LA show: Jaguar to reveal fastest sedan

JAGUAR will show its claws at the Los Angeles motor next week when it reveals its fastest sedan yet, the XFR-S.

Packing more than 400kW from Jaguar’s most potent supercharged 5.0-litre V8, the XFR-S is expected to dash from zero to 100km/h in about 4.5 seconds – smack on the same pace as BMW’s benchmark M5.

The engine – transplanted from Jaguar’s 404kW/680Nm XKR-S sportscar – produces about 27kW more than the unit in the current XF range hero, the 375kW XFR, that made its global debut at the 2009 Detroit motor show.

The fiery XFR-S is expected to go into production next year.

JLR Australia is still mulling plans for the car, although the company has committed to bringing at least one into the country for promotional purposes.

Marketing and public affairs specialist Narine Salmasi told GoAuto said that if the decision was taken to import the car, it most likely would be offered on a build-to-order basis, under the same system as the XKR-S.

A teaser photo of part of the XFR-S’s front fascia reveals a carbon-fibre surround in the lower air opening and a similar item in the grille in place of the chrome grille surround treatment of the XFR.

Spy photos taken at the Nurburgring in Germany reveal bonnet scoops, deeper side skirts and a rear spoiler.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) chose the LA show for the car’s debut because it expects the United States to be the largest market for it, as well as the new F-Type that is making its first appearance at an American show in LA after its Paris reveal.

Left: Current Jaguar XFR.

Production numbers for the XFR-S will be limited, with just 200 going to US buyers. The Australian allocation is yet to be set.

JLR North America president Andy Goss said the LA show would be one of the most significant shows in years for the company “Jaguar Land Rover is making major strides to grow the business with highly targeted new products,” he said.

“The new Jaguar F-Type, Jaguar XFR-S and all-new Range Rover will all make a major impact, specifically in the United States, which will be the world’s largest market for all three vehicles.” The XFR-S is expected to carry a significant price premium over the XFR, which recently was given a $21,400 price haircut for the 2013 model year, reducing the ask to $189,000 (plus on-road costs) in Australia.

While the 5.0-litre supercharged XFR can cover the 0-100km/h dash in 4.9 seconds, the XFR-S is expected to clip that by about 0.4 of a second.

The main competitors for the XFR-S is expected to be BMW’s $230,000 M5 that belts out 424kW and 680Nm from its twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8, and Mercedes-Benz’s $240,485 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 E63 AMG (386kW/700Nm and 4.3 seconds).

At the other end of the scale, JLR Australia is warming up a new XF base model for the Australian market.

The 2.0-litre XF 2.0L will be launched in December, powered by the same four-cylinder engine as Ford’s Falcon EcoBoost.

This $68,900 model will add a new affordability to the XF petrol range, even slipping under the 2.2-litre diesel models that get a luxury car tax discount because of their low fuel consumption.

The new XF line-up and pricing was announced at the recent Australian International Motor Show.