Jaguar XF and XFR get 2012 facelift to match concept

Jaguar, the British luxury carmaker and wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, have introduced their facelifted XF model for 2012 at the 2011 New York International Auto Show. Resembling the C-XF concept design which debuted in 2007, more than ever before, the new XF looks promising enough to attract a fair share of popularity.

Alterations to the 2012 Jaguar XF are confined to some cosmetic changes and some improvements to the interior appointments. The XF now looks meaner, sporting redesigned headlamps nicely complemented by a mildly-redesigned front fascia, front grille and bonnet. Rear lamps have been reworked too. The exhaust pipes are now oval in shape and are firmly attached to the body to prevent any misalignments.

The XF-R is differenciated with a front fascia that has been more aggresively styled. For 2012, the XF-R will have only one air intake to nosh the intercoolers -– hence one of the two lower intake vents on the front fascia will be blocked off.

The interior of the XF has been upgraded with a newly-designed steering wheel and a new instrument panel featuring an in-dash full-colour 7-inch TFT screen to facilitate infotainment and navigation requirements. The new touchscreen software is said to be faster and more responsive to inputs. The audio unit comes with 30GB of storage and a standard 400-watt system, an optional 600-watt system, or a 1200-watt system which features 17-speakers with subwoofer from Bowers & Wilkins, also as an option. The new XF features new seat frames too with more aggressive bolsters.

While a new 2.2-litre Turbo Diesel engine has been introduced for the European markets, expect carryover powertrains to power this cat in the GCC.

Keep track of UAE updates in the Jaguar XF buyer guide.