JLR stays faithful to Ford V6 diesel

Ford’s 3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel remains at the heart of the new Jaguar XF, alongside Ingenium powertrains and the 3-litre V6 gasoline engine.

The 3-litre diesel, with its compacted graphite iron (CGI) cylinder block benefits from various advanced technologies that Jaguar claims boost efficiency and refinement still further.

The diesel’s output is now raised to 300PS and 700Nm of torque.  Legendary 3-litre V6 supercharged petrol engine develops 380PS and 450Nm torque.

The V8 gasoline engine and the supercharged V6 were both developed by JLR engineers, stressing again the importance of the new investment in Whitley (see next story) but they are built at a JLR ‘plant within a plant’ at Ford's Bridgend Engine Plant, South Wales.

Meanwhile, the all-new Jaguar XF has a lightweight aluminium-intensive construction making further use of Henrob self-piercing rivets. The new car is 80kg lighter than its closest competitor, resulting in best-in-class efficiency (over 70 mile/gal) and CO2 (104g/km).

The new XF will make its global motor show debut in New York on 1 April. It will be manufactured at JLR's Castle Bromwich Plant alongside the all-aluminium F-Type and XJ.

The new XF retains its predecessor's core attributes but uses Jaguar's advanced aluminium-intensive architecture to elevate them to a completely new level.

Featuring 75 per cent aluminium, the architecture enables weight savings of up to 190kg over the outgoing model and an increase in torsional stiffness of up to 28 per cent.

Though 7mm shorter and 3mm lower than the car it replaces, the XF's 2.96m wheelbase is 51mm longer, enabling class-leading rear seat space with more legroom, knee-room and headroom.

The lightweight aluminium construction is complemented by the new 2-litre Ingenium diesel engines. These are available in 163PS/380Nm and 180PS/430Nm ratings.

The engines are teamed with optimised six-speed manual- and eight-speed automatic transmissions. In 163PS manual form, the XF delivers 104g/km CO2 and JLR claims it is “the lightest, most efficient non-hybrid diesel model in the segment - 80kg lighter than its closest competitor”. All other engines are matched exclusively to eight-speed automatic transmissions.

XF benefits from experienced gained with F-Type and XE to include a “meticulously-tuned” Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) to give the XF a benchmark steering feel and response, and further helping to contribute to the car’s fuel economy.