Those brakes also come in handy at the end of the long straight at the new Circuito de Monteblanco in nearby Huelva, where the XFR reached 140 mph before a hairpin right-hander. What the track also revealed was the need for a stability control setting that allows far more latitude for oversteering without it being turned completely off. Jaguar says it is working on it.
Speaking of latitude, Jaguar's new Indian owner, Tata, is wisely giving Jaguar plenty. The freedom from meddlesome oversight and the lessons Jaguar has learned from its missteps and its successes over the past decade are allowing its people to, in O'Driscoll's words, "make Jaguar Jaguar again." That they're doing so quickly, with limited resources, and producing cars as fine as the XFR, goes a long way toward making past mistakes like the X-type recede in the rearview mirror.
On Sale: August
Base price: $80,000
ENGINE: 5.0L Supercharged V-8, 510 hp, 461 lb-ft
Drive: Rear-wheel