2000 Jaguar Xk8 Base Convertible 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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The best cars we drove this year

Six hundred and fifty. That's roughly how many cars pass through the hands of Autoblog editors every year, from the vehicles we test here at home, to the cars we drive on new product launches, testing roundups, long-term cars, and so on. Of course, our individual numbers vary due to several reasons, but at the end of the day, our team's repertoire of automotive experience is indeed vast. But let's be honest, some cars certainly stand out more than others. So as the year's about to turn, and as we're readying brand-new daily cat calendars for our cubicles, our editors are all taking time to reflect on the machinery that made this year so special, with one simple, open-ended question as the guide – a question that we're asked quite frequently, from friends, family, colleagues, and more. "What's the best car you drove this year?" Lamborghini Huracan When I review the list of everything I drove in 2014, picking an absolute favorite becomes almost impossible. I mean, how does one delineate between the joy offered by cars as different as the Alfa Romeo 4C, Volkswagen Golf R, Mercedes-AMG GT S and even the humble-yet-wonderful Chevy Colorado? Okay fine, I'll just pick the Lamborghini. I drove the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 on a racetrack, in the mountains, and along southern coast of Spain. It felt like the king of the car jungle in all of those places, sucking the eyeballs of observers nearly out of their heads as it drove by, and almost melting my brain with its cocktail of speed and grip and intense communication. It feels a little easy to say that the one new supercar I drove this year was also my favorite, but the fact is that the Huracan is one of the finest cars I've driven during my career, let alone 2014. Judge me if you must. – Seyth Miersma Senior Editor Rolls-Royce Wraith There are a couple of ways to look at the question, "What's the best car you drove this year?" In terms of what was so good I'd go out and buy one tomorrow, that'd be my all-time sweetheart, the Volkswagen GTI. Or if I'm just talking about sheer cool-factor, maybe something like the Galpin GTR1, BMW i8, or Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. But instead, I'm going to write about the sheer opulence of being the best of the best. The hand-crafted, holier-than-thou, shut-your-mouth-when-I'm-talking-to-you supremacy. I'm picking the Rolls-Royce Wraith. I drove the Wraith for a week in April, and was really, really impressed. This car does everything, perfectly.

All Jaguars and Land Rovers to get diesel engines... almost

Virtually all Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles – except the F-Type sports car – will get a diesel engine option in the next three years, the company confirmed Sunday night at an event before the Detroit Auto Show. The aggressive blitz begins this fall, when the 2016 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport will launch with available turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 diesel engines. They will push out 254 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, while returning fuel economy of up to 28 miles per gallon on the highway. The combined rating in city and highway driving will be 25 mpg. The Rovers will be followed in 2016 by the XE sedan and F-Pace crossover, which will offer the 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engines, in addition to gasoline units. The diesel-powered XE is expected to get at least 40 mpg on the highway, Jaguar Land Rover North America CEO Joe Eberhardt said. The oil-burners are expected to offer 20-to-30 percent improvements in fuel economy compared with gasoline engines, depending on the vehicle. JLR's announcement comes as gasoline prices have plummeted in the United States, and regular fuel costs about $1 less than a gallon of diesel, according to AAA research. Still, the company is taking the long view, and Eberhardt said diesel engines offer greater performance and range than other options. JLR expects about 20 percent of its customers will opt for diesel engines. "We strongly believe this is what our customers will want, regardless of the fluctuations in gas prices," he said. JAGUAR LAND ROVER DEBUTS DIESEL POWER OFFERINGS, JAGUAR XE AND ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR PRODUCTION OF AN ALL-NEW JAGUAR PERFORMANCE CROSSOVER AT 2015 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW • Jaguar Land Rover to introduceadvanced, highly fuel-efficient, clean-diesel powertrain options on virtually every Jaguar and Land Rover model sold in North America • The Jaguar F-PACE performance crossover to join Jaguar lineup in 2016 • Land Rover Range Rover HSE Td6 and Range Rover Sport HSE Td6 debut in U.S.; on sale in 2015 • North American debut of the Jaguar XE at NAIAS 2015 • Jaguar Land Rover announces global sales up 9% in 2014 (MAHWAH, N.J.) – January 11, 2015 – Jaguar Land Rover confirms several new vehicle announcements today including an all-new model to the Jaguar lineup, the Jaguar F-PACE, and diesel power options for most of its luxury line up, beginning with the 2016 MY Range Rover and Range Rover Sport luxury SUVs.

We're spending six months with a Jaguar XE diesel

It's hard to discuss the Jaguar XE sedan without at least mentioning the BMW 3 Series. So here we are doing it. The XE was built to compete with the 3 and the likes of the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It's the smallest Jag sedan in a long time, and it's poised to be one of the brand's best-selling vehicles. We're putting one in our fleet for half a year to see how it is to live with. What we got For the detail-oriented, this is a 2017 Jaguar XE 20d AWD Prestige painted Ammonite Grey with a Jet and Latte interior. Translation: a midlevel trim with a diesel engine, all-wheel drive, dark gray paint, and a cabin with light tan leather seats and a black dashboard. It's a handsome combo. Base price for the model is $46,395. This one has plenty of options, which raise the price to $55,485. For $2,400, the Vision Package includes things to help you see and some more that help the car see for you: xenon headlights with washers, auto high beams, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitor, and cross-traffic detection. The $2,100 Comfort and Convenience Package adds heated and cooled front seats, heat for the rears, a power trunk lid, and an electric rear sunshade. A 10.2-inch wide-format touchscreen, navigation, WiFi, and an 825-watt sound system are included in the $2,700 Technology Package. And then there's the little stuff: metallic paint for $550, a head-up display for $990, and $350 to get the SiriusXM working. Other details include an eight-speed automatic transmission, engine stop-start, and some nice 18-inch wheels. What we skipped This XE most notably lacks a place to put gasoline – we didn't get the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder or any of the tunes of supercharged V6 in the pricier models. We also skipped the upper trim levels, which for 2017 included R-Sport and Portfolio (an S model is new for 2018). The only other big item you can put on a Prestige is the $360 Black Design Package; it swaps out the shiny grille, vent trim, and window surrounds for – you guessed it – black parts. Why we got it It's a completely new model in a popular segment. Sport sedans are fun. And Jaguars are pretty. There are likely to be some mini comparisons between the Jag and our succession of long-term A4s. What's next On the other end of the new-Jaguar spectrum is the F-Pace, a crossover that has a lot in common with the XE. So we're going to spend some time with one once the XE leaves.