2010 Jaguar Xf R on 2040-cars

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2020 Jaguar XE First Drive Review | The outlier's unusual charms

ST. TROPEZ, France — It's tough out there for compact sports sedans, even top contenders like the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Jaguar resorted to a big-winged, bestial XE Project 8 that toppled a Nurburbring record to try and gain some attention, but the regular 2020 Jaguar XE will have to attain relevance on its unwinged charms against stiff German competition. We piloted the updated underdog through jagged hills above coastal France to see how its improvements stack up. For 2020, the XE receives a few subtle but effective styling tweaks — a resculpted front bumper, a wider and more purposeful grille, and a rear bumper with slimmer LED tail lamps that make the backend appear wider and more aggressive. Aerodynamic efficiency is slightly improved or equal to the previous model, depending on equipment. But the cabin receives more critical updates, specifically a much-needed upgrading of interior materials and trim. While higher-quality materials lend the XE a distinctly more luxurious feel, also welcome is a 12.3-inch driver display screen, Jag's familiar InControl Touch Pro Duo infotainment system (optional), and modern features like a wireless phone charging pad and a new steering wheel with updated illuminated controls. Small touches like wider, softer armrests, posher seat coverings, and more spacious door pockets also elevate the passenger experience — although the rear seats are tight at the knees and head for my 5'11" frame. Speed freaks and diesel fanatics will be disappointed to learn that the XE's engine options have, in Jaguar's words, been "rationalized" for 2020, dropping the 380-horsepower supercharged V6 and 180 hp four-cylinder turbodiesel. The only available engines for 2020 are both carryover units: the turbocharged 247 hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder (dubbed the S / P250), and the R-Dynamic S / P300, which is essentially the same mill with a bigger turbo producing 296 hp. Expect 0-60 mph times of 6.2 and 5.4 seconds, respectively. All-wheel drive is optional in the P250 model ($39,900 or $41,900 with AWD), and mandatory with the P300 ($46,295). Click the gear selector into Drive, and the cabin feels quiet and well insulated as the XE accelerates. There's a noticeable, but not enormous difference between the P250 and P300's acceleration.

Junkyard Gem: 2001 Jaguar XJ8

After Ford bought Jaguar in 1989, the bosses in Dearborn finally got their hands on a storied luxury brand that would be taken more seriously than Lincoln outside of North America. A fresh infusion of dollars worked wonders to improve the quality of Jaguar's engineering and assembly, and development of a modern DOHC V8 engine immediately took a high priority. That engine made its debut in the 1997 Jaguar XK8, then went into the engine compartment of the very first production Jaguar sedan to get factory V8 power: the XJ8. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of that first generation of XJ8, found crashed in a Colorado self-service boneyard. The 1998-2003 XJ8 lived on the final iteration of the mid-1980s-vintage XJ40 platform, the X308. While this means that the X308 had chassis ancestry stretching back to the British Leyland era, Ford's money ensured that it would be built better than its predecessors had been during the cash-strapped bad old days. Exterior styling wasn't much changed from that of the XJ300. Inside, the old XJ40 dash finally went away for good, replaced by a design more appropriate for the new century. Jaguar couldn't compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz on leading-edge chassis engineering, but its heritage was hard to top. The engine is a 4.0-liter DOHC V8 with variable valve timing, rated at 290 horsepower and 290 pound-feet. Ford should get credit for funding Jaguar's own engine instead of simply stuffing some member of its Modular V8 family in here. If you wanted a manual transmission in your XJ8, the answer was a firm no. In fact, Ford ended up using the 3.9-liter version of this engine in the Ford Thunderbird and Lincoln LS. The MSRP for the base 2001 XJ8 was $56,355, or about $98,725 in 2024 dollars. The 2001 BMW 740i listed at $62,900 ($110,190 after inflation) and the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S 430 cost $70,800 ($124,030 now). Perhaps the $51,745 BMW 540i and the $56,050 Mercedes-Benz E 430 ($90,649 and $98,190 in today's money, respectively) were more realistic sales rivals for the XJ8, though. This car's interior is a bit grimy but appears to have been in nice enough condition when it arrived here. What happened? This happened. On a near-quarter-century-old European luxury sedan, body damage like this usually results in the insurance company declaring the car totaled. Remember when Dennis Tito paid $20 million to become the world's first space tourist? Jaguar could have saved him some money. You'll never, ever lose it in the parking lot.

2018 Jaguar F-Pace long-term test introduction

We just spent six months driving around Jaguar's XE in diesel trim, a fun, frugal sports sedan that impressed all of us. But we know that diesel sedans are a pretty slim part of the market, so we decided to check out the other side of Jaguar's coin. For the next six months, we'll be driving a 2018 Jaguar F-Pace. In today's SUV and crossover obsessed world, the F-Pace is already the brand's best seller, and if history and the Porsche Cayenne is any indication, it'll hopefully help finance the sort of lust-worthy but low-volume cars we all love so much. In the meantime, we'll be finding out what all those new Jag owners are getting themselves into. What we got Our particular F-Pace is very close to fully loaded. Outside, it's coated in deep, vibrant Caesium Blue, a hue that was originally intended only for the F-Pace First Edition but popular demand made it more widely available. It's accented with the "Black Package," a $360 option, which swaps out shiny chrome trim on the grille, window surround and fender vents for gloss black pieces. We also added gloss black 20-inch wheels to match, a $1,020 option. For $410, we added a fifth one of those wheels in the trunk, too, since we opted for a full-size spare. Our F-Pace's sporty appearance is complemented by an athletic engine. The F-Pace S (starting price $60,770) comes with the most powerful engine currently available, a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 good for 380 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Like all F-Pace models, all-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic transmission are standard. Also, because this is the S model, our F-Pace has the ability to store a custom configuration for the steering and suspension. Most of the options on our F-Pace are convenience items such as the $1,840 "Comfort and Convenience Package" that adds heated and cooled front seats, heated and power-reclining rear seats, remote levers for folding those seats, and a powered, hands-free-opening hatch. The $2,350 "Luxury Interior Package" adds configurable ambient lighting, four-zone climate control, a lockable and cooled glovebox, an air quality sensor, a pair of 12V power sockets in the rear, illuminated door sill plates, a suedecloth headliner and fancier floor mats. The "Driver Assistance Package" and "Technology Package" each cost $3,250 and provided us with Jaguar's top-of-the-line Touch Pro infotainment system, Wi-Fi, a Meridian sound system, navigation, parking sensors, 360-degree cameras, and adaptive cruise control.