The new 1990 Jaguar XJ-S Forza Edition could give FH6's drifting community something it has been missing: a car designed almost entirely around the demands of the new Drift Attack format. The Series 5 update launches on September 7, bringing the Jaguar alongside the permanent Shimanoyama Circuit arena. Players saving their FH6 Credits may want to keep an eye on this update because the reward is tied directly to the new activities.

Unlike a normal Forza Edition, this XJ-S has been extensively reworked for a particular driving purpose. Playground Games has taken inspiration from grassroots drift cars, removing unnecessary weight and changing parts of the body to suit competitive driving. For anyone who enjoys spending FH6 Credits on tuning and experimenting with different setups, the Jaguar should provide an interesting new project.

From Luxury Coupe To Drift Machine

The original XJ-S has a reputation as a comfortable grand tourer, which makes its transformation especially noticeable.

The Forza Edition removes the heavy side windows and replaces the factory door handles with minimalist racing clips. These changes create a more competition-focused appearance, but the weight savings are arguably more important.

A lighter chassis can help a drift car react more quickly when the driver initiates a slide. It can also make transitions between corners easier to manage. That should be useful at Shimanoyama, where players are rewarded for placing their car accurately rather than simply throwing it sideways.

The result is a Jaguar that looks much closer to something built in a dedicated drift garage than a showroom-spec grand tourer.

Designed For Sustained Throttle

The rear of the XJ-S has also received attention.

Large vents have been incorporated into the rear section to improve cooling. That is particularly useful for a drift-focused car because sustained throttle input is a normal part of the driving style.

When a player keeps the engine near its rev limit through a long corner, heat management becomes more important. The redesigned cooling system suggests that Playground Games considered how players would actually use the vehicle rather than focusing only on headline performance statistics.

It is a small detail, but it helps explain why this Forza Edition feels like a complete drift build.

High-Angle Sliding Comes Naturally

The most promising aspect of the Jaguar is how it behaves during drifting.

Official developer demonstrations have shown the car holding wide, high-angle slides without appearing difficult to control. Even with Traction Control sBlockedword/sentenceed on, the Jaguar can maintain a drift and continue building a substantial score.

That could make the car particularly friendly to players who are still learning how to control long slides. Experienced drivers, meanwhile, can turn the assists off and start working on their own setups.

Suspension settings, differential behavior, gearing, tire pressure, and power delivery will all give tuners plenty of room to experiment. The factory setup may be good, but the community will probably find several ways to make it better for specific driving styles.

Clipping Zones Change The Goal

The Shimanoyama Circuit is important because Drift Attack introduces Clipping Zones.

These areas reward drivers for getting close to designated boundaries while maintaining their drift. Precision therefore becomes a major part of scoring.

A powerful car that constantly loses control may not perform as well as a slightly slower machine that can repeatedly hit the right lines. The XJ-S appears to have been designed with this balance in mind.

Its stability and baseline drift setup could help players focus on learning the course instead of constantly fighting the car.

Getting The Forza Edition

Players cannot simply visit the Autoshow on September 7 and purchase the Forza Edition.

First, they need to unlock the Yellow Wristband at the Horizon Festival. Access to the Shimanoyama Circuit then opens the Drift Attack Festival Campaign, where the required logbook challenges can be completed.

The normal 1990 Jaguar XJ-S will arrive separately in the Autoshow on September 10 as part of the British Automotive event. That gives players another way to enjoy the car without relying on the special Forza Edition.

The standard model could eventually become just as interesting for tuners who prefer building their own drift cars from a stock starting point.

A Car Worth Testing

The Jaguar may not immediately replace every established drift favorite, but its purpose-built design gives it a strong chance of becoming popular.

The combination of reduced weight, better cooling, high-angle stability, and Clipping Zone-focused performance makes it a natural fit for Drift Attack. More importantly, it offers players a different way to approach drifting in FH6.

If the community discovers strong custom tunes after Series 5 launches, the XJ-S could remain popular well beyond its initial debut. Players who want to experiment with the wider tuning scene can also look into cheap Forza Horizon 6 Credits when building out their garage and preparing additional cars.