Jaguar XF 5.0 V8: You Know You Want To
A V8 XF without the R shouty bits? Yes please!
Now if we could just find a facelift V8...
Originally this was going to be the XF SV8, the supercharged 420hp model that preceded the XFR. A fine car it is too - stylish, fast and by all accounts an excellent drive as well. They are available from £12K in the PH classifieds now, complete with those stunning five-spoke wheels.
But the SV8 is made to look as common as a Honda Civic by the model that effectively replaced it: the 5.0 V8. In 2009 the new V8 arrived with the XFR, supercharged to 510hp and sending the British motoring press into a frenzy with its pace and ability. But it was also offered in naturally aspirated guise with 385hp and without much sporting pretence at all. It was aimed more at the American market, where large V8 sedans are of course very popular. But who would buy one in the UK? The SV8 at least sold to the early adopters who wanted a fast XF. With the R's arrival that position was certainly spoken for, leaving the naturally aspirated V8 with very few likely customers. Performance is covered by the R, efficiency by the then-new twin-turbo diesel. But a few years on in the classifieds...
You read that right - V8 XF that isn't an XFR!
There are a few of these luxury saloons with big engines and little sporting aspiration around. And they look rather excellent actually. See the BMW 550i SE, with 400hp from a turbocharged V8 and a 525d aesthetic. Lord knows what happened to the tail lights there but a very interesting car nonetheless. And though the Audi S6 is more overtly sporting, it would be hard to tell from this car. Plus there's the Volvo S80 V8 as well. Now there's a cool four-door saloon.
They are all more numerous than the XF though, at least by cars available on PH. Oh sure, it will be expensive to run and sensible people in sensible shoes will tell you the diesel is just as quick in 'the real world'. But the 5.0 has incredible rarity curio charm on top of the XF's regular talents. And a V8. What more do you need?
JAGUAR XF 5.0 V8 S PREMIUM LUXURY
Price: £22,221
Why you should: Discreet, desirable V8 Jaguar saloon
Why you shouldn't: Spec perhaps too fuddy-duddy? The SV8 is faster and cheaper too
See the original advert here.
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Switched to a Jaguar XF 5.0 V8 Portfolio last June after 13 years with a succession of two S-Type V8s. Delighted with the car and a major step forward from the S-Type. Mine is Emerald Fire with Barley interior and fully loaded including the rare sun roof. Fewer miles and cheaper than the car in the advert mentioned in the article, and from a JMD too.
I like the unstressed engine which delivers 385 BHP as it's more of an expected Jaguar ride than the SV8 and XF-R. Cheaper to run, rarer too.
The only down side is the modest fuel tank.
Less than 60 in the UK according to How-many-are-left.
R.
For example:
- BMW 550i (as in the article). 4.8l, 367bhp
- Mercedes ClS/E500. 5.4l, 388bhp
- Audi A6 4.2 FSI (my car). 4.2l, 345bhp
Note also the AWD versions which, like many AWD offerings, are likely to be popular in the Northeast corridor (approximately Boston, New York and Philadelphia) where snow and heavy rains are not uncommon.
Switched to a Jaguar XF 5.0 V8 Portfolio last June after 13 years with a succession of two S-Type V8s. Delighted with the car and a major step forward from the S-Type. Mine is Emerald Fire with Barley interior and fully loaded including the rare sun roof. Fewer miles and cheaper than the car in the advert mentioned in the article, and from a JMD too.
I like the unstressed engine which delivers 385 BHP as it's more of an expected Jaguar ride than the SV8 and XF-R. Cheaper to run, rarer too.
The only down side is the modest fuel tank.
Less than 60 in the UK according to How-many-are-left.
R.
Matt
On my shopping list when they drop sub 15k
Just goes to show that the rest of the world is better at knowing what makes a great Jag than we Brit's do, as we predominantly buy the 2.2 diesel version...A very sorry state of affairs.
Jaguar did not market this car effectively in the UK. It would appear, disappear and then re-appear in the brochures. It was often marketed as special order only.
I think the majority sold when Jaguar had a push on petrol XFs in 2010/11. The car had about £5k off list when new and was therefore cheaper (and better ) than the higher powered V6 diesel. Most of the later ones have the diesel S bodywork and Jaguar sports seats. Incidentally Jaguar sold far more (Ford) 3.0 petrol XFs in 2010 when the car was properly marketed (and usefully cheaper than the diesel). It just goes to show, there is a market for a petrol Jag' in the UK, but the marketing/sales team need to get the promotion/pricing right!
The N/A engine was dropped from the price list when the 3.0 supercharged six replaced it. This is a good engine, but many US reviews say that the V8 was a better engine and has more character (and is a bit quicker). Incidentally, real world fuel consumption is not supposed to be much different.
The N/A version of the engine lived on in the XK until September last year. For some reason Jaguar did not replace it with the 3.0 supercharged from the F-type. I suppose the V8 was considered more of a GT engine, the V6 more of a sports car engine?
In the states you can get the supercharged V8 in non-R trim. It looks the same as any of the higher spec V6 petrols but has a 470BHP 5.0 V8. Probably a very good car for those who like power but don't want to shout about it.
There were <100 V8 models ever sold in the UK I believe.
Again, this was a much more popular car in the states (and Eastern Europe if the YouTube videos are anything to go by).
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