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2022 Jaguar F-Pace SVR Road Test | Enjoy the hot-rod SUV while it lasts

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. -- Jaguar has been steering away from sedans, which makes good business sense. With the demise of the XJ and XE, the company’s lineup is as taut as itÂ’s been in recent memory. ThatÂ’s OK, the F-Pace plays a lot of roles. ItÂ’s the most practical and best-selling Jaguar, and in SVR trim, itÂ’s the embodiment of the modern muscle crossover. In fact, it's a legit hot rod. This is our first chance behind the wheel of the SVR since it was updated for the 2021 model year along with the rest of the F-Pace lineup. In short: the powertrain is slightly torquier, the brakes and suspension are bolstered, the cabin gets JaguarÂ’s Pivi Pro infotainment, and the front end is tweaked with new headlights and body work. ItÂ’s subtle. Driving the F-Pace SVR is anything but. The product of JaguarÂ’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), the SVR is a series of visceral experiences, some of them raw and adrenaline-inducing, some of them surprisingly calm. In Sport mode the Jaguar shifts quicker to accelerate harder and the full-throated roar of the exhaust is on display. In Eco or Comfort modes, things are chiller, but I still usually cued up the active exhaust system, which can be switched off and on with a button near the gear shifter.  The supercharged 5.0-liter V8 is old-school, fierce and one of the reasons you buy this Jaguar. With 550 horsepower and 516 pound-feet, itÂ’s firmly in the upper class among performance-oriented SUVs, and the 3.8-second sprint to 60 mph is impressive for a compact crossover thatÂ’s on the larger size for the segment. While the V8 is a quickly disappearing throwback, Jaguar hasnÂ’t used it as prolifically as American or German luxury brands throughout its 100-year history — often skipping from six to 12 cylinders — depending on the car and the time period. Driving the F-Pace SVR with its supercharged eight cylinders is to experience the apogee of JaguarÂ’s 2010s pivot to V8 muscle, before the brand transitions to electric vehicles by the end of the decade. It's best to live in the present in the F-Pace SVR. On a wide-open Saturday morning, I dial up Sport Mode, crack the windows to let in the exhaust note and set out for a day trip to visit family on the other side of town. With the snow disappearing on this warm late winter morning, I make the most of a fleeting opportunity to push the F-Pace a bit, with quick launches and enthusiastic acceleration into open gaps on the expressway.

This Jaguar D-Type is what you should spend your multimillion-dollar holiday bonus on

The end of the year is fast approaching, your holiday shopping is done, and the mutual fund you help manage is paying out some serious bonuses. What do you do with all that sweet cash? Well, if it's over seven figures, we suggest hanging on to it until January when it could help you buy this amazing 1954 Jaguar D-Type race car. The D-Type, for those of you unfamiliar, is Jaguar's famous race car that gave birth to the road-going XKSS, one of which was owned by Steve McQueen. The D-Type was known for its successes on the track, and frequent appearances at Le Mans, with a victory at the endurance race in 1956. This particular car also raced there in 1954 with the Jaguar factory team, and behind the wheel was Sir Stirling Moss. According to RM Sotheby's, it led the race for a major chunk, but eventually retired due to brake issues. The car was campaigned at other events through the year, and it also saw time at the hands of a privateer team that bought the car in 1955. Many decades later, the car is being offered for public sale for the first time in its life at the RM Sotheby's auction in Arizona, Jan. 18-19. According to the auction company, the car features the original body, chassis, drivetrain and suspension. Between the history and the originality, the company is expecting the car to bring between $12 million and $15 million, hence the reason this is probably just for those with seriously massive holiday bonuses. But if you have the means, you could do way worse than spending it on this Jaguar. Related Video: Featured Gallery 1954 Jaguar D-Type View 33 Photos Image Credit: Patrick Ernzen Courtesy of RM Sotheby's Jaguar Auctions Convertible Racing Vehicles Classics jaguar d-type jaguar xkss

Jaguar InControl Touch Pro Infotainment Review | Improved, but far from the best

The infotainment systems in Jaguar or Land Rover vehicles over the past many years have been a cause for concern. They’ve been slow to respond, lacking in features and lagging behind the high-tech luxury competition by a wide margin.  Software updates and newer, better hardware keep coming, though. That being the case, it's time to take another look at what the latest infotainment system from Jaguar can do and how it goes about its business. We happened to be in JaguarÂ’s freshest product on the market for this test, too, the 2021 Jaguar F-Type R. Watch out for a full test on that car soon. Jaguar names its tech the Jaguar InControl Touch Pro system, and itÂ’s running on every model but the ancient XJ. The refreshed XE is also distinctive in that itÂ’s running the Touch Pro Duo screen setup that replaces the vast majority of the physical climate controls with a touchscreen. To get a visual guide and watch the screen in action, check out the video above.  In addition to the central screen, we also dive into the fully digitized instrument cluster thatÂ’s become the standard for other Jaguar models. The F-Type gained the screen this year, and it operates similarly to all the others.  On the surface, JaguarÂ’s infotainment system is rather simple and modern. ItÂ’s a clean UI thatÂ’s free of the many frills and fancies you might find in a Mercedes or Audi. YouÂ’ll never get lost in a sea of menus or settings a la BMW iDrive, as Jaguar never allows you to dive several levels deep. ThatÂ’s good for simplicityÂ’s sake and makes operating the system a cinch once you learn where the functions are. JaguarÂ’s bottom row of frequently used items is a perfect place to start, because thereÂ’s a good chance that youÂ’ll rarely need to stray from this small subset of functions. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto boot right up via a wired connection. They worked without issue all week long in the F-Type without glitches or failures to operate. In fact, we were generally impressed with this infotainment system and the accompanying digital cluster. It was only plagued by the occasional stutter or long pause between clicks, but not as often as in past Jaguars and Land Rovers. Unfortunately, itÂ’s tough to keep up when the German competition seems to be running systems that are faster, more fluid and bursting with features. Admittedly, some of those features are things that may never be truly useful and add to their aforementioned complexity.