London Tan/navy/canvas on Caviar. Portfolio, convenience,performance,and cold weather packs plus folding rear seat with ski pass thru.

Arrives in late June.

Will see what the market is like for my existing 2009 luxury at only 60,000 km.

 

Congrats on the order. I thought you wereva dedicated RWD guy when it came to jags?
Lok forward to photos and reviews.

 

woot?

 

Well, I like one awd in the family. They are a hoot to drive in winter.

This new Jaguar system is like BMW X Drive but Jaguar puts zero torque to the front wheels unless needed. It is the best currently available system. Fully rwd until you need a bit of front grip then it can deliver up to 50% to the front even before you think you need it.

Plus land rover guys had input so you are actually getting a range rover coupe.

 

Do we have to pull up all the posts you made stating RWD is perfectly capable with good tires?

Congrats on the purchase! Post pictures when you get it.

 

lol I wasn't going to say anything, but seems like you guys didn't forget about it either.

 

You want controversy try this:

New supercharged V6 is brilliant

My position on awd is based on experience, 40 years+ winter driving in conditions most "winter" drivers have never experienced once let alone many times.

Awd is primarily a fun feature to have for winter driving. Just as anyone with an XFR has far more car than he or she needs, rarely gets to use it, but when the conditions are just right would you go back? Same for me and this new awd XF. It is just an amazing piece of machinery. Much superior to any other awd sedan currently available if only because the awd is completely inactive when traction is sufficient. Zero torque goes forwards under normal driving conditions. This is one reason Jaguar is unconcerned about having no rhd version for their home market. The awd would never be active.

The ONLY reason I have not test driven an XFR is my secure knowledge that were I to do so I would just buy one, on the spot. Shortly thereafter I would be walking out my 6 month license suspension. I am selling my modified Audi S4 primarily for this reason. So, this XF replaces both my existing XF, which I am going to miss immensely, and my slightly crazy Audi. Power, torque and traction are roughly equivalent to the Audi but the XF will be sanely slower (400 lbs heavier) and better for my license.

 

Since i haven't driven the AWD XF and you have.....there is no torque transfer to the front wheels at all? If i am on a dry ground and just floor it? No pull from the steering wheel at all?

 

^^theoretically no. but with that being said, i wouldnt be surprised if there is a slight power transfer to the front to help getting off the line.....probably 20% at most....but not enough for you to feel a tug at the wheel.

thats how my Infiniti was.....roughly 30/70 split up to 12mph....then switches to 0/100.....then adjusts the ratio as needed

 

There is a preset only on initial take off directing 10% of engine torque to the front wheels. As soon as the rear tires can deliver to the road surface all the torque delivered to them then the system reverts to 100% rear drive. You will feel no tug at the wheel except in tight fast corners. I felt no torque effects whatsoever on very slippery roads all the way up to very high speeds on bare road.

Remember though that the 100% rear drive applies only if rear axle grip is sufficient. As soon as the computer decides too much torque is being directed to the rear axle the electronically controlled clutchpack in the transfer case tightens up by the correct amount before wheelspin is detectable by the driver. You cannot spin any of the drivewheels except momentarily on very low grip surfaces.

It's a very cleverly designed system. Jaguar is not exaggerating when they call it "intuitive". However, you cannot switch it off so burnouts just ain't happening and neither is oversteer in the corners even with DSC switched completely off. That's awd for you.

 

Late June?? What takes so long to get it??

 

Congrats! Always a thrill getting a new car.

 

It's just a set of barcodes at the moment. I'm having it built for me.

 

The only reason I know this isn't an exaggeration is because it happened to me.

Don't test drive the XFR.

You will buy it.

 

^^true words about the XFR

does anyone know the name of the AWD system thats being used? sounds very similar to the AT-TESA system...i wouldnt be shocked if it was a derivative of it

 

I have now found out how this Jaguar awd system works. It is finally safe enough for anyone to use.

Google:

jaguar XJ awd system works

And go to the YouTube video that appears in the search list.

 

BREAKING NEWS!

It is safe to use AWD.

 

You got it, finally!

Just this past year the engineers have solved the problem which has plagued this area of car design since...well since the Jensen Interceptor FF.

 

I thought of another way to explain what I'm on about. This video illustrates my point perfectly but only if you know what you're looking at.

To understand the difficulty presented by awd at the limits of traction ask yourself whether you think you can drive like Ken Block. (Just google that name and select a video, preferably a winter one).

If you can then awd is perfectly safe for you. If you're not sure of the answer then it isn't. Until, that is, you find out just how far short of Mr Block's skills you fall.

The key to understanding the dangers presented by awd at the limits of adhesion (not beyond them, at them, everybody crashes beyond those limits, even Mr Block) is to understand how you deal with what would be a power slide on bare Tarmac (wet or dry).

Watch the wheels of the awd Jaguars in the video.

For recovery from a slide with fwd, or to prevent one, the correct answer is always apply a bit less power. For recovery from a slide with rwd, or to prevent one, the correct answer is always apply a bit less power. To prevent a slide with awd the correct answer is always apply a bit less power.

However, if you are already sliding in an awd car there is no correct answer. That's the problem.

If you already have the skill level to understand intuitively, and in the split second which is all you will have to make and implement that decision, whether to apply less power, more power or the same power to correct a slide while driving an awd car then you already have the necessary skills to drive anywhere without that awd and on any road surface. If you don't, you don't. It really is that black and white. Trouble is, unless you know you don't you can kill somebody finding out that you don't. That somebody might be only you, with any luck.

If you watch the wheels in that video you will see the front wheels also spinning up slightly and to a variable degree relative to the rear wheels to maintain the slide. If you watch Ken Block's wheels you'll see the same thing happening. So what you say? Well, in Ken Block's case the only computer in the car adjusting the wheel torque among the four wheels is between his ears. The Jag driver hardly needs to think about it.

I'm no Ken Block but I am willing to bet none of you are either. I know I cannot safely drift a road car on a public road, on bare Tarmac. However I certainly can on snow on a public road and it is essential to safe winter driving to be able to. I can do snow donuts in a fwd, rwd or awd car and in either direction. I can do a handbrake turn, on snow, on a normal city street without endangering anyone or bending any sheet metal. And if you think it's easy to do donuts in a fwd car, try it somewhere safe and see how long it takes you to learn.

Nobody needs awd, the real question is should you want it?

 

This conversation is so ridiculous I can't believe I am even weighing in. First, call me Tommi Mäkinen because I, hands down, prefer all wheel drive in snow. Even my death trap, horribly designed, terrible interior, Torsen center diff Audi. Your arguments make no sense whatsoever. Being able to safely drift a car is essential for winter driving? You want to be safe in the winter, drive so you never slide it.

You know why I want all wheel drive? I ski, I go to the mountains, my place in Vermont has a steep dirt driveway that can turn to ice. I have been on roads in Vermont where nobody can get up unless they had all wheel drive. Ask the people in FWD cars and RWD cars that I passed. They were slid off onto the shoulder. I'm not talking tiny little side roads here. I am talking major state roads and the Killington access road. To say that all wheel drive is unnecessary and not safe for the general population is utterly ridiculous.

You have also said Audis are dangerous because they understeer so much. You do realize that understeer is FAR safer than oversteer, right? Understeer scrubs speed and can eventually put you in the ditch. Oversteer puts you in the ditch immediately if you don't know what you are doing. I guess EVERY auto manufacturer is wrong for setting their cars up to understeer. You should patent your ideas and sell them to all the car companies - you would be rich. I understand too much understeer is not ideal, but it is far safer than oversteer.