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A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

Jaguar's electric XJ sedan spied playing (again) in the snow

UPDATE: A much better set of spy shots hit our inboxes this morning, so we've updated this story with the new photos. As you can see, we have a pretty complete set of photographs showing the new all-electric Jaguar XJ from pretty much every angle. The first set of spy photos can be seen further down below The original story continues: The image gallery above represents our best look yet of the soon-to-be-reborn Jaguar XJ. Unlike the sedan's first 50 or so years, this one is electric, which makes sense considering the original mission statement for Jag's flagship people hauler was to be an "eXperimental Jaguar." The automaker has already told us that the electrified XJ will ride atop the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform as "the world's first, full-electric luxury sports saloon," as they've apparently forgotten that Tesla and the Porsche Taycan already exist. Unfortunately, the shots we have to share with you today aren't great — the photographer suggests the driver of the big cat was quite adept at eluding his lens — but unlike the last time it's at least moving (quickly) under its own power and we can definitely make out a very slinky four-door shape. This is going to be a very large car, which makes sense considering it'll share its MLA guts with upcoming SUVs from corporate cousin Land Rover. Judging by the cutlines in the camouflage at the rear, it appears to be a five-door hatchback shell, a form it will share with the Tesla Model S. That same camo covers most of the lighting elements, so we're not sure how close they conform to the teaser you can see here. Jaguar has said that vehicles based on the MLA platform will get 90.2-kWh battery packs capable of up to 292 miles of range, though those estimates would be lower on U.S. testing cycles. The chassis has been built to accept internal combustion engines and hybrids, too, a necessary compromise if the next XJ is going to fully compete with Jaguar's German rivals. We can't say if this particular prototype is all electric or if there's an engine resting underhood, but the big covered grille opening suggests cooling won't be an issue either way. Related Video:

Jaguar prices 2020 F-Pace range, starting at $46,225

The 2020 Jaguar F-Pace lineup includes two new limited-edition models, and every model comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay standard. The crossover has finally acquired its most crucial numbers, the MSRPs. Starting price for the entry-level F-Pace 25T, powered by the lesser 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Ingenium engine begins at $45,200. Add the unchanged $1,025 destination charge and the total comes to $46,225, which is $400 more than the 2019 model. The Premium, Prestige, and R-Sport trims go up by the same amount for both the 25T and the 30T models — the 30T powered by the 296-hp version of the 2.0-liter Ingenium turbo four. Premium increases by $550, Prestige by $350, and R-Sport by $300. That makes the least-dear 25T Premium a $48,825 affair. The 30T Portfolio model costs $64,625 for 2020, a $300 bump over 2019. The S raises the stakes by the same amount, to $63,125. The flagship F-Pace SVR with its 5.0-liter supercharged V8 and 550 hp tacks on the largest price jump of $620, for a total of $81,625. The limited edition trims are the previously announced 300 Sport and Checkered Flag. In the U.S., the 300 Sport comes exclusively with the 296-hp 2.0-liter Ingenium four-cylinder, and exterior revisions like dark satin gray trim on the grille and window surrounds, side vents, mirror caps, rear fascia and door finishers. Inside, yellow contrast stitching on the instrument panel and seats marks the beast, plus embossed logos on the front headrests. The full-fat Touch Pro navigation with Connect Pro comes standard. The crossover sits on 22-inch gray wheels and wears plenty of 300 Sport badges throughout. Three colors are available: Yulong White, Indus Silver and Santorini Black. It takes $63,025 to start the bidding. The Checkered Flag Special Edition is based on the R-Sport and adds plenty of gloss black, including 20-inch gloss black wheels. Color choices here are Yulong White, Eiger Grey and Santorini Black. The 247-hp four-cylinder get the nod, along with 18-way adjustable front seats, the Touch Pro navigation without Connect Pro but with the Meridian audio. It costs $59,4258