- Borrows styling cues from the XE

- Revamped interior gets a massive touchscreen

- New hybrid powertrains join the line-up

Jaguar has taken the covers off the new and updated XF sedan and the Sportbrake (estate). The mid-life update for the mid-size luxury sedan is here with a redesigned face, sleeker pair of tail lamps, and completely revamped interiors.

With the design language set down by the XE, the XF wears similarly styled headlamps with ‘double-J’ lighting signature. Likewise, the taillights are now sleeker than before with a tweaked lighting signature. Part of the update are the redesigned bumpers which get larger air dams up front and sporty diffusers at the rear. Additionally, the dynamic Pixel LED technology is optional.

On the inside, the saloon gets new, deliciously-designed steering wheel borrowed from the XE. Behind it is an all-digital instrument cluster giving out more information than before. On the centre console sits a massive 11.4-inch curved-glass HD touchscreen with JLR’s newest Pivi Pro infotainment system. It’s surrounded by elegant looking materials like magnesium alloy, open-pore wood veneer, and aluminium along with piano-black inserts. Also, the characteristic circular knob is replaced by a joystick which looks much more premium than the one seen in the XE.

Being a luxury sedan, feature list includes everything from wireless charging, smartphone connectivity, massage functions, heated and cooled seats to a PM2.5 air purifier, and personalisation for leather upholstery. The Pivi Pro also gets the new-age connectivity features.

The updated XF debuts something called ‘Active Road Noise Cancellation’ technology which monitors vibrations from the road surface and calculates the opposite phase sound wave to remove the noise heard by the occupants resulting in a quieter cabin. Moreover, the ClearSight IRVM, first used in the Discovery Sport, is also offered with the XF.

Powertrain wise, the XF can be had with both petrol and diesel engine options from the Ingenium family, with a newer mild-hybrid choice. The 2.0-litre diesel puts out 200bhp paired with an eight-speed auto in both RWD/AWD configuration. Meanwhile, the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol is available in two states of tune – 250bhp/365Nm and 300bhp/400Nm, both getting an eight-speed auto as standard, but the latter is the only one available with an AWD layout and it can do a 0-100kmph sprint in just 5.8 seconds.

A 203bhp diesel mild-hybrid with 430Nm claims a 0-100kmph time of 7.1 seconds while emitting just 130g/km of CO2. Fuel efficiency for the MHEV is claimed at 57.2mpg (approx. 24kmpl). Jaguar says that the running cost of the MHEV is down by 13 per cent while there is an improvement in efficiency by 14 per cent.

The updated Jaguar XF is available for sale in the UK right away. Indian debut of the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class rival is expected to take place next year or in 2022.