Vin 672629 on 2040-cars

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Hey wait, not everyone hates the diesel engine in our 2017 Jaguar XE

My friend Joel doesn't seem to care for the turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel engine in our long-term 2017 Jaguar XE 20d. That's fine. He's entitled to his opinion. But he does not speak for the entire Autoblog staff. I, for one, am a big fan of this oil burner. I said so months ago after I returned from a 2,000-mile road trip. The intervening months have done nothing to sway my opinion. It's smooth, efficient, and all the engine you need in a non-performance application. It may not have the raw power or full range torque of the XE's gasoline engines, but it's a fine fit in this car. Not everyone who buys a sports sedan like the XE or BMW 3 Series does so because they want a sharp canyon carver. Some just want a handsome car that will get them from point A to B in relative comfort. The Jaguar XE diesel does just that, and it does so while achieving some pretty astounding fuel economy numbers. We met the 30 mpg city rating and eclipsed the 40 mpg highway rating with ease. It's not like the XE diesel is slow. Sure, a 0-60 mph time of 7.5 seconds isn't blistering, but it's far from what anyone should consider slow or lethargic. That time is right on par with the BMW 328d. Sure, it runs out of breath at peak revs, but so does every other diesel. If you care about wringing it out, buy a gas version. By Joel's own admission, the engine's 180 horsepower and 318 pound-feet of torque are available when needed for highway passing or city driving. That's all most people really need. So what if it falls on its face at high revs. I will concede that this isn't the most refined diesel on the market. At idle, it shimmies like an unbalanced washing machine. Jaguar has tuned a lot of that out, but it isn't nearly as calm as the competition (though it's miles better than diesels of old). It revs quickly for a diesel, but the exhaust note is one to forget. The engine sounds like a muffled foghorn mixed with a jar of nails. Not good. Once you get moving, it settles down. Highway cruising is a breeze. You forget you have a compression ignition engine under the hood. Even around town, turn the radio on and you'll be fine. Joel is right about the ride and handling totally outclassing the diesel engine. The car is comfortable on highways and city streets but sharpens up on a curvy backroad. The steering and suspension communicate to the driver what the car is doing at all times. The brakes inspire confidence with a firm pedal and sharp bite.

Jaguar's famed design director Ian Callum is quitting

Jaguar's director of design Ian Callum is officially stepping down. Callum has been with the company for over 20 years, leading numerous important and legendary designs. To name a few, Callum is responsible for recent cars like the Jaguar F-Type, XF and I-Pace. He also designed the C-X75, which was a concept hypercar that Jaguar absolutely should have made. "I have had an incredible career at Jaguar," Callum says. "One of my biggest highlights was creating XF because it represented the beginning of a new era moving Jaguar from tradition to contemporary design — it was a significant turning point in our story." Callum also says he isn't done designing cars — he's even going to continue to act as a consultant for Jaguar after his departure. It's unclear what his main project will be after he leaves in July, but he's left the door open for himself. "I came into this role with a mission to take Jaguar design back to where it deserved to be. It has taken 20 years, but I believe I have achieved what I set out to do. Given the strength of both our products and the design team I feel that now is the right time to move on, both personally and professionally, and explore other design projects," Callum says. In addition to slick sports cars and sultry sedans, Callum is also responsible for leading Jaguar into the era of SUVs and crossovers. He headed up the design for the F-Pace and E-Pace. We found both of those to be some of the better looking crossovers on sale today, so props to Callum for finding and implementing the Jaguar style in the inherently unstylish crossover format. Callum has designed plenty of great cars outside of Jaguar, too. A few examples include the Aston Martin DB7, DB9, Vanquish and Ford Escort Cosworth. Our big question is, what's next for Callum? Whatever car he decides to design is probably going to look the business, so we're excited for any projects he gets involved in after Jaguar. Taking his place at Jaguar is current creative design director Julian Thomson. He's been with the company since 2000, and has previously worked with Ford, Lotus and Volkswagen.

Stunning Jaguar collection with O.G. E-Type is a museum exhibit all on its own

At what point does a personal automotive collection become a museum exhibit that's just not in a museum? Dr. Christian Jenny blurs the line between the two with his unreal lot of classic Jaguars that includes not only the first E-Type ever seen in public, but also the "Lost C-Type" and what is considered to be Jaguar's first sports car, the 1935 S.S. 90 Prototype. Switzerland-based collector Jenny is selling 12 cars individually through classic car broker Pendine Historic Cars Limited. The collection includes some of the most important Jaguars ever built, nearly all of which have open-air tops. It's so special, in fact, that Pendine has created an entirely separate tab on its website dedicated to the set. The 12-pack includes the 1935 S.S. 90 Prototype, a 1952 C-Type, the E-Type Series I fixed-head coupe (aka "The Geneva Launch Car"), a 1935 S.S. 90 "Captain Black," a 1937 S.S. 100 2.5 liter, a 1938 S.S. 100 3.5 liter, a 1949 alloy XK120 Roadster, a 1950 XK120 Roadster, a 1955 XK140 SE Roadster, a 1960 XK150 3.8 S Roadster, an E-Type Series I Roadster, and a 1972 E-Type Series III V12 Roadster. All of the cars have been beautifully photographed and recorded by Michel Zumbrunn, author of British Auto Legends: Classics of Style and Design. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Though every one of these cars holds heavy significance, the 90 Prototype, the C-Type, and the Geneva E-Type stand to be some of the most noteworthy in British history. The S.S. 90 Prototype is considered Jaguar's first sports car before the company was even called Jaguar. It has a sidevalve 2.6-liter straight-six engine that makes an estimated 90 bhp and has won numerous Pebble Beach Concours awards. For years, this C-Type was floating in the ether and earned the nickname "The Lost C-Type" when it was the only car of the 53 C-Types that was not located. It was raced for numerous years and has since been restored. Any E-Type is highly valuable, as it's largely considered one of the most beautiful cars ever built, but this specific car has extra history. The coupe shape was reportedly hand-built from an open-top model and became the first E-Type ever seen in public. The experimental prototype, chassis No. 885005, was on display at the 1961 Geneva show. Read more detailed accounts for each car and ogle the gorgeous photography, of which each car has plenty, at Pendine. As of now, only the 90 Prototype has an offer.