Jaguar serves up new model with a little help from Andy Murray
Jaguar has launched its latest car – with the help of reigning Wimbledon champion and world number one Andy Murray.
The two-time Wimbledon champion pulled the covers off the new Jaguar XF Sportbrake, which will be the vehicle used to carry the famous trophy on a promotional tour of the UK ahead of the tennis championship next month.
Jaguar is the Official Car Partner of The Wimbledon Championships and to celebrate the relationship the premium estate was revealed on a replica Centre Court.
Murray said: “Winning my first major title ten years ago was an amazing moment for me; the culmination of everything I’d worked for my whole life. I feel very lucky to have got to where I am today and hope that anyone passionate about tennis gets the opportunity to play and improve.
“Letting go of the trophy will be difficult, but there’s no better vehicle than the Jaguar XF Sportbrake to take it on this UK tour. I’m pleased that people are going to be able to get up close to the trophy when it visits schools and tennis clubs, and hopefully it might encourage people to pick up a racket this summer.”
The XF Sportbrake was first launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012 and joins the XF range in the tenth year of its production run.
An all-new version of the executive saloon was launched two years ago and the new Sportbrake is a derivative of that.
Much of the marque’s renewed popularity has been down to the XE and the F-Pace crossover, leaving the XF somewhat in the shadows.
However, the model remains popular and the addition of the Sportbrake, with its sports car-derived handling and large load space, is expected to reinforce that.
Jaguar’s director of design, Ian Callum, who oversaw the original XF, said: “The iconic Jaguar posters of the 1950s promised customers grace, pace and space. The XF Sportbrake re-imagines this offer for 21st-century active families, with stunning looks, sports car performance and a load space fit for active lifestyles.”
Innovations on the new model include an intuitive gesture-controlled sunblind for the Sportbrake’s super-sized, full-length, panoramic roof, Driver Condition Monitoring to detect signs of tiredness and a waterproof Activity Key drivers can wear while playing sport.
Customers can also specify Cabin Air Ionisation, which purifies air to provide protection against environmental pollution.
On the dynamic side, self-levelling rear suspension is intended to ensure an effortless ride, even when towing loads of 2,000kg.
The Sportbrake, which is produced at the firm’s Castle Bromwich plant, is powered by the Wolverhampton-made four-cylinder Ingenium petrol and diesel engines.
