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Top Gear season 25 opens with a V8 roadtrip through America

Great news for fans of BBC Top Gear: the first episode of season 25 is here. Viewers of BBC America will catch the season opener on March 3, and for the American audience this episode is definitely suitable watching. The episode has been dedicated to V8 sportscars almost in its entirety, as it's been wrapped around a Western roadtrip with a motorsport bias. The three hosts get to choose three V8 sports cars, with the basic idea of finding the best all-rounder. Matt LeBlanc goes for a Hennessey-tuned GT350R, Rory Reid chooses a Jaguar F-Type SVR, and Chris Harris shakes up the pack by selecting a McLaren 570GT. It's a nicely varied trio, with V8 power still showing what it's good for. There are various challenges along the way, just like there should be on a Top Gear roadtrip episode – even if the road surface itself isn't always ideal. But things smoothen out, all the way to a NASCAR oval and an airport runway; the flooded Bonneville salt flats aren't suitable for shenanigans, so substitutes have to be found. The trio also hit dirt roads, and have to evade a buggy-driving Ken Block during a "moonshine run to the border." Fans of Sabine Schmitz will be pleased to find her piloting a chain car racer, which consists of two American junk cars with a Honda CRX chained in the middle. It must make sense to someone. The Star In A Reasonably Priced Car segment has been retained for this season. This time it's the British actor Rob Brydon driving the Toyota GT86, on a very wet lap around the show's Dunsfold Aerodrome track that must be a cult classic by now. All in all, the season 25 opener is exactly what it says on the tin. There's nothing out of the ordinary, but it still has excellent cinematography, V8 roar and some nice landscapes. Classic Top Gear. Cowboy duels, Sabine Schmitz chain car racing, @RobBrydon, a @kblock43 car chase and #TheStig The latest episode of #TopGear is available on @BBCiPlayer now. Outside the UK? See local listings here: https://t.co/HPPhbUErDu pic.twitter.com/87F53C8oYb — Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) February 26, 2018 Related Video:

Jaguar Heritage Driving Experience throws you the keys to the museum

As automotive journalists, we get to drive a lot of really cool, high-performance vehicles. It really is the single best thing about this job. However, our access to vehicles is generally limited to the newest offerings on the market. That means, much like the general public, we don't really get access to vintage iron.
Jaguar is trying to rectify that issue for journalist and enthusiast alike, with a new program called the Heritage Driving Experience. It allows British enthusiasts to pop into the brand's Warwickshire testing site, drop anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds ($160 to $480) and go for a spin in some of the brand's most legendary offerings. That includes the more typical classics, like the Mark 2 saloon and the E-Type sports car, but you can also pay for access to stunners like the XK150, XKSS and the race-spec D-Type. In addition to the classics, most of the tests include time in their modern successors. So an hour with the Mark II can be split with time in an XFR-S, while the E-Type is complemented by its spiritual successor, the F-Type.
Most of the events are limited to 30 or 60-minute sessions, although the brand does offer a half-day and full-day event. The former, the Jaguar Le Mans Experience, includes time in the C-Type, D-Type, XKSS and F-Type R. The full-day Grace and Pace Pack, meanwhile, gives you access to nine vehicles, covering a huge gamut. That means time in the C-, D- and E-Type, XK150, Mark II, XKR-S GT and F-Type R, among others. Not surprisingly, prices aren't listed for the half- and full-day pack. Much like Jag's finest cars, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford them.

Nearly 200 units of the Jaguar I-Pace recalled again due to fire risk

Jaguar has issued a safety recall that applies to nearly 200 units of the electric I-Pace. The crossovers included in the campaign can catch fire due to a battery-related problem, and they should have already been fixed but ended up not receiving the required software update. Assigned recall number 23V-709 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall includes 199 examples of the 2019 to 2023 I-Pace built between February 15, 2018, and February 7, 2023. These vehicles were also part of recall number 23V-369 issued in March 2023. Jaguar has since received one new report of a car in the United States catching fire; the incident happened on September 8, 2023. When it issued the original recall, it cited eight reports of an I-Pace catching fire on our shores between June 2019 and May 2023. Jaguar explains the recalled cars are at risk of a "thermal overload," which can manifest itself as "smoke or fire" that "may occur underneath the vehicle, where the high-voltage traction battery is located." The company hasn't detailed the root of the problem, but it previously noted that the updated software monitors the battery pack's status, detects when it's at risk of a thermal overload, and warns the driver accordingly. It also limits the battery's charging capacity to 75% if it identifies a problem and instructs the driver to visit a dealer as soon as possible. The issue is that some dealers "used a non-approved service diagnostic tool" that didn't upload the updated software to the car, hence why the 199 vehicles included in campaign 23V-709 are being recalled a second time. Jaguar's fix remains the same: It's asking owners to take their I-Pace to the nearest authorized dealership so that a technician can update the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) software. Owners who have already paid to get the problem fixed will be able to claim a refund from the British brand. And, they're being asked to park their car away from structures, such as a garage or a house, and charge outside for 30 days after the software update has been completed. Jaguar will begin notifying owners of affected cars by mail on December 15, 2023.