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Jaguar explains the perfect driver seating position

Although the shapes of car seats are one-size-fits-all, manufacturers have created numerous ways to customize how seats are positioned in efforts to cater to the multiple sizes of drivers. Whereas old vehicles only had the options of reclining and sliding forward or backward, new cars have seats that move up, down, forward, backward, and just about any other direction. In a new video, Jaguar demonstrates exactly how to use these features to find the perfect seating position. The advice comes from Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover's chief medical officer. Many people only think of seating position as a means to comfort, but when dealing with posture, it can affect a person's health. Iley's first tip is to empty out your pockets, thus avoiding any impingements. That includes anything from wallets to keys to cellphones to stowed-away snacks. Before putting a seatbelt on, the driver should then make sure his or her butt is all the way to the rear of the seat and that the entire back is touching the seat. Next are the seat adjustments. Iley suggests moving the back of the seat until the driver's spine and pelvis are aligned and straight. Note in this position the driver's thighs should be resting on the seats without any pressure points. Following this step, check the distance and position of the feet relative to the pedals. Jaguar says in the correct position, the leg should still be slightly bent when a pedal is fully pressed. The driver's elbows should be in a similar slightly bent position. With both hands on the wheel, make sure the arms aren't straight and have a slight kink at the elbow. In an ideal position, the driver's shoulders should remain in contact with the seat even during turning. Last, the headrest should be aligned with the top of the head. Not mentioned in Jaguar's advice is that NHTSA urges you to sit at least 10 inches from the steering wheel — as far back as you can while still comfortably reaching the pedals and wheel — in order to minimize the potential for serious injuries from airbag deployment, and the old 10-and-2 hand position is discouraged for the same reasons. Hands at 3 and 9 or at 4 and 8 are the new norm. AAA demonstrates in the video below. If any part of this doesn't make sense, you're in luck. Both videos are helpful. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2013 Jaguar XF 3.0 Supercharged

Generally speaking, I don't get too upset about the growing need to replace displacement in modern cars. Sure, there are exceptions (don't you touch my 6.2-liter AMG V8), but honestly, the industry's new forced induction powertrains are all lovely, and their gains in fuel economy - when they actually make good on them - can make up for the ever-so-slight losses in performance or driving character.
But I'm having a hard time keeping my chin up with this Jaguar XF. For the 2013 model year, Jaguar has killed off the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 and fitted a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with an eight-speed automatic in its place (and even offers a turbocharged four-cylinder engine below that). That all sounds perfectly well and good, but a week behind the wheel of this British Racing Green sedan just left me missing that V8. And then some.
Driving Notes

The diesel premium in our Jaguar XE quickly pays for itself

Our long-term 2017 Jaguar XE 20d AWD recently returned from a 2,000-mile road trip. My wife and I took a few days to visit her family in Auburn, Alabama, and it was the first real chance anyone has had to stretch the Jaguar's legs outside of Michigan. It was also a good opportunity to see what sort of fuel economy I could wring out of the XE's 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel. The diesel engine was the main reason I chose it over our equally lovely long-term 2017 Audi A4. For me, chasing fuel economy is a great way to stay focused on the road. The XE 20d AWD is rated at 30 city/40 highway and 34 combined. The drive to and from Auburn is almost entirely highway, so I knew matching the highway rating would be easy enough. The XE has a 14.8 gallon tank, so I was looking at a minimum of 600 miles per tank and four fills for the trip, counting the initial pre-departure fill. I had two main concerns: first, this was a new route, so I didn't know how available diesel would be along I-75; second, crossing the Appalachian Mountains was going to severely cut into my overall average. The first worry turned out to be a nonissue, especially as we went further south. Not once was I forced to go from station to station looking for a lone green-handled pump. People in the South love their Cummins, Powerstroke, and Duramax-powered trucks, meaning diesel pumps were plentiful. Rolling up in a Jaguar does garner attention, though. An older gentleman even asked if I knew that I was putting diesel in the car. It seems he didn't have much faith in my reading comprehension skills. The mountains were more of a problem. There was literally no getting around them, but were west of the highest parts, so it could have been worse. The indicated fuel economy dropped by 4 mpg on the way up, from 47 mpg to 43. Still, I managed more than 650 miles from a tank, though I was starting to push my luck. We filled up for the short final leg. By the time we rolled into Auburn, the display indicated 44 mpg – pretty damn good, I'd say. It held there for the entire trip. Calculating the actual mileage revealed the computer was generous by 2 mpg, but that's par for the course. Few automakers display precise numbers. The relative ease of getting this sort of fuel economy was complemented by the price of diesel. At each one of my four stops, diesel cost less than premium, the required fuel in all of the XE's gasoline engines. According to AAA, the same is true nationwide.