Start with what the Jaguar C-XF is: a 4-door saloon with 4.2 , built from 2007, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Ian Callum.
The story
The Jaguar C-XF (or Concept-XF) was a concept car that was designed to showcase the preliminary styling cues of the yet to be announced Jaguar XF. The C-XF was unveiled in the 2007 North American International Auto Show with the production version of the XF announced in the Autumn of 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The C-XF project was led by Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum and Head of Advanced Design Julian Thomson. It featured a 4.2-litre supercharged V8 engine, a 6-speed automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift, single slim-wedged headlamps which have evolved from the twin-lamp motif seen on past Jaguars, performance-themed interior, JaguarDrive Selector, Dual View screen, and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system.
A prototype with a body styling that was based on the S-Type had also been built, but was rejected before the C-XF concept was finalised.
What is underneath
The engine is 4.2 . Drive goes through a 6-speed automatic. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Hyundai i30, the Nissan GT-R, the Volkswagen Tiguan. Nearby in the Jaguar catalogue sit the F-Type and the Vanden Plas.
Owning one today
EPA combined economy is 28 mpg, about $4,550 a year in fuel at the EPA's assumptions. Condition, mileage and specification move any single car a long way from a headline figure.