Back in July, British automaker Jaguar revealed the refreshed versions of the XF and XJ model that are available with a new V6 supercharged engine that pumps out 335 hp (340 PS), while the XF also gets a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder turbocharged engine with 237 hp (240 PS). Both of them can be ordered with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This week Jaguar announced that the XF and XJ will be offered with an all-wheel drive system. Developed with Land Rover, this AWD system is available only for the models fitted with the 3.0-liter V6 supercharged engine and the 8-speed automatic transmission coming from ZF. The company said that the AWD XFs and XJs are going to be available in the “snow-belt” regions in some markets, like Russia, Continental Europe, North America and China.
While driving the car in regular weather conditions and on normal roads, this recently introduced electronically-controlled AWD system will send a small amount of “pre-load” torque to the wheels in the front when the car starts off, while once underway it will transfer the rest of the torque to the rear wheels of the vehicle. Whenever it will be necessary, the electronically-controlled wet multi-plate clutch is capable of transferring up to 50% of the available torque to the car’s front wheels for pre-empting the chance of rear-wheel slip or for responding to the wheel slip, says Jaguar.
The driver of the 2013 Jaguar XF or XJ will have the possibility of selecting the “Winter Mode” that will send more pre-load torque to the front wheels, making the change to a 30:70 torque between the front/rear wheels in order to maximize traction while the car is running on a slippery surface. According to Jaguar, the company’s engineers have recalibrated the steering and suspension systems of both cars.
