Action-figure lats for one of Jag's quicker cats. August 2013
Whether or not you’ve heard of Jeffry Life, you know his face—or, more accurately, his body. Dr. Life
is the balding 74-year-old with the chiseled torso in those
hormone-replacement ads that look like an old head that’s been
manipulated by Photoshop onto a young body. Like Life, Jaguar has
recently rediscovered a more youthful self, and the XFR-S appears, on
first blush, to be digitally enhanced, as well.
But that Schwarzeneggerian physique really is Life’s, and this is no
faux mash-up of a Jaguar and a Mitsubishi Evo. The Jag’s wing is real
(albeit optional) and is backed up by genuine muscle. Changes to the
engine-management controls and exhaust system squeeze an additional 40
horsepower and 41 lb-ft of torque from Jaguar’s blown 5.0-liter V-8, for
totals of 550 and 502. That’s good for an estimated 0-to-60-mph time of
barely more than four seconds and a terminal velocity of 186 mph. A
symposer pipes intake noise into the cabin, but the guttural exhaust
howl is all you really want to hear. A new torque converter and uprated
half-shafts aim to keep the driveline intact.
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Life-Affirming Chassis
The front and rear springs are stiffened 40 percent compared with the XFR’s,
meaning they are 100 percent more rigid than those on a regular XF, and
the adaptive dampers are firmer in their baseline and Dynamic settings.
The R-S packs a new rear subframe, stiffer bushings, and fresh knuckles
front and rear. The braking hardware is untouched—and given the
160-foot stop we’ve previously recorded from an XFR, entirely
capable—but underbody ducting is said to improve cooling. Twenty-inch
wheels are 0.5 inch wider up front and 1.0 wider out back and are
strapped with 265/35 front and 295/30 rear rubber. Jaguar says lift is
down by 68 percent from the XFR’s, crediting aero tweaks such as
resculpted fascias front and rear, unique rocker panels, and a wing that
looks as out of place on a Jag as Dr. Life’s action-figure lats do on
him. (A smaller lip spoiler is standard but seems incongruously prudent
for such a screamer.) French Racing Blue and Italian Racing Red are
among the five color choices, but, perhaps because it is too demure,
British Racing Green isn’t.
The base XFR is one of the smoothest-riding cars in its class, but
firming up the suspension to XFR-S stiffness levels doesn’t wreck the
ride. It does add needed discipline to the body control, and the result
is behavior deserving of a big, gaudy wing. Turn-in is greatly improved,
and the tail is happy to aid directional changes. As one of a
decreasing population that still uses hydraulically boosted power
steering—and thanks to a claimed 80-percent increase in the stiffness of
its front knuckles—the R-S’s steering wheel boasts delightfully linear
effort buildup in corners. Slight twitchiness under braking reinforces
the impression that the car is spring-loaded for directional changes, a
hooligan of the highest order.
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Post by JARED GALL
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