New Jaguar XF 2.2L Diesel Does 816 Miles on One Tank

Picture a classic Jaguar - like an E-Type or a XK Roadster - in your head for a second. Now imagine a cup of diesel fuel. The two clash badly, don’t they? That’s exactly the feeling we get when we think of the British carmaker’s new 2.2-liter diesel engine. We can live with the idea of a smooth-running turbocharged V6 living under the bonnet of the XF, but not a four-pot.

To prove the error of our ways, Jaguar has taken the 2.2-liter diesel-powered XF one a journey to prove its GT credentials. There was no questioning the fact that this could be the most efficient Jaguar ever, but the test team managed to pull off something we’d have expected from an extended range hybrid.

With the tank filled to the brim and sealed off, the XF was driven from the factory in which it was created at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, to Munich – a distance of 816 miles or 1313 kilometers if you like figures in metric. Impressed? We are, especially considering the fact that they crossed four countries, using a mix of winding country roads, motorways and dense urban traffic.

On-hand to meet the car on its arrival in Munich was Andy Whyman, Chief Programme Engineer for the XF, who commented: “The entire development team is very proud of what the new XF 2.2 has achieved – this not only proves the efficiency of the new model but underlines that performance and economy can be combined.”

Despite being so frugal, the XF 2.2 has 190 on tap and 332 lbs ft of torque, to allow the car to accelerate from rest to 62 mph in just 8.5 seconds before reaching a top speed of 140 mph. Jaguar has definitely changed our opinion of the XF, now if they could only make that 3-Series rival a bit faster we could all stop buying BMWs.