Jaguar is upping the ante on its striking XF sports saloon model by offering the vehicle with the option of all-wheel drive. The prestige car, which will be powered by the company’s 2.0-litre 180PS Ingenium diesel engine, will cost from £36,350. And it means that for the first time the business saloon will offer all-wheel drive together with a four-cylinder diesel engine.

Jaguar’s torque on-demand AWD system features Intelligent Driveline Dynamics – a technology developed entirely in-house that was first seen in the F-Type sports car and is soon to arrive in the new XE sports saloon as well.

The system delivers rear-wheel drive agility but can transfer the right amount of torque to the front axle when needed and so maximises the performance and dynamics of the extra traction.

Vehicle Line Director, Kevin Stride, said: “The all-new Jaguar XF is already established as the most dynamically-rewarding saloon car in the business segment. Now we’re making the performance and traction benefits of all-wheel drive accessible to more customers worldwide by combining the system with our clean, refined and efficient Ingenium diesel engines.

“By making our Configurable Dynamics and Adaptive Dynamics technologies available on more models across the range, we’re once again raising the benchmark for ride and handling.”

Configurable Dynamics improves the driving experience by allowing the driver to individually tune settings for the suspension, throttle, steering and transmission through the car’s touchscreen menu.

The system was originally only available on V6 models, but it will now be offered on all 180PS four-cylinder diesel models with automatic transmissions.

The XF all-wheel drive has also been awarded a maximum five star Euro NCAP safety rating. It has carbon emissions of 129g/km and the lowest overall service costs in its class. Fuel economy is 57.7mpg, the car can sprint to 60mph from a standing start in 7.9 seconds and tops out at 138mph.