2004 Jaguar Xj8 on 2040-cars

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Jaguar Land Rover's latest tech makes roads safer for bikes [w/video]

Safety in automobiles isn't just about protecting the occupants anymore. It's about protecting pedestrians who might be struck by an automobile, and as Jaguar Land Rover is demonstrating, it's about protecting cyclists as well. The latest experimental safety system from the British automaker is called Bike Sense, and it builds upon technologies the company has demonstrated recently, taking them a step further to make the road safer for those riding on two wheels. The system uses a combination of colors, sounds and vibrations to alert the driver of a potential hazard that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Demonstrated on an XJ sedan, the system identifies nearby two-wheeled vehicles as pedal-powered or motorized, and alerts the driver accordingly. If a cycle is passing a the vehicle's blind spot, the top of the seat will vibrate to virtually "tap" the driver on the left or right shoulder, prompting him or her to look over that shoulder for the hazard. LEDs inside the cabin will then illuminate amber to red in the direction that the bike is passing. The system will even chime a bicycle bell or motorcycle horn as the two-wheeled vehicle approaches, and vibrate or stiffen the accelerator pedal if the driver keeps moving towards the obstacle. And if an occupant of the parked vehicle starts to open the door into the path of moving vehicle, it'll flash a light, sound an alarm and even vibrate the door handle to warn the occupant of the oncoming hazard. We could imagine the alerts getting a little distracting, but JLR says the system is designed to prioritize potential hazards when their are groups of pedestrians, bicyclists and/or motorcycle riders on a busy urban street. This is, of course, just the latest in a long string of new systems JLR has under development, following such technologies as the Transparent Bonnet, the Smart Assistant, the Virtual Windscreen for track sessions and the 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen for city driving. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Next-gen Jaguar XJ spotted in mule form during winter testing

Of course Jaguar Land Rover is using a Range Rover to yank around an electrified Jaguar sedan mule. At least, we think the car sitting on the trailer is a test mule for the recently announced XJ successor. Jaguar has said it’s going to make an all-electric version of the car, but itÂ’s going to use the new MLA platform that will also support a gas engine and hybrid versions. The body itself most resembles that of the XF, but there are a couple tell-tale signs that this car is destined for a battery-electric powertrain. The clearest sign comes in the form of the abnormally high side sills. This taller floor is a typical EV tipoff for mules in testing, as the body work itÂ’s mated to isnÂ’t necessarily designed to mesh with the requirements of an EV powertrain. There are no “Electric Vehicle” stickers stuck to the car to make this extra easy for us, but plenty of other strange elements let us know that this mule is no normal XF. We canÂ’t see through it, but the “grille” is covered up by a large piece of camouflage. Some areas on the bottom and top appear to be mesh, allowing air through, but itÂ’s still rather restricting. The hoodÂ’s fitment and shape are about as funky as can be. ThereÂ’s even a hump in the center of the hood, making it look like some kind of high performance muscle car.  Lending even more credence to this being a next-gen XJ mule is what appears to be a longer wheelbase and wider track. Jaguar extended the fenders outward to accommodate this, but itÂ’s especially apparent in back with the squared-off rear fenders. Since itÂ’s a mule, itÂ’s tough to be certain which powertrain this particular car is hiding. The fuel cap remains on the right rear side of the car, but it appears to be in a different position than the fuel cap on the current XF. Maybe it isnÂ’t a fuel cap, and itÂ’s a covering for the plug outlet instead? There are no other obvious outlets on the car to plug in to, but thatÂ’s nothing out of the ordinary for a mule. One suspicious element we spotted in the rear is the side of a chrome tailpipe protruding from the rear bumper. ThereÂ’s no way to know if itÂ’s a real or a fake tailpipe to throw us off the hunt, but weÂ’ll note its presence nonetheless. Jaguar has already released a teaser image of the rear taillights on the electric XJ successor, but of course this test mule isnÂ’t supporting production lights.

2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe [w/video]

This is it. This is the nasty cat we've been hankering for most. Whereas the Jaguar F-Type convertible remains the company's purest expression of lifestyle fun and expendable income, it's this coupe version that originally stole our eyeballs and never gave them back when it debuted as the C-X16 Concept way back at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. And now we've had an early turn at driving the most potent variant, the Jaguar F-Type R Coupe.
This F-Type Coupe design is so utterly visually stunning that, even if something dynamically or functionally was not really to our liking, we would still want to have the wherewithal to buy one and garage it, if only to stare at it - not unlike our reaction to the 2007-2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione coupe, then. Whether such beauty needs to be in the form of this $99,000 mondo 542-horsepower R version or the more attainable six-cylinder trim is an open question.
In case you need reminding, that's 542 horses maxing out at 6,500 rpm, along with 502 pound-feet of torque on tap between 2,500 and 5,500 revs. There is no indicator yet as to whether Jaguar will eventually come out with an R version beyond the 488-hp V8 S for the convertible, either, so this may well be our only shot at such hair-brained antics in this small Jag. Small and not quite light, we should add - despite its all-aluminum goodness - the F Coupe rings in at 3,638 pounds. That sort of heft is one thing on the street, but it's quite another on a twisty roadcourse, and we aimed to figure out if the coupe's 80-percent greater stiffness versus the open F-Type (along with its higher attendant spring rates) were enough to make a big difference.