2000 Jaguar S-type on 2040-cars

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2014 Jaguar F-Type

Stepping Into The Lion's Den With A Big-Hearted Cat
If you're like me - and our demographics suggests you are - you've probably never seen a new Jaguar sportscar at your local showroom. I'm 36, and it hasn't happened in my lifetime... and not by a little bit. Oh, there have been a string of XK coupes and convertibles, and as of late, there have even been some genuine high-performance specials - namely the R, R-S and R-S GT models - but their basis has always been the 2+2 grand tourer shell, not a lighter and smaller footprint with more intrinsic sporting intent. The truth is that it's been a half-century since Jaguar introduced a proper new sportscar. Today, most people know the brand strictly as a purveyor of wood- and hide-lined luxury sedans.
In fact, if you're not an enthusiast with some appreciation for the marque's history, it's a bit odd to hear Jaguar executives proclaim that they are a sportscar company and always have been. By their reckoning, the 2014 F-Type seen here is in fact a return to form, a Rip Van Winkled brand pillar reanimated and reimagined to take center stage. It's a sentiment that must be particularly odd for car shoppers in developing markets like China, where Jaguar hasn't even been selling cars for very long. Yet because the original 1961 E-Type is perhaps the most gorgeous car ever to lay ply on the world's roads, we're prepared to cut them some slack.

2018 Jaguar XJR575 First Drive Review | Everyone loves an underdog, right?

The number is right there, nestled smack in the middle against the windshield in red: 575. In case you missed it, there are another four red 575s stitched into the seat backs. You might excuse Jaguar for the numerical ostentation, but with manufacturers taking the horsepower arms race nuclear, the 6-year-old XJR sure could use a hook. What better way to stand out than an engine output humblebrag? The $122,400 Jaguar XJR575 gains 25 horsepower for 2018 thanks to software recalibration, which helps scoot the 17-foot-long four-door to 60 mph in a claimed 4.2 seconds. I'm gunning the XJR575 along the mountainous passes near the Alvao Natural Park in northern Portugal to find out whether the upgrade is enough to keep this underdog relevant in the fevered pitch of the high-dollar sedan market. Glance at the Jag in profile, and you might doubt its athleticism. Though nearly identical in length to a long-wheelbase BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class (and 1.8 inches shorter than the Audi A8L), the XJR575's sloping rear window and rounder styling lend it a somewhat lazier, more lavish appearance. It's also long in the tooth, this design having been first introduced in 2009, but it wears its age surprisingly well. Frankly, you just don't see XJ-series Jags as often as their strong-selling competitors, and that keeps them looking fresher, somehow. In contrast, the Germans have kept their exterior lines purposeful and contemporary looking, with more frequent redesigns furthering their cause. Climb inside, and the XJR's premium trim lends a bit more modernity to the familiar cabin. For starters, the diamond-quilted and perforated leather seats offer solid support, but they might be a bit firm for long hauls. Unlike other XJs, the XJR and R-Sport trims don't offer a massaging feature, an unfortunate sacrifice that is available on most, if not all, of the competitive set. The rear quarters do, however, offer enough legroom for serious stretching out. Tall swaths of carbon fiber trim the door panels while another thin rim of carbon extends around the dashboard, a design shorthand for sportiness despite the fact that the XJR is only available stateside in long-wheelbase form. An Alcantara headliner aids the high-end argument. A few aging elements show cracks in the facade, among them the ungainly seams at the dashboard's center and switchgear that's grown more than a bit long in the tooth.

Jaguar trademarks EV-Type nameplate

Green may have been a popular color choice for the classic Jaguar E-Type, but even in Lightweight form (pictured above), it was hardly what you'd call environmentally friendly. Not by today's standards, anyway, with six-, eight- and twelve-cylinder engines displacing between 3.8 and 5.3 liters. But Jaguar looks to be preparing to revive the nameplate - or at least one similar - with a new electric vehicle in the works.
According to the latest intel, Jaguar has applied both in the US and in Europe to trademark the name EV-Type. The implication that it's developing an electric vehicle is clear, as is the reference to its iconic sports car of yore. But more than that, we don't know. We could be looking at an electric version of the current F-Type, a project to convert original E-Types to electric power or a different model altogether.
It wouldn't be the first time, of course, that we'd see Jaguar toying with the idea of electric propulsion. A couple of years ago, the British automaker demonstrated a plug-in hybrid XJ_e prototype, and showcased both the C-X16 and C-X75 concepts with advanced hybrid powertrains. But it has yet to put any such system into production, relying instead on the small diesels it sells in Europe to keep its carbon footprint small.