1990 Jaguar Xjs Convertible Red 118k V12 Lite Engine Fire Salvage Rebuilder on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Who picks car colors and materials? Designers like Hannah Custance

As automotive journalists, we're often asked "how did you get that job?" People usually didn't even know you could do such a thing. In this 7 Questions series, we're highlighting other jobs in the automotive industry that you might not have heard about before. What do they do, how'd they get to do it and other questions about their particular corner of the car world. Slowly but surely, the automotive landscape is becoming more colorful. Look beyond the unrelentingly conservative palette of white, black and gray most buyers opt for and you'll see the increased use of exterior trim types beyond the usual chrome. There's gloss black, of course, but also other metallic finishes like gold or copper. Those can be found inside, too, where there's also an increase in colorful leathers and trims, innovative fabrics, new wood types and finishes, and greater creativity in general. So where is this change coming from? The answer is designers like Hannah Custance, the color and materials design manager for Jaguar Land Rover. Her team's latest effort is also its magnum opus, the 2022 Range Rover. Although saddled with the expectations that comes with one of the automotive industry's classic nameplates, the all-new Range Rover is also a celebration of cutting edge manufacturing and fashion-forward materials selection. We sat down with Hannah at the L.A. Auto Show to find out more about color and materials designers, how she ended up in the industry, and advice she might have for young designers out there. It has been condensed for brevity. Autoblog: What does a color and materials design manager to do?Hannah Custance: I basically look after a team of designers who design finishes for every A surface on the car. So, that could be exterior finishes. It could be interior trim materials, soft materials, hard materials, chromes, metals, woods, ceramic – that's one of the new ones – anything you can kind of touch and see is color material design. Autoblog: How early in the design process does your team become involved.Hannah: Right at the very start. In fact, we look at materials that don't have a product assigned to them or a car assigned to them. So, it takes actually a very long time for us to get materials approved and fully validated. We have to find suppliers that are willing to work in automotive and our test standards are incredibly high, some of the highest in the industry.

Jaguar takes evolutionary approach for 2016 XF [w/videos]

One week ahead of its debut at the 2015 New York Auto Show, Jaguar has let loose a slew of images and details on the second-generation 2016 XF Sedan. The release comes alongside a high-profile stunt over London's Canary Wharf. A total of 75 percent of the XF's body is made from aluminum, which trims the big cat's curb weight by 132 pounds on the rear-drive model and 265 pounds on the all-wheel-drive variant. Aside from aiding acceleration, braking and fuel economy, the advanced structure promises an increase in torsional stiffness as well as a 50-50 weight distribution. Beyond that, the new car's dimensions differ only slightly compared to last year's XF. The wheelbase has been stretched by two inches, although the new model is 0.3-inches shorter and 0.1 inches lower. Double wishbones are used in front while an integral-link suspension sits in back with standard traditional dampers and optional adaptive dampers. Jaguar is also promising the Configurable Dynamics system that was pioneered on the F-Type. No surprise here, but an electric power-assisted tiller will be in use, although Jag says it benefits from lessons learned with the XE. Jaguar is mum on its full powertrain lineup, although it does mention that both 340-horsepower and 380-hp versions of Jaguar Land Rover's familiar 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 will be offered, paired with standard eight-speed automatic transmissions (likely the highly regarded ZF autobox). Jaguar's designers, led by design director Ian Callum, didn't rock the boat too much for the new sedan. Clearly inspired by the upcoming XE, the new XF gets a wider, but thinner grille. The headlights are slimmer, but retain a similar shape compared to last year's car, and as is the trend, they're now lined with LED accenting. The S trim, shown above, gets wide, menacing grilles in the front bumper as well as a total lack of chrome trim. The XE influence is most evident on the XF's tail, where the Aston Martin-aping taillights of the first-gen have been ditched, with broader, angled units, complete with an F-Type-inspired LED pattern. As with the current car, a thin chrome strip ties the lights together, while the lower bumper on this sportier model features a gloss black surround for the dual exhausts. Not surprisingly, the XF's profile is pretty classic, with a very long hood and a short deck that terminates in a handsome duckbill spoiler.

Jaguar F-Pace Luggage Test: How much fits in the cargo area?

The Jaguar F-Pace has been around for a while now, and perhaps it's just me, but it feels like it's been forgotten. That's a shame. This was the first time I've driven the F-Pace since the first drive event in Montenegro and therefore the first time I've really driven it in anything resembling normal conditions. And man, is it ever good, at least the R-Dynamic S you see here with the P400 engine. This is right up there with the Porsche Macan and Aston Martin DBX in terms of SUVs that are legitimately great to drive. The steering alone ... chef's kiss. But I'm here to talk about cargo capacity, so enough of that driving impressions stuff. The F-Pace is bigger than compact SUVs like the Mercedes GLC and BMW X3, but it's smaller than a GLE or X5. It's fairly similar to the Lexus RX in that way, which I just-so-happened to have luggage tested last week. Perfect timing, then! The specs say that it has 26.6 cubic-feet of space behind the back seat. I have a sneaking suspicion that volume represents a measurement from the floor to top of the seat back, or roughly the cargo cover. That's not just because what I found in the course of doing this test but because the F-Pace was reported to have 33.5 cubic-feet when it was launched back for 2017. That number seems more applicable to what you'll find in other SUVs. Either way, that's kinda why I do these tests to begin with! Here is the cargo area. It is quite deep and wide with an acceptable lift-over height. The F-Pace originally had a sliding rail system running the length of the cargo area along each side, but Jaguar has apparently replaced that with the fixed tie-down points you see here. There is a rigid cargo cover in place, which is probably good for NVH, but rubbish for cargo hauling. As a result, I will be testing with and without this cover in place. As with every Luggage Test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D). All of the bags fit underneath the cargo cover, so that pretty much confirms that whole thing about the current cargo volume representing floor to seat back. Now, the fancy bag is a wee bit squished, but it still totally fit.