The cat’s got claws

So when one of the most prolific sports car manufacturers on the planet gives an upgrade to their luxury saloon, you just grin and bear it. And that was exactly what I found myself doing inside the XFR, grinning from ear to ear. The XF I've driven in India, but an R at the end makes this experience surreal. At this point I'd like to dissect the XFR, this is very much the XF and from where I'm perched right now this does feel sporty though not much different from the car I drove for our road tests. There is a solitary 'R' stuck on the lower arm of the steering wheel, a supercharged motif on the dials and thats about the only difference I can see. In every other aspect these interiors - dashboard, seats, upholstery et all looks and feels familiar. This cabin has a sense of drama, the gear selector does the popping out of the woodwork bit (which never ceases to amaze me) and the ignition start/stop button does the dull heartbeat like throb. The dashboard for a model year change is still the same, the air-con vents, the interface screen, the buttons, its all familiar until you actually press down on the starter button and get taken back by the sharp bellow of the supercharged V8. This isnt familiar, it doesnt even sound friendly and for a sound so alien to a cabin this luxurious which will seat four comfortably I am beginning to like it already. Externally however a few changes unless you are a true Jaguar fan will go unnoticed. These are the subtly redesigned though substantially larger to look at bumpers at both ends with the front marked by massive air scoops and the new twin projector headlamps that are now swoopy and lose the kink in the middle. They also get the new signature J-Blade LED array that makes the entire headlamp look almost the same as the XJ though its not as slim and long.