LITTLE more than a year after introducing the XF range with the SV8 as its flagship, Jaguar gets serious about a mid-range rival to the Mercedes E63 AMG and BMW M5. The new XFR performance leader warrants the ‘R’ badge, thanks to a new supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine that owes nothing to the previous 4.2-litre unit and ups the performance quota significantly while still matching the previous model’s fuel consumption and emissions levels. Though the price has gone up $35,000 to $208,450, the XFR is still much cheaper than its German super-saloon rivals.