£37,985 Audi A6 3.0 TDI quattro S-line
Engine: 24v 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel, 2967cc
Maximum power: 237bhp @4400-4700rpm
Maximum torque: 500Nm @1500-3000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, AWD
Weight: 1760kg
0-60: 6.6 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)

Average fuel economy: 42.2mpg
Carbon dioxide emissions: 179g/km

£42,605 BMW 535d M Sport
Engine: 24v 3.0-litre I6 twin-turbodiesel, 2993cc
Maximum power: 286bhp @4400rpm
Maximum torque: 580Nm @1750-2250rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, RWD
Weight: 1735kg
0-60: 6.4 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)

Average fuel economy: 42.2mpg
Carbon dioxide emissions: 178g/km

£43,455 Jaguar XF Diesel S Portfolio
Engine: 24-valve 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbodiesel, 2993cc
Maximum power: 275bhp @4000rpm
Maximum torque: 600Nm @2000rpm
Transmission: JaguarDrive 6-speed automatic with paddleshift, RWD
Weight: 1820kg
0-60: 5.9 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)

Average fuel economy: 42mpg
Carbon dioxide emissions: 179g/km

(couldn’t find any decent pictures of the E350 CDI – but it looks identical to this E500 Sport)

£35,970 Mercedes E350 CDI Sport
Engine: 24v 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel, 1987cc
Maximum power: 231bhp @3800rpm
Maximum torque: 540Nm @1600-2400rpm
Transmission: 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic,
Weight: 1825kg
0-60: 6.9
Top speed: 155 (electronically limited)

Average fuel economy: 40.9mpg
Carbon dioxide emissions: 186g/km

Layout: Front Engine, AWD
Transmission: 7 Speed PDK
Type: Porsche V8
Induction: Twin-turbocharged:
Displacement: 4.8 liters
Horsepower: 500 bhp
Curb Weight: 4350 lbs
Acceleration 0-60 mph s: 4.0 seconds
Top Speed: 188 mph
Base Price: $132,600

Layout: Front Engine, RWD
Transmission: 6 Speed Automatic
Displacement cu in (cc): 5.0 liters
Power bhp (kW) at RPM: 510 bhp
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM: 461 lb-ft. (625 Nm)
Type: AJ-V8 Gen III Supercharged
Acceleration 0-60 mph s: 4.7 seconds
Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited)
Base Price: $70,000)

A new 510-hp V-8 makes this cat an M5-eater.

Known lately for its sleepy, leaping cats, Jaguar has taken its fangs off the nightstand and stuck them back in. The sporty “R” designation gets pinned to the tail of the pretty and still-pretty-new $52,000 XF, the mid-size sedan below the big XJ. The result: 510 tech-infused horsepower and a price hike to $80,000. The driving sophistication is high, and some test numbers we managed to quickly extract during the XFR’s introduction are 10 degrees north of wow: 4.3 seconds to 60 mph, a quarter-mile pierced in 12.7 seconds at 115 mph. The M5 flinches.

Jaguar likes to talk about root icons such as the shark-finned Le Mans D-types and the blaze of XK120 headlights on the rain-swept Italian roads of the Mille Miglia. Ah, cracking good stuff—buried under a manure pile of more recent mediocrity. Arriving in late June, the 2010 XFR, like the aluminum-bodied XKR coupe, which also receives the supercharged, 5.0-liter direct-injection V-8, is a solid start at redemption.

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 4.3 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 9.6 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 13.6 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 4.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.7 sec @ 115 mph
Top speed (governor limited, mfr’s claim): 155 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 155 ft

Full Test: Car and Driver – Short Take: 2010 Jaguar XFR

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Rating:

If the 503bhp, £80,000 supercharged XKR is beyond your budget, don’t despair. Jaguar has updated its entry-level XK with a raft of engineering changes and a mild facelift inside and out, but can it improve on the pure driving experience of its predecessor?

The major addition is under the bonnet, where Jag has shoehorned in its all-new direct-injection 5.0-litre V8 in naturally aspirated form. Despite the absence of a supercharger, there’s still 379bhp and 500Nm of torque to play with – significantly better then the old 4.2-litre unit, and almost as much as the outgoing XKR. There are also new dampers and springs tuned for a sportier drive.

Full (short) Story: AutoExpress – Jaguar XK 5.0

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PowerPoint presentations can be boring affairs, but one slide in Jaguar’s presentation of its new 5.0-litre V8 engine made me sit up and take notice. According to some real-world data collection, most drivers spend 95 per cent of the time with the engine below 4,000rpm and 80 per cent below 2,500rpm. That would suggest that high-revving engines are wasted on the average driver. This piece of information was central to the development of Jaguar’s new naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8. We tried it out for size in the updated XF saloon and in the facelifted XK Convertible.

In the Metal

It’s fair to say that the outgoing XK had few critics when it came to its exterior styling. It represents a more modern Jaguar with sharp, graceful lines that hold just the right level of muscularity. Unsurprisingly, the 2010 model year version receives only minor tweaks, including new front and rear bumpers and mirrors. The redesigned rear lights, featuring LED graphics, are perhaps the most obvious difference, along with new wheels and colour options.

Jaguar has spent more time on the XK’s interior. It now features the XF’s unique rotary gear selector and a revised centre console to match. Other details – such as the white illumination for the instruments and chrome highlights on the electric seat switches -raise the overall sensation of an individual, high quality interior. Importantly, you feel like it’s a special car just by sitting into it.

Full Story: The Car Enthusiast – 2010 Jaguar XK 5.0 V8

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