Jaguar XF with all-wheel drive

Naturally this has some effect on the XF, beyond the welcome ability to handle trickier road conditions than the two-wheel drive version. It adds about 105kg but Jaguar say this still makes the AWD XF the lightest saloon in its class, thanks to the lightweight architecture.

It also has a fractional effect on the speed, with a 0-62mph time of 7.9sec and a top speed of 136mph. Fuel consumption with AWD is 57.7mpg and 129g/km of CO2.

As part of the all-wheel drive package, the Driving Dynamics system (as in the AWD F-Type) sends power to the rear wheels only but can shift some to the front in the event of loss of traction, and it can also be used to counter oversteer in faster corners.

Also making its debut in a diesel-engined XF is Configurable Dynamics. This allows the driver to play with lots of settings for everything from the suspension to the infotainment system. This is joined by the Adaptive Surface Response system, which improves the XF’s responses to different road conditions, from rain to snow. It should integrate perfectly with the all-wheel drive system.

The AWD XF can be ordered now, with delivery a few months away. The all-wheel drive model costs about £4000 more than the standard entry-level saloon and so prices will begin at £36,350.