The CATS adaptive dampers, standard on R models, have been revised so that the two-position Bilstein shocks are now switched individually. Under braking, the front shocks tense up ahead of the rears to reduce dive. A similar strategy is used in cornering to reduce push at lower speeds and encourage understeer for stability at high speeds. Once the car takes a set in a corner, the inside wheels soften up to improve ride and rear-wheel traction. The resultant handling remains in a league with the M5 and Mercedes E55 AMG, but the ride is considerably more plush.

Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) - system enhancement
Jaguar's CATS system optimizes ride and handling by using uprated springs to increase roll stiffness and two-stage adaptive dampers under electronic control for ride refinement. The CATS system is very similar to that fitted to Jaguar's XKR.
The CATS dampers have two sets of characteristics, governed by an electronic control unit (ECU). Sensor inputs are provided by vertical accelerometers on the bulkhead and in the luggage compartment, a lateral accelerometer within the under hood engine control module housing and a brake switch. The ECU automatically adjusts the damper settings in microseconds to suit the driving conditions, optimizing ride and handling.
The result is a unique combination of agile handling, outstanding ride comfort and driver control. The operation of the CATS system is completely automatic, requiring no intervention from the driver. CATS is available as standard equipment on the Sports models and the S-TYPE R.
CATS is a two-stage, adaptive damping ride control system that switches the dampers from their normal 'soft' to 'firm' setting and back, when certain predetermined road and vehicle dynamic conditions are met.
The control module uses the information from the vehicle speed and accelerometers and compares this with a pre-programmed set of tuned parameters in the software to determine the appropriate damper setting. When the system is functioning normally, the driver does not have any visual indication when the damper settings are changing from 'firm' to 'soft'.
System Benefits
• CATS automatically optimizes ride and handling under all conditions, maximizing comfort, handling and driver control.
• Provides refined ride comfort for normal driving.
• Automatically changes all four dampers to stiffer sports handling when road conditions demand
• Automatically changes to stiffer sports handling when cornering, as with the original system, but now allows the inner wheels to return to softer settings mid-bend, giving improved ride comfort and increased tractability from the rear wheels.
• Automatically changes to stiffer sports handling when braking. CATS now allows the dampers to return to their soft setting earlier by continually monitoring the brake switch and instantaneous deceleration rate. This reduces the harshness of the road inputs during braking events.
• Automatically switches the rear dampers slightly ahead of the front pair at low speed to reduce transient understeer, giving improve agility and turn-in performance.
• Automatically switches the front pair ahead of the rear pair at high speed to increase transient understeer, giving improved stability.