So here you are - searching for a good family sedan, but don't want to skimp too much on performance. You could buy a loaded Chevy Malibu 2LTZ, or your could come to your senses and buy this brutish, imposing, perfectly optioned 510-horsepower supercharged Jaguar XFR.
This monumental Jaguar XFR is the first performance sedan to be presented to the public after Jag got its collective shit together and hired Ian Callum as its lead designer. This car transformed Jag, and its timeless looks are matched by its insane perfofmance figures. It has both more power and torque than a BMW E60 M5, while having the drivability of a conventional automatic, with no insane, ridiculously expensive, or problematic maintenance schedules.
The car's interior is delightfully minimalistic, with lots of high-tech touches. The navigation controls lift out of the dash when the car turns on. The "Start" button pulsates like a heartbeat. The vents are motorized, and can close for a central-air feel. The car blips the throttle when the engine starts to make it sound like more of an event. This car is all about theater, and it succeeds beautifully.
As far as maintenance, it looks as if the car has been taken care of quite well, with 50k miles since 2010 and no reported accidents on its 2 provided vehicle history reports. If I had to nitpick, I would probably have the car repainted, as matte black just isn't my style, and I would remove the carbon fiber look that was water printed on the dash trim, as I think it makes the car look a little less luxurious than a Jag should. Other than that, this is a spectacular buy for the car guy or gal that enjoys the finer things in life, and doesn't mind making a lot of sweet, sweet noise along the way.
For more amazing performance values, check these out:
Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. He owns the world's cheapest Mercedes S-Class, a graffiti-bombed Lexus, and he's the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn't feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.