2013 Xf V6 Supercharged (loaded-like New) on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar F-Pace Luggage Test: How much fits in the cargo area?

The Jaguar F-Pace has been around for a while now, and perhaps it's just me, but it feels like it's been forgotten. That's a shame. This was the first time I've driven the F-Pace since the first drive event in Montenegro and therefore the first time I've really driven it in anything resembling normal conditions. And man, is it ever good, at least the R-Dynamic S you see here with the P400 engine. This is right up there with the Porsche Macan and Aston Martin DBX in terms of SUVs that are legitimately great to drive. The steering alone ... chef's kiss. But I'm here to talk about cargo capacity, so enough of that driving impressions stuff. The F-Pace is bigger than compact SUVs like the Mercedes GLC and BMW X3, but it's smaller than a GLE or X5. It's fairly similar to the Lexus RX in that way, which I just-so-happened to have luggage tested last week. Perfect timing, then! The specs say that it has 26.6 cubic-feet of space behind the back seat. I have a sneaking suspicion that volume represents a measurement from the floor to top of the seat back, or roughly the cargo cover. That's not just because what I found in the course of doing this test but because the F-Pace was reported to have 33.5 cubic-feet when it was launched back for 2017. That number seems more applicable to what you'll find in other SUVs. Either way, that's kinda why I do these tests to begin with! Here is the cargo area. It is quite deep and wide with an acceptable lift-over height. The F-Pace originally had a sliding rail system running the length of the cargo area along each side, but Jaguar has apparently replaced that with the fixed tie-down points you see here. There is a rigid cargo cover in place, which is probably good for NVH, but rubbish for cargo hauling. As a result, I will be testing with and without this cover in place. As with every Luggage Test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D). All of the bags fit underneath the cargo cover, so that pretty much confirms that whole thing about the current cargo volume representing floor to seat back. Now, the fancy bag is a wee bit squished, but it still totally fit.

Xcar experiences the 2015 Mille Miglia from a Jaguar C-Type

Xcar Films has returned to the Mille Miglia this year for another trip from Brescia to Rome and back. However, unlike the last survey of the historic rally from the comfy seat of a Jaguar F-Type, it did things properly in 2015 with a first-person look at the entire event from a somewhat temperamental Jaguar C-Type. As you'd expect, you get to check out 1,000 miles of beautiful Italian roads and similarly gorgeous vintage sports cars, but the reporting here is great, too. Alex Goy alternates between navigating and learning to drive the C-Type with its tricky gearbox over the four-day rally, and he narrates the entire video, as well. From what we can tell, participating in the Mille Miglia is essentially a license to break every law of the road imaginable. The police not only allow this to happen; they encourage it. Goy does a fantastic job of giving viewers an idea of what's it like to take part in the historic event. Being in a 50-year-old racecar for that long looks absolutely exhausting but also completely worth it.

Junkyard Gem: 1965 Jaguar S-Type 3.8

The first Jaguar XJs appeared on American roads in late 1968, and decades of production made it the iconic Jaguar sedan most familiar to us today. Before the XJ, however, there was the Mark 2, and that powerful and stylish midsize saloon sold fairly well here during the 1960s. The S-Type (yes, the Leaper-badged Lincoln LS sibling built by Ford around the turn of the century took its name from this car) was an upgraded version of the original Mark 2, sold here for the 1964 through 1968 model years. Here's a rough but recognizable '65 S-Type 3.8, found in a Denver-area wrecking yard recently. The feature that set the S-Type apart from the ordinary Mk2 was this independent rear suspension, based on the one used in the bigger and costlier Jaguar Mark X. The base Mk2 and its old-timey solid rear axle remained available in 1965, with a sticker price of $5,419 (about $51,460 in 2022 dollars), while the S-Type cost $5,933 (around $56,340 now). Yes, those inboard disc brakes were just as much a nightmare to work on as you'd think, but they reduced unsprung weight and improved the handling and ride. This car was about the same size as a typical Detroit midsize sedan of the day, but far more expensive and much more prestigious. GM's swankiest S-Type-sized offering, the Buick Skylark, cost a mere $2,552 ($24,235 today) and had a notable lack of real wood inside. Actually, that Skylark with the optional 300-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) "Wildcat 355" V8 would have been a lot quicker than the S-Type, at least in a straight line, and your friendly Buick dealer probably could have arranged to have the hot-rod 401 (and its 325 horses) out of the Gran Sport coupe stuffed into a new Skylark sedan. The S-Type of 1965 got this sophisticated DOHC straight-six of 3.8 liters' displacement, rated at 220 horsepower. As you'd expect, someone grabbed the pair of SU sidedraft carburettors before I got here, perhaps before the car even arrived at this place. The 4.2-liter version of this engine used in the Mark X got three carbs. I suspect that this car was bought by a Denver-area Jaguar enthusiast for parts, decades back, and then was used for outdoor storage of components for future projects.  These cars are worth decent money in good condition, but this one would need the application of tens of thousands of dollars to be worth … tens of thousands of dollars. As someone who daily-drove an MGB for a few years, the sight of all this Lucas electrical hardware makes me sweat a little.