(Mon 29 Dec 08)

The car described by its maker as "the most advanced, powerful and efficient Jaguar diesel ever" will enter the UK market in March.

The XF Diesel S uses a three-litre twin-turbo engine which produces a third more power than the existing 2.7, with a maximum of 271bhp. That's enough to give it a 0-60mph time of 5.9 seconds, a 50-70mph time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed which would exceed 155mph if the electronics allowed it to.

Not a slow car, then, but the 3.0 is also more economical than the 2.7, with a combined figure of 42.0mpg which equates to 179g/km of CO2 emissions.

There is also a 237bhp version of the same engine which will be fitted to cars without the S in the title. This gives a top speed of 149mph, 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds and 50-70mph in 3.7 seconds. The official fuel economy and CO2 figures are the same as for the more powerful version, so there's no apparent advantage there, but in real life the non-S will almost certainly use less fuel.

Prices for the 237bhp 3.0 Diesel start at £33,900 (or £1000 more than the equivalent 3.0 petrol XF), while the Diesel S comes in at £36,900.

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