2001 Jaguar Xk Xkr on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Motor Trend first to compare Jaguar XE and BMW 3 Series

How many automakers have loaded up how much ammo and taken how many shots at the BMW 3 Series? Yet here we are, decades on and at least a decade away from the 3 Series' halcyon days, waiting for someone to give the sport sedan something beyond a flesh wound. In this most recent episode of Head 2 Head, Johnny Lieberman goes to Spain to figure out if the Jaguar XE is the sedan to do it. Here the champion wears the guise of the 335i M Sport, powered by a 3.0-liter, turbocharged, inline-six with a square 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque run through a ZF eight-speed transmission. After a short time behind the wheel Lieberman quotes from a familiar hagiography, saying it's evident "just how great this car is and why it defines the segment." The all-aluminum challenger from Jaguar comes in XES trim, meaning a 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 with 340 hp and 332 lb-ft. It uses the same eight-speed transmission as the BMW, but with different programming. According to the specs in the video, some of which are manufacturer estimates, the Jaguar is heavier, more expensive, and much thirstier at the pump. Away from the spreadsheet, Lieberman holds that the XE looks better and feels more special inside. In case you're wondering, the comparo was done before MT could get its mitts on the 320-hp BMW 340i. Lieberman says the English company spent its money on the XE suspension and it shows, but there have been other efforts from other automakers with excellent dynamic chops that weren't enough to threaten the BMW. His final assessment is that one of the two cars is awesome, and one is quite a bit better. Watch the video to find out which is which. Related Gallery 2016 Jaguar XE View 74 Photos Related Gallery 2016 BMW 3 Series Refresh View 57 Photos News Source: Motor Trend Channel via Carscoops, YouTube BMW Jaguar Luxury Performance Sedan motor trend jaguar xe head 2 head

Jaguar wants to become the British electric company

Jaguar has been telegraphing its electric future for years, and this week we're beginning to see it come to fruition. The company's Formula E race team officially launched September 8 with sponsorship, livery, and an interesting name for its racecar, the I-Type 1. It marks Jaguar's return to factory-supported racing and serves as a model for the company's future strategy. "The Formula E championship will enable us to engineer and test our advanced technologies under extreme performance conditions," Nick Rogers, executive director of product engineering at Jaguar Land Rover, said in a statement. "We will apply this vital knowledge as part of our real-world development." Formula E competition starts October 9 as the all-electric racing series begins its third season. Panasonic signed on as the title sponsor of the team. Formula E is a natural move for Jag and allows the British company to remain true to its racing heritage while still looking toward. The company claims seven Le Mans titles, which is the fourth-most in history, even though it hasn't won one since 1990. That's a great lineage, but Jaguar knows it's getting dusty. Launching a Formula E effort allows it to compete in a form of motorsports that should prove relevant to road-car technology. Jag is drawing on Williams Advanced Engineering (you might have heard of its F1 team) for the electric powertrain. Williams also helped with the development of Jaguar's C-X75 plug-in concept car. Meanwhile, we also captured an F-Pace crossover silently testing this week in the Alps. Though it looks like a normal F-Pace, spy shooters report it was producing no engine noise, leading (or perhaps leaping) to the conclusion it's the rumored electric SUV Jaguar is working on. Likely, this prototype has a diesel engine as a range extender. View 11 Photos Though the camouflaged F-Pace is great fodder for speculation, Jag's electric efforts are not a secret. Jaguar and Land Rover showed off three electric-vehicle demonstrators last year and the company is exploring everything from mild hybrids to full electric powertrains. JLR has filed paperwork to secure trademarks for I-Pace and E-Pace. "JLR is definitely rushing headfirst into electrification," said Ed Kim, vice president of industry analysis for research firm AutoPacific.

2021 Jaguar F-Type is getting a major facelift

Having entered its seventh model year with only minor changes, it's no surprise that Jaguar is working on a more significant update of its F-Type sports car. Based on the spy photos of what is likely to be the 2021 Jaguar F-Type, it's getting a serious nose job. But interestingly, it also still appears to be closely related to the current model. Up front, the major change is in the headlight design. Instead of the vertical, swept-back units of the current car, the new one has low, horizontal lights. The lights are actually much more similar to Jaguar's more practical offerings such as the XE, XJ and F-Pace. The lights also have sharper angles that blend into cut lines and creases in the front end. The main grille doesn't look particularly different, but it will clearly be flanked by redesigned outboard grilles based on how well they're covered. The whole midsection seems to be carried over from the current model. This seems to kill the rumor that there would be a 2+2 F-Type. The tail end is pretty much the same, too, but the taillights lose the little round extensions inspired by the Jaguar E-Type. The wide-set tailpipes and big diffuser are like the V8-powered R model, so we expect that's what we're looking at. Since this F-Type looks to be mostly a styling overhaul, we expect most of the current powertrain lineup will transfer, too. That means a turbocharged four-cylinder for the entry-level models and a V8 for the top-rung cars. In the middle, though, the supercharged V6 may disappear in favor of Jaguar-Land Rover's new turbocharged inline-6. This seems plausible since Jaguar has already phased out the V6 on the XE, and the inline-6 is derived from the four-cylinder already in use, so it should fit relatively easily. Power should be right on par with the current car's 380-horsepower V6. In new Land Rovers, it makes between 355 and 396 horsepower depending on which version you get. We also assume all engines will still be coupled to an eight-speed automatic with no manual options in sight.