It has just been a year since the Jaguar XJ-R was introduced globally and it seems that a redesign is already on its way. A faintly masked test mule of the redesigned XJ-R has been spotted undergoing trials near Nurburgring in Germany. The camouflage was used only at the rear and front, which indicate the areas, which have been affected by the facelift. New rear and front bumper designs can be seen with bigger lower air intakes at the front; the rear bumper appears to get a mild redesign, however still integrates the quadruple exhaust tips of the current model. Powering the XJ-R will be a supercharged 5.0 liter V8 engine, which is good for producing 542 horsepower @ 6500 rpm with 680 newton meters of torque between 2500 and 5500 rpm. That same powerplant is also set to appear on Range Rover Sport that’s currently under development.
As a result of this brutal engine, the current XJ-R can sprint from 0 to 100km/h in a mere 4.6 seconds and onto an electronically limited top speed of 280km/h.
The engine is likely to be mated to ZF 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission. Prototypes of the standard redesigned Jaguar XJ-R have also been spotted testing with the most recent pictures showing the new model parked next to current XJ. Again, the main cosmetic changes in line for the British automaker’s premium sedan focus on its rear and front bumpers.
The changes at front are quite clear, with huge grille that’s slightly downsized by making it less deep. Large air intakes in the front lower corners of the hood now feature a cleaner and bigger design. The headlights appear to remain unchanged from 2014 model units, which saw the addition of orange indicator unit.
The British automaker has seen sales of the Jaguar XJ rise steadily in recent months, recording a 23% increase between January and September 2013 and the previous period in 2012. The jump in sales is partly due to increasing success in China.
Image Courtesy – www.autocar.co.uk