Two wild Jags unleashed: XFR & XKR
When Deborah Henry and Hannah Loh revved up a couple of Jaguars parked right inside the Centre Court of Pavilion KL, they were both participating in a small moment of history. They had signalled the simultaneous unleashing of a combined 1020hp onto Malaysian roads. Ladies and gentlemen, they were marking the launch of the Jaguar XFR and XKR.
Top dogs amongst the hierarchy of Jaguar models, both the XFR and XKR are powered by a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine. Its peak horsepower of 510hp comes between 6,000 and 6,500rpm, while its peak torque of 625Nm is delivered from, get this, 2,500 to 5,500rpm. In plain English, this means that you get a planetful of torque if you so much as rest a feather on the accelerator.
“The engines in these two models have been engineered for the next generation of Jaguar cars. They deliver fantastic performance and response that is second to none. Smooth around town, but hugely responsive when necessary and delivering that classic, Jaguar sound quality,” said Tuan Syed Hussain Syed Mohamed, MD of Sisma Auto Sdn Bhd, Jaguar’s sole importer and distributor in Malaysia.
“The new XFR and XKR range offers a superb blend of performance and contemporary desirability, which means Jaguar is now moving even further ahead of its rivals in the sports sedan market,” Syed added.
Jaguar built the XFR with their benchmarks set in Germany, at Munich, Stuttgart and Ingolstadt respectively. Official press release materials openly stated that the XFR is aimed to compete against the BMW M5, Merc E63 AMG and Audi RS6. While we have no doubts the XFR would be at least capable in matching the E60 M5, it remains to be seen how the XFR holds its ground when BMW brings out the F10 to replace the E60.
Not that the F10 will have it easy though. The XFR does the century sprint in just 4.9 seconds, and can max out at 363.188kph (if you’re interested to know this to the third decimal place) when the 250kph speed limiter is removed. This makes the XFR the fastest Jaguar ever, eclipsing the 349.4kph top speed record set by the old XJ220 in 1992.
Being a Jag, the XFR does not only need to be sporty, it also has to be comfy. This is a balance that’s tricky to achieve at best and impossible at worst. The folks at Jag thought so too, and hence summoned the help of the microchips to assist the driver, with Adaptive Dynamics and Active Differential Control the core electronic driving aids for the XFR.
Like its rivals, the XFR subtly hints at the added potency it has compared to its regular brethren. The front bumper is reshaped, but just only slightly, with the horizontal slats bisecting the lower intake removed, leaving a large chrome-surrounded vent to suggest a huge breath. The remaining visual upgrades come in the form of 20″ Nevis alloys, and (very) subtle side skirts.
The XKR, meanwhile, is unveiled in both coupe and cabriolet form, both costing in excess of a million ringgit. Its running gear is similar to the XFR, with the same engine, transmission and electronics made available. Jaguar also brought over the knob-like Jaguar Drive Selector for control of the 6-speed automatic transmission used in both cars.
A price tag in excess of RM 1 million (excluding insruance) puts both variants of the XKR beyond the reach of all but the richest and most affluent Malaysians. The XFR is available at a slightly lower price tag of RM901,218.00 (OTR excluding insurance).
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| Prices for the XFR and XKR in the Peninsula |
