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2018 Jaguar F-Pace: Heated windshield option may drive you crazy

Our long-term Jaguar F-Pace is stuffed full of options. It's the top-trim S model with the most powerful engine, and we selected five of seven available option packages. The two we didn't pick were the cheapest ones. There were a handful of individual options we selected, as well, and one of them, the heated windshield, is one that you should definitely think twice about before choosing. The reason being that, in this editor's opinion, it's thoroughly irritating. I actually didn't even know our F-Pace had it the first time I signed it out for an evening. At the end of the day, I grabbed the key, walked down to the parking lot and drove it away without a second thought. A couple miles down Woodward Avenue, though, I noticed that my view out wasn't quite as clear as I expected. I figured the windshield was dusty or something, so on went the windshield washer for a few moments. After everything dried off, I had the same issue. I pulled the washer lever again and still nothing. I leaned forward and squinted my eyes, and that's when I spotted the minuscule heater wires across the entire pane of glass. And once I saw the wires, it was almost impossible to unsee them. My unobstructed view out the car suddenly turned into a CRT screen full of scan lines. They never kept me from safely driving the F-Pace (after all, they are extremely small), but I could never completely forget they were there. It's incredibly frustrating and it gets worse at night as the wires combine with oncoming headlights. I'm not the only one who dislikes them either, as Senior Editor John Snyder and Contributing Editor James Riswick voiced their displeasure with the feature. Not everyone in the office feels this way about the heated windshield, though. Associate Editor Reese Counts said that they don't bother him one bit. And in cold weather climates like Michigan, it should be handy for clearing snow, ice and condensation from the windshield. With these differing opinions, then, this is an option that you'll definitely want to experience for yourself before actually choosing it. You might find it unobtrusive or you might find it insufferable. As for me, I don't think I could deal with having those wires in my face all year 'round. I would rather spend 10 percent of the year when we have accumulating snow and ice scraping it off manually so that the other 90 percent of the year I have a crystal clear view of the road.

Porsche 911 Turbo and Nissan GT-R Nismo star in World's Greatest Drag Race 4

We love Motor Trend's annual World's Greatest Drag Race video. Now back for its fourth appearance, the idea of lining some of the world's fastest cars up for a ten-wide, straight-line, full-throttle run is, well... it's pretty freaking badass.
The lineup this year boasts some impressively fast cars to be sure. The group of ten includes the following darlings: Alfa Romeo 4C, BMW i8, BMW M4, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Ford Fiesta ST, Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, Nissan GT-R Nismo, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Subaru WRX STI and, last but not least, the Volkswagen GTI. Give us any one of those for the weekend, and we're happy to take the keys.
It must be said though, that for a publication that draws as much water as Motor Trend does, there are some big cars that we might expect to be here instead. The Lamborghini Huracán or Ferrari 458 Speciale would have added some exotic flare to the list, and the omissions of the Chevy Corvette Stingray (for the second year in a row) and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat are real head-scratchers.

Ferrari and Jaguar dominate the 2017 Arizona Auctions

The 2017 Arizona Auctions took place this past weekend, and one look at the results should be a reminder that big-name auto auctions are no place for mere mortals. Aside from the fast paced nature – seven auction houses moved 3,486 vehicles across the auction block – the rarest and most desirable cars sold for more than most people will make in a lifetime. There were around 20 cars that sold for at least $1 million, with Bonhams topping the list with a $7,370,000 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight. Despite $259.8 million in sales, Hagerty reports that 2017 was only the second biggest weekend in the Arizona auction's long history. The figure was up $9 million from 2016's total, but much of that increase can be attributed to the 12-percent increase in the total number of cars auctioned. The average selling price was $89,601, with the vast majority of vehicles selling for less than $100,000. Aside from the 1963 Jaguar E-Type, there were a number of rare and noteworthy vehicles for up for grabs. RM Sotheby's $6,600,000 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster was the runner-up in value, followed closely by a $6,380,000 1952 Ferrari 340 America Competizione Spider from Bonhams. The various top-10 lists were awash with Ferraris and other European automakers, though much of the lower-end sales were populated by classic American autos. Most of the top sellers were built before 1970, though the occasional newer model (1995 Ferrari F50, 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, 2006 Ford GT) made it through. Based on 2017's overall theme, it appears that interest on cars from American automakers is on the rise. Hagerty notes that a number of 1980s American sports cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Pontiac Firebird did surprisingly well. Look for the 2018 auctions to see if the momentum continues. Related Video: