What's the news?
Here's something that was as sure as night following day - the new Jaguar XF, following closely in the tyre treads of its smaller brother, the XE, now has the option of all-wheel drive (AWD).
As with the XE, the AWD system is only available on the 180hp 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel model and if you have drive to all four corners, you also have to have the eight-speed automatic gearbox; the manual isn't an option.
It's the first time Jaguar has offered AWD and a four-cylinder engine on a mid-sized executive saloon like the XF, with the system featuring Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD) to send torque to the front axle only when it's required. In other words, the XF AWD drives just like a rear-drive Jaguar, right up until the point the traction is compromised; then the IDD kicks into action.
Jaguar is also bringing Configurable Dynamics - originally only offered on the V6 XFs - to the automatic 180hp diesels as well, while manual XFs now come with Adaptive Dynamics continuously variable damping.
For the AWD XF, Adaptive Surface Response (AdSR) technology replaces Rain, Ice, Snow mode in the Jaguar Drive Control and optimises the mapping of the throttle, automatic transmission and DSC system to suit the type of surface, while All Surface Progress Control is also part of its technology suite.
Kevin Stride, Jaguar's vehicle line director for the XF, said: "The all-new Jaguar XF is already established as the most dynamically-rewarding saloon car in the business segment. Now we're making the performance and traction benefits of all-wheel drive accessible to more customers worldwide by combining the system with our clean, refined and efficient Ingenium diesel engines.
"By making our Configurable Dynamics and Adaptive Dynamics technologies available on more models across the range, we're once again raising the benchmark for ride and handling."
Anything else?
Delivering the same 180hp at 4,000rpm and 430Nm from 1,750- to 2,500rpm, opting for AWD adds 105kg to the XF 2.0d 180 Automatic's 1,595kg kerb weight, leading to a 1,700kg total for the XF AWD. That has an impact on acceleration and economy: the RWD XF manages 0-100km/h in 8.1 seconds, 65.7mpg (4.3 litres/100km) and 114g/km CO2, while the AWD model's comparative figures are 8.4 seconds, 57.7mpg (4.9 litres/100km) and 129g/km. Both cars reach a top speed of 219km/h.