2003 Jaguar X-type Base Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1977 Jaguar XJ-S

The Jaguar XJ-S was big, powerful, swanky, and expensive, just the sort of luxury coupe a high-roller in the late 1970s craved. Unfortunately, these temperamental cars needed plenty of regular maintenance, and many of them suffered from neglect once they left the hands of their original owners. I see plenty of V12 Jaguars during my junkyard journeys, but it still gives me a twinge of sadness when I see another one parked among the ordinary Jettas and Grand Vitaras in the import-cars section of a big self-service wrecking yard. Here's a forlorn-looking, V8-swapped '77 in a San Francisco Bay Area yard. Chevrolet small-block V8 swaps were very common with the Jaguar XJs of the 1960s and 1970s, since an ordinary 350 would make power similar to that of the 326-cubic-inch V12 and parts obtainment was much easier. Still, swapping in a reliable-if-oil-leaky Detroit V8 didn't solve all the Jag's reliability woes: the Prince of Darkness retained a powerful grip on this car's soul. The patina on this car suggests decades spent forgotten in an outdoor storage area somewhere. There's a AAA map of California from the 1980s inside. This car listed for $20,250 when new. That's about $87,500 in inflation-adjusted 2018 dollars, but still $5,000 cheaper in 1977 dollars than a new Mercedes-Benz 450SLC (and a grand more expensive than a new Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham). Nobody in their right mind would have been willing to pay to restore this car, but we can hope that it provides some good parts to Jaguars that are still on the road. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1977 Jaguar XJS View 16 Photos Auto News Jaguar Automotive History

2013 Jaguar XJ AWD

Even though this year's winter has gotten off to an abnormally slow start for most of North America, Jaguar has shown the world it means business by launching its all-new Instinctive All Wheel Drive system in Montreal, Canada. Designed primarily for consumers in the Northern US and Canada, Jaguar put us on the same snowy, slushy and icy roads that many of its buyers will have to deal with. Rather than making declawed versions of the XJ and XF, Jag says this system enhances the performance abilities of its sedans when desired while still making them as fun to drive as their rear-wheel-drive counterparts. We had a chance to test out both the XF AWD and XJ AWD, but we spent most of our time behind the wheel of the flagship XJ, driving it on the open roads as well as a few closed courses.
Considering the lengthy and convoluted history of the Jaguar brand - including a stint as a member of Ford's defunct Premier Automotive Group alongside Volvo and Aston Martin - it is rather surprising that the automaker is just now getting around to introducing an all-wheel-drive system intended for widespread use, but the new Instinctive AWD will finally allow the XF, XJ and other future products to better compete against the likes of Mercedes-Benz 4Matic, BMW xDrive and Audi Quattro. In the XJ, Jaguar expects the AWD models to account for around 40 percent of the product mix nationwide and a little bit more (50 percent) for the XF, but in the northern states, it expects around 80 percent of XF sales to be AWD variants.
Instinctive AWD is rear-biased and operates as full rear-wheel drive in good weather, but when the road conditions turn slick, the system can split engine power 50:50 between front and rear axles using a center transfer case.

Jaguar planning additional models, engines

Jaguar is in the midst of a product offensive, rolling out the new XE and XF sedans while preparing the upcoming F-Pace crossover. But it's not about to sit on its leather-upholstered laurels. According to Motor Trend, the British automaker has a slew of projects in the cooker. For starters, there will reportedly be more versions of the flexible new Ingenium engine family. The lineup is being launched with gasoline and diesel four-cylinder engines, but is tipped to breed smaller three-cylinder versions as well to slot into a variety of Jaguar and Land Rover models. More intriguing, however, is the suggestion that Coventry is planning to replace its long-serving 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with a new straight six engine that could go turbocharged – which would make some sense out of the 35t moniker being worn by the supercharged XE. Of course Jaguar is going to need some new vehicles to slot those engines into, and MT suggests there are several possibilities under consideration (if not actual current development). The XE could breed wagon, coupe and convertible versions, as well as an SVR variant to take on the the BMW M4, Cadillac ATS-V et al. If the F-Pace proves a success, it could lead to larger and smaller crossovers in the future. The next XK is tipped to grow larger and go up-market. There, it would compete with the likes of the Bentley Continental GT, Rolls-Royce Wraith and Mercedes S-Class Coupe, while steering clear of the smaller F-Type. Related Video: