Auto Express has confirmed what we’ve speculated for quite some time with a high-performance variant of the upcoming Jaguar XE in the works and set to rival the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Likely to be dubbed the Jaguar XE SVR, the car should deliver class-leading performance and refinement.
Under the hood, it will unsurprisingly use Jaguar’s existing 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine. This powertrain will be tuned to deliver a total of 489 hp helping the XE SVR to sprint to 100 km/h in a mere 4 seconds as well as an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h. However, Jaguar recently confirmed that the XE will be capable of hitting over 300 km/h (186 mph) so this will likely come by unlocking the limiter at the customer’s request.
Mated to this potent engine will be the firm’s 8-speed automatic transmission with it set to be tweaked to provide faster gear changes for the car. Elsewhere, the Jaguar XE SVR will adopt larger performance brakes as well as revised and stiffer suspension and of crucial importance, an electronically controlled limited slip differential.
As is typically the case with high-performance variants like this, the Jaguar XE SVR will adopt a more aggressive bodykit to help differentiate itself from lesser XE models. This bodykit will likely include new bumpers, side skirts, a redesigned front grille, quad tailpipes and a rear diffuser.
Auto Express says that testing for the XE SVR will be largely conducted at the Nurburgring so we should see prototypes hitting the track in the next 6 months or so.
Elsewhere, one other crucial feature the new XE has adopted is advanced double wishbone front suspension constructed from aluminium and similar to the F-Type sports car. Jaguar claims that this suspension setup means the XE will be as stiff as the XFR. Furthermore, the rear suspension also uses aluminium for much of its construction.
[Via Auto Express]
