11 Jaguar Xj L-48k-gps-back Cam-xm Radio-pano Roof-cooled Seats-20 Wheels on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2021 Jaguar XF First Drive Review | The final saloon to wear a Leaper?

The 2021 Jaguar XF has arrived. After a series of pandemic-related delays, Jaguar Land Rover’s latest models have finally started appearing stateside, ready to find their way into the waiting hands of buyers thirsting for options after a year of economic uncertainty. Like just about everything else in the Jaguar lineup, however, the XF was also subjected to a dramatic tidying-up for the 2021 model year that leaves it cheaper, simpler and, sadly, quite a bit less exciting. While JaguarÂ’s crossovers get new powertrain options as part of a simultaneous future-proofing effort, the big upgrade for the 2021 XF is an overhauled cabin. Just about every visible component in the XFÂ’s interior is new for 2021. The 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system gets a swanky new magnesium frame to go with its complete software overhaul. The new system plays nicely with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and is capable of over-the-air updates. Jaguar has also added a number of standard features including proximity entry, wireless phone charging, active noise cancellation, a surround-view camera system and a 12-speaker Meridian sound system, all for $45,145.00 – about 10 grand cheaper than a base Audi A6, Volvo S90, Mercedes E-Class or BMW 5 Series. ThereÂ’s bad with the good, however. In case you missed it, the XF is now JaguarÂ’s only sedan, and the downsides donÂ’t end there for four-door fans. Jaguar not only got rid of its other sedans, it also pared down the XF to just a handful of variants. Wagon? Nope. Bigger engines? Nuh-uh. In 2020, Jaguar offered 10 different versions of the XF; this year, that number is three: P250 S RWD, P250 SE RWD and P300 R-Dynamic SE AWD. Helpfully, Jaguar names its models for their engine output figures (in PS, not HP, mind you). The P250 variants make 246 American horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque and are offered exclusively with rear-wheel drive; the P300 R-Dynamic SE picks up another 50 horses and 27 lb-ft, along with an extra pair of driven wheels. Both utilize an eight-speed ZF automatic; both get the same size front and rear brakes. And thatÂ’s it. No six- or eight-cylinder variants. If you want more fun, look into an F-Pace. Welcome to 2021. If you were hoping for a redeeming description of a slimmed-down, lightweight XFÂ’s sporty driving dynamics right about now, sorry, youÂ’re not getting that either.

2018 Jaguar XF S Sportbrake Review | Who needs a crossover with a wagon this sexy?

PORTO, Portugal — SUV and truck mania is real — just ask the 63 percent of American buyers who opted for the high-riding vehicles last year. But there has been a recent groundswell of alternative options in the burgeoning wagon segment. Sure, there are lower-end wagons such as the tried-and-true Subaru Outback ($25,895) and the new-kid-on-the-block Volkswagen Golf SportWagen ($21,580). But the 2018 Jaguar XF S Sportbrake competes more closely with the stalwart Mercedes-Benz E400 ($64,045) and the stylish Volvo V90 Cross Country ($52,300). This begs the nagging question: Could wagons become a serious thing in the States? We spent a day bombing through Portuguese backroads to find out how the Sportbrake fares among its niche competitive set. The 2018 Sportbrake is a wagonized version of the second-gen XF sedan that arrived in 2016. While the first-gen model only offered a wagon variant for the European market, the new Sportbrake is a global vehicle that brings a more streamlined, aluminum-intensive architecture to the table and finally gives American wagon lovers the Jag they've been craving. First off, the essential reason we're here: the cargo area. Activate the power tailgate (which uses a one-piece composite tailgate, just like the F-Pace), and the opening reveals a flat surface on all sides with 31.7 cubic feet of storage. Fold the rear seats down, and volume expands to a considerable 69.7 — an increase of 12.6 and 38.4 cubic feet, respectively. For comparison, the Volvo V90 Cross Country offers 19.8/53.9 cubic feet, and the Mercedes-Benz E400 Wagon has 35.0/64.0 cubic feet. Folding the Sportbrake's rear seats down produces a nice, flat expanse for cargo, with no obtrusive humps or bumps on the side. Standard rear air suspension keeps things level when loaded up. Onward to the front seats, where the cabin brings the XF's familiar design with the dashboard rimmed in a curved ribbon of wood veneer — a pleasant touch that offsets the otherwise blase textured aluminum bits on the dash and shifter surround. Of course, there's the love-it-or-leave-it cylindrical shifter that rises from the center console, a confounding bit of design that leaves most PRNDL traditionalists cold. So, too, does the plastic starter button on the dash, one of the few unsatisfying puzzle pieces in the otherwise agreeably finished interior. But fire up the engine, and it's easy to forget these quibbles.

The Jaguar XKSS, famed ride of King of Cool, is new again

You might remember earlier this year, when we told you Jaguar had confirmed that it would follow up the limited-run of continuation E-Types – completely new, built from scratch classics – with a new run of the impossibly cool XKSS. Those folks in Coventry weren't pulling our leg, because we're here in LA and the brand new XKSS is here, too. Actually, they're 60 years late. If you remember the story we told you when Jaguar said it'd be building these things, there were originally to be 25 cars in total. 16 were built, and the other nine were destroyed in a fire at the Browns Lane factory. Thus, nine original XKSS cars have been missing, and the nine XKSSs that Jaguar will build for a cool GBP1 million each will round out the initial production run. If you're not familiar with the XKSS, here's a little background. Jaguar won Le Mans three times in a row in a factory racer known as the D-Type. After withdrawing factory support in 1956, some privateers continued on with the car, but Jaguar didn't. That left several D-Types sitting about Browns Lane in various degrees of completion. Sir William Lyons had them converted to road spec, which involved adding such niceties as a windshield and passenger door, but otherwise they were not far removed from the Le Man-winning cars they were based on. That meant that they were, to put it mildly, a lot of car for the street. The kind of person an XKSS appealed to was stylish and adventurous, and someone who craved speed. Someone like Steve McQueen, perhaps. His old XKSS is sitting in the Petersen Museum in LA, which not-coincidentally is where Jaguar assembled us to see the wraps pulled off the new one. The "new" XKSSs are generally faithful to the original design, with the bodies hand-formed off bucks that were themselves created off an original XKSS. The body is made out of exotic magnesium, an extremely lightweight metal which is often misunderstood to be extremely flammable. It is, but much more so when it's in little pieces, like shavings; formed into a car body, it's not quite the incendiary device you might think it'd be. Even the processes to form the chassis is the same, such as the bronze welding technique used to bond its tubing. A few concessions to modern safety are fitted, however. There's a fuel cell, partly due to the additional safety it provides but also to better resist the harrowing effects of modern ethanol blend fuel.