2002 Jaguar X-type Base Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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2019 Jaguar F-Pace adds technology, gets to keep all its engines

Jaguar recently revealed a lightly refreshed XE sports sedan with a more modern interior and technology, but it also lost its V6 and diesel engine options. That led us to believe the same might happen to the updated 2019 Jaguar F-Pace, but instead, it gets a lighter update inside and both the diesel four-cylinder and supercharged V6 engines stick around for another model year. While styling stays the same, the technology updates for the 2019 F-Pace are welcome. All F-Paces get a bigger 10-inch infotainment display, and the system itself has updated graphics from the I-Pace electric car. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now available, too, but as an optional extra. The tech updates aren't just limited to infotainment, though. The blind-spot monitoring system will now apply a counter-steering force if it detects an object when the driver begins to merge. The optional adaptive cruise control now has an active steering feature that will keep the car centered in its lane on the highway. With the added technology updates comes higher prices. The base 25t four-cylinder F-Pace price goes up by $2,735 for a total of $45,825 with destination. The diesel-powered 20d jumps $2,475 for a total of $49,775. The 30t with the more powerful four-cylinder engine increases $2,475 to $51,275. The V6-equipped S has the smallest increase of $2,025 bringing its final base price to $62,825. The new SVR wasn't around last year, so it doesn't see an increase, but for reference it starts at $81,015 with destination.

Refreshed 2020 Jaguar XE gets upgraded interior

Jaguar said it listened to feedback — or complaints if you prefer, and want to be more blunt — from customers and even journalists to guide the first midcycle refresh of the XE sports sedan. While it made some exterior tweaks, the biggest changes are inside the cabin. There, Jaguar did away with hard plastics and added some new technology borrowed from the electric I-Pace, with XE's new door trims that will eventually serve as a template for all models, with improved ergonomics and more premium, soft-touch materials. "That was a really big job," says Ian Callum, Jaguar's director of design. "That's more than a normal facelift would normally get. What I think we've done with the interior is bring Jaguar back to its natural level of ambience and luxury. You sit in the car now, it's a great interior. We're really proud of it." Gone are the hard plastics in favor of new leather on the dash, door panels, seats, head rests and steering wheel. There are also carbon fiber panels around the front and rear door handles and the pistol shifter, which was borrowed from the F-Pace and replaces the previous version's dial shifter. The front-seat leather headrests are embossed with the Jaguar leaper logo, and the stitched-leather seats are a new design. The new front and rear door panels feature a more ergonomic 360-degree leather pull handle, replacing the previous design that had it as part of the door armrest. There's also a slot down low designed to securely stow reusable water bottles. Callum said the new door panels will appear on all future Jaguar models. The XE also features a redesigned center console with more storage, a pair of USB ports positioned inside the stowage bin along with an auxiliary power jack, and the second-generation heads-up display has improved graphics. Borrowed from the electric I-Pace is the optional InControl Touch Pro Duo touchscreen, which is kept separate from the climate control screen that retains two dial knobs. Also available is a wireless phone charging port, a first for Jaguar, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. "We've taken something from a much higher car into our small family car, which is the right thing to do," Callum said. "We've got to cascade all that good stuff into our affordable car and try to work around it. It was challenging, because it costs money, but it's what people expect.

Bloodhound SSC makes its speed-ready debut in London

Bloodhound SSC, the 1,000-mph land speed record contender, broke cover this week in Canary Wharf, London, in the heart of the Docklands financial district. "This is the best of British engineering meets the best of British banking," quipped Philip Dunne, MP, minister of state for defense procurement, which has provided backing for the team in terms of Army and Royal Air Force personnel and equipment. The team announced that Bloodhound will do its first test runs in Newquay, Cornwall, next spring before traveling to Hakskeen Pan in northwest South Africa in the fall. There, on October 15, 2016, it will make its first attempt on the land speed record, which currently stands at 763.035 miles per hour. That speed was set by Thrust SSC in the Black Rock desert on October 15, 1997 by Bloodhound's driver, Andy Green. Nineteen years later to the day, Green will be shooting for a speed over 800 mph. Over 8,000 people will come to Canary Wharf to see this extraordinary jet- and rocket-powered car over the next couple of days. This is the first-ever viewing of the machine in assembled form. The right-hand side is fully dressed in desert spec, complete with forged aluminum wheels and aerodynamics. The left-hand side is in 'naked' Newquay test spec, with panels removed for easy access and the whole thing riding on rubber tires that can run on tarmac. First impressions are of a big yet muscular car simply crammed with engines, jets, and rockets. The most recognizable thing, apart from the seven fire extinguishers, is the Jaguar AJ133 5.0-liter V8, lifted from an F-Type, which will run the fuel pumps that deliver over 211 gallons of high-test peroxide over the rocket motor's 20-second burn time. The EJ200 Typhoon military jet engine occupies the top floor and provides nine tons of thrust, and underneath is the single Nammo rocket motor providing an additional four tons. "When we go for 1,000 mph, we'll need another two rocket motors," says Mark Chapman, Bloodhound's chief engineer. "That total additional eight tons of thrust is what we'll need to get from 800 to 1,000 mph." He explains that the rear of the car will have to be redesigned to accommodate the two additional rocket motors, and the suspension might have to be adapted with longitudinal rear spring units like the fronts. There are still unknowns in the project, such as the area of vacuum that will follow the car several meters behind.