reduce vibration.