New cat on the prowl

When Ford sold the iconic British marques Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors Ltd. of India in March, 2008, many auto industry watchers just shook their heads – for several reasons.

First, there was amazement that Ford finally had found someone to take the two money-draining brands off its hands. Secondly, there was doubt that Tata, responsible for some of the cheapest, most rudimentary vehicles built in the last 20 years, would succeed with Land Rover and Jaguar.

After all, Tata had just announced the world’s least expensive mass-produced car – the four-door Nano – for its home market. Company chairman Ratan Tata wanted his “people’s car” to sell for $2,000 U.S. and it came in just slightly higher. So how, the doubters wondered, could a company like that take over a prestige marque like Jaguar?

Well, the answer is very nicely, thank you, if the first Jaguar launched under Tata’s ownership is an example.

The new 2010 XF Premium and XFR models are powered by a new direct injection 5.0-litre V8. Jaguar says this is the most advanced engine it has ever produced, offering significant increases in performance and fuel economy. And it delivers a lot more torque than the previous generation 4.2 V8 that still powers the base XF.

Although priced competitively with the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the XFR’s ride, handling and acceleration are comparable to the much more expensive M5 and E-Class AMG.

At the heart of the beast is the new 510-hp engine coupled to a reworked six-speed transmission capable of handling its massive torque output (461 lb.-ft.), and which can be shifted manually using wheel-mounted paddles.

There’s a brief hesitation when you hammer it, then – whoosh! – the supercharger kicks in and it feels like you’re jet-propelled. Good thing the big front buckets have lots of support, because at full throttle you’re pushed well back into them. (Jaguar claims a 0-100 km/h time of 4.9 seconds for the XFR compared to 5.7 seconds for the XF Premium with its normally aspirated 5.0-litre V8.)

There is a handy round knob on the centre console, just like Benz and Bimmer, but this one pops up when you press the start button, and instead of a controller to operate systems such as navigation audio it becomes a rotary gear selector.

It’s not that the XFR isn’t loaded with the same kind of technology that’s become overkill in many of today’s luxury cars – it is. But unlike Mercedes’ Comand system or BMW’s iDrive, Jaguar employs a touch screen. It’s so easy to operate that even an aging auto journalist can quickly learn how to use it. Instead of having to turn to the owner’s manual to figure out how things function, the Jag’s controls are quite intuitive.

The car attracts all kind of attention – far more, in fact, than any new vehicle I’d driven in quite some time. Almost every time I parked it, whether on the street or in a mall, when I returned to it there was someone peering in one of the windows.

The traditional leather and wood interiors are beautifully crafted, but a feature I don’t get is the vents for the heating/cooling system that open and close when the starter button is pressed. Pointless gimmickry.

But other than that, there’s little to complain about. XFR models have heated and cooled power front seats, Bi-Xenon headlamps, blind Spot Monitors, unique 20-inch alloy wheels and rear camera parking assist.

This new cat is sure footed thanks to Adaptive Dynamics – computer controlled, continuously variable damping – and Active Differential Control – an electronically controlled rear differential. And the growl from its quad tailpipes under full throttle is a warning to the rest of the luxury car world that the cat is back.