Man Maths: Jaguar XFR

Those post-2012 cars are the ones to look for now, if only because they’re so much better looking. The interiors are attractive with a clean, modern layout, though I suspect the materials would feel below par nowadays and the infotainment system little short of hopeless. The rotary gear selector and air vents that only reveal themselves when you start the car are still cool. But you’re not buying this car for its cabin. You only need to flatten the throttle pedal through first, second and third one time to understand the XFR’s true appeal.

With 503bhp channeled to a rear axle that wasn’t really up to the task, the XFR was a real hotrod, no matter how much like a dour four-door saloon it might have looked to most. That supercharged 5-litre V8 is still in service in a limited number of Land Rovers today and it’s long been one of the most characterful V8s out there. From the XFR I remember razor sharp throttle response, the way it ripped around to the redline and a frantic soundtrack.

Later XFR-S variants were more powerful still, but all XFRs handled in broadly the same way – they were relatively softly sprung, so they rode comfortably but you had to put up with a degree of looseness in the body control. But they weren’t sloppy, wallowy old buses – there was real dynamism in there. Their steering was always very quick and light, too.

It seems it isn’t possible to spend more than £20,000 on an XFR these days, even a facelifted one. This black two-owner car has covered 79,000 miles since 2013 and is listed for less than £16,000. If you don’t mind the pre-facelift look, you could spend half that.

New-look Jaguar not for you? I bet you won’t have to look back very far to find one that is.

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