Jaguar is making some big changes for the 2013 model year sedans. First lets start with powertrains. The tried and true naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 is all but dead. It will now only be available in a single car, the XJL Portfolio. It has now been replaced by a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 making 340 horsepower and 322 lb ft of torque. That’s a fairly large loss of 45 horses and 58 lb ft. Hopefully the weight loss from the smaller engine will help offset the deficit. Jaguar’s current estimates put the V6 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, a few tenths slower than the previously quoted 5.4 of the V8. You can find this new mill standard under the hood of the XJ.
The XF, while available with the new V6, will come standard with an even smaller motor, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The little four-cylinder will pump out a fairly healthy 240 horsepower with torque ratings coming in at 251 lb ft. Acceleration times are pegged at 7.5 seconds to 60, but more importantly (at least for Jag’s CAFE standards) the four-cylinder XF should hit 29 mpg on the highway. Both the XJ and XF will now benefit from more fuel saving tech in the form of a new 8-speed automatic ZF gearbox, replacing the six-speed unit found in last year’s model.
The next big announcement came in the form of all-wheel-drive. Jaguar has been sorely lacking in this segment of the market with no AWD cars for sale, something its competitors have been all too happy provide. If you have visions of four-wheel drifts at the hands of the might XFR, we hate to disappoint, but at this time the AWD system is only available with the new V6 engine. The system does at least maintain a rear bias so driving feel should still be what we have come to expect, there is just now an extra level of safety and ability in foul weather.
If you need to know more about these new creations, we should have extra details after the Paris Motor Show, so until then, feel free to check out our gallery of high-resolution photos of the two cars.
