1985 Jaguar Vanden Plas Base Sedan 4-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2019 Jaguar XF Sportbrake 30t Prestige First Drive Review | Puts SUV appeal on ice

LA PLAGNE, France — British athletes have a reputation as plucky amateurs, although impressive Olympic performances of late have chipped away at it. Alpine sports remain one area where the more traditional "have a go" hero attitude prevails. Realistically, the only way a British skier is going to break records is with a little help from a fast-moving Jaguar. Thus, British ski stalwart Graham Bell set a speed record of 117 mph, towed behind a XF Sportbrake in an effort to demonstrate the effectiveness of its "Adaptive Surface Response" AWD drivetrain on all surfaces, including ice and snow. To what end? In short, a welcome reminder that an AWD Jaguar station wagon is a classy way to offer snowbelt drivers a practical, all-weather performance car with a twist: It isn't an SUV. The drive up to the ski resort of La Plagne is a chance for the XF Sportbrake to expose the myth you need a high-riding vehicle for life in the mountains. On the freeway from the airport, the Sportbrake amply demonstrates that it is a lovely thing to be in. Sleek, low-slung and effortlessly sexy in that traditional Jaguar fashion, the XF arguably looks better as a wagon than it does a sedan. For 2019, the Sportbrake range has expanded, with the 296 horsepower 30t Ingenium gasoline motor joining the existing 380 horsepower V6 S and providing the option to downsize without sacrificing too much performance. It's a tad gruff, but still packs 295 pound feet of torque to the V6's 332 pound feet while 0-60 in 5.7 seconds is only four-tenths slower. It's perhaps not decisive, but the official highway mileage improves from 25 mpg to 28 mpg. Its starting price of $64,575 saves a fair chunk of cash compared to a $71,215 V6 S, but the Sportbrake is still $10,000 more than an F-Pace with the same engine and equivalent Prestige spec. The 2019 updates also include a standard 10-inch touchscreen-controlled InControl Touch Pro system in the center console and, on our test car, the $945 Technology Package with the configurable 12.3-inch TFT instrument binnacle. For the Sportbrake, the 30t model is available exclusively in Prestige trim, meaning Navigation Pro, associated Pro Services and 4G Wi-Fi Hotspot are standard; Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available via the $300 Smartphone Pack.

Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is a 592-horsepower monster

Move over, F-Type, Jaguar has a new performance flagship. The Special Vehicle Operations division of Jaguar Land Rover applied its expertise to the XE sports sedan to create an absolute monster of a car. Named the XE SV Project 8, it features a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 pumping out 592 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That power goes through an eight-speed automatic and an all-wheel-drive system with an electronically controlled torque-vectoring rear differential. In practice, this will rocket the super sedan to 60 mph in a claimed 3.3 seconds on the way to a 200 mph top speed. The XE SV Project 8 is not only about raw power and speed, though. Lightweight carbon fiber bumpers, front fenders, and hood have been fitted. The fenders are significantly wider, too, which cover 265-mm wide tires up front, and Hellcat Widebody-rivaling 305-mm wide tires in the back. The added grip is supplemented by stiffer springs and retuned anti-roll bars and shocks. The front splitter and rear wing are adjustable, as is the ride height. Carbon ceramic brakes are also included with six-piston front calipers and single-piston rear calipers. All of these pieces should come together to make the XE SV Project 8 just as impressive in the corners as in a straight line. View 12 Photos The interior has undergone an overhaul, too. The standard model has seating for four, featuring front buckets with magnesium frames, and more sculpted rear seats. Carbon fiber and Alcantara can be everywhere throughout the cabin. All of the typical Jaguar comforts are still present, as well, including 4G Wi-Fi, climate control, LCD displays, and a 380-watt sound system. The dial shifter in the regular XE also gives way to an F-Type-style lever allowing for manual shifting via the lever instead of paddles if you so choose. There is an additional interior configuration for the XE SV Project 8 that won't be available in the US and Canada. Called the Track Pack, it completely removes the rear seats, and the front buckets are replaced with carbon fiber units. In place of the rear seats is a roll cage with harness points for fitting the included four-point harnesses. The pack also adds a fire extinguisher system along with a black roof and stripes. The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 will make its full public debut this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Only 300 of the cars will be built, and all of them will be assembled at the Jaguar SVO facility.

Jaguar's V8-powered XE looks to take aim at the BMW M3

It seems that Jaguar's littlest sedan is about to get one of the company's biggest engines. One of our spy photographers caught the company testing a disguised XE. While most people's first instincts would be to dissect the car, our photographer paid some extra attention to the number plate, and looked up the car's registration. He says the registration reveals that this little car is packing a 5.0-liter V8. The only sort of 5.0-liter V8 Jaguar makes is supercharged and makes 550 horsepower or more. So what we're probably looking at is a future 550-horsepower XE R. On the car itself, there appear to be larger intake vents on each side of the front bumper, likely for cooling off a much bigger, hotter engine. And of course a more aggressive appearance. The V8 theory is further backed up by the quad-tip exhaust that clearly needs more development. Aside from these changes, this XE looks pretty similar to the sportier models in the current range. It has the same side skirts as the XE R-Sport and XE S. It also uses the same wheels as the XE S. We can safely say that at least the wheels will be different when the V8 model reaches production. As for when that will be, we'd say don't expect to see a revealed production model for at least a year, and possibly more, since there appears to be a decent amount of development left to do. Related Video: