Jaguar 1962 3.8 Liter, Mark Ii on 2040-cars

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How and why Jaguar designed an electric SUV

Adrian Belew, front man of famed progressive rock band King Crimson and collaborator with Bowie, Zappa, and the Talking Heads, released a prescient song in 1982, but we didn't know exactly how prophetic it was until this week. The song was titled Big Electric Cat, and its lyrics seemed to predict nearly 35 years ago the unveiling of Jaguar's first all-electric vehicle, a production-ready crossover concept with the not-so-ingenious name, I-Pace. She arrives like a limo/Smooth and moving/On the prowl through the crowd/To the beat of the city/She glows in the dark/Wherever she parks/Concrete crumbles and the night rumbles. At first glimpse of the I-Pace, you may not have precisely the same feeling of disintegration as the roadbed Belew mentions, but there is no denying that the new Jag is important for the brand. Flush with investment from its corporate overlords at Tata, the company is on its most robust product offensive ever, rounding out its lineup to become a full-range manufacturer, investing in autonomous driving and projective head-up technologies, nearly doubling global sales, and now going electric. "This is probably the most important car since the E-Type, I really mean that," says Jaguar director of design Ian Callum. "And when we get this car out into production and it gains recognition and popularity, I think history will show it's a significant step for the brand. Not only because we're embracing the future, quite openly and honestly, but because we're going to beat the rest of them. Tesla is there already, but none of the rest." As a challenger brand – one not in the top of mind consideration set like rivals at Mercedes, Audi, or Lexus – Jaguars are made or broken on this kind of differentiation. The I-Pace is certainly distinctive, and looks like nothing else on the road. Like many contemporary Jaguars, its rear three-quarter view is its most compelling, with the slender half-round taillights inspired by the legendary E-Type that were first revived on the F-Type and have since become a signature. But here, the rear end is shaved off and in an angular concavity that seems an effort to take as much mass as possible out of the back, and one that echoes elsewhere on the vehicle: in the scalloped sides, in the continuous path of glass from the base of the front windshield to (almost) the base of the rear liftgate. But especially in the foreshortened and deep-nostriled hood.

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

An alleged US order guide for the 2014 Jaguar F-Type has made its way online courtesy of the good people at F-TypeClub.com, documenting everything from wheel color options to special equipment packages. From the looks of things, buyers will be able to choose from a total of eight wheel designs in sizes ranging from 18 inches on the base model all the way up to 20 inches. While most of those rollers are available in either silver or black finishes, the 20-inch blade-style wheels are not only forged, but come with carbon-fiber trim. Fancy.
Depending on trim, F-Type buyers will get to choose between two types of seat, including a set of performance-style 14-way power adjustable thrones, complete with seat belts in black, red or tan. Other fun tricks include available power folding side view mirrors and a 770-watt, 14-speaker Meridian sound system.

Jaguar F-Pace 300 Sport, 400 Sport create new trims below SVR

Jaguar has introduced two new F-Pace trims in the UK, one of which we expect to make it our way. Dubbed the F-Pace 300 Sport and F-Pace 400 Sport, they also welcome Amazon Alexa integration to the whole F-Pace range. Both Sport trims come standard with gloss black roof rails, privacy glass, and the Black Pack that dresses the badges, bumpers and intakes, sills and greenhouse trim in gloss black. A set of 21-inch wheels is also standard, the Style 5105 design also in gloss black. A 22-inch Style 1020 forged wheel in either gloss black or with satin black inserts or gloss silver with contrasting inserts. Inside, the Sports get Ebony Suedecloth headliners lording over Windsor leather slimline performance seats and Satin Charcoal Ash veneers, plus premium cabin lighting with 30 available colors. The F-Pace 300 Sport is powered by the automaker's Ingenium 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel mild hybrid with 296 horsepower (300 PS) and 479 pound-feet of torque. This is the one we don't expect to make land in the U.S. The F-Pace 400 Sport would be the one for us, assuming it leaps the Atlantic. The F-Pace Sport models follow the creation of the E-Pace Sport last year, and that trim on the smaller crossover didn't come to America, hence the uncertainty. Back to the matter: The F-Pace Sport 400 is powered by the Ingenium 3.0-liter straight-six gasoline mild hybrid with 395 hp (400 PS) and 406 lb-ft. Prices in the UK start at GBP62,250 ($80,900 U.S.) for the D300 AWD Auto 300 Sport, and GBP68,520 ($89,050 U.S.) for the P400 AWD Auto 400 Sport. The duo add Alexa voice control to their infotainment suites, the ability to request anything online or change the temperature in your second bedroom at home now officially an F-Pace thing. Jaguar says it will add Alexa integration to every F-Pace globally that's fitted with Pivi Pro Infotaiment via an over-the-air update. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are now also standard.   Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.