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Refreshed 2020 Jaguar XE gets upgraded interior

Jaguar said it listened to feedback — or complaints if you prefer, and want to be more blunt — from customers and even journalists to guide the first midcycle refresh of the XE sports sedan. While it made some exterior tweaks, the biggest changes are inside the cabin. There, Jaguar did away with hard plastics and added some new technology borrowed from the electric I-Pace, with XE's new door trims that will eventually serve as a template for all models, with improved ergonomics and more premium, soft-touch materials. "That was a really big job," says Ian Callum, Jaguar's director of design. "That's more than a normal facelift would normally get. What I think we've done with the interior is bring Jaguar back to its natural level of ambience and luxury. You sit in the car now, it's a great interior. We're really proud of it." Gone are the hard plastics in favor of new leather on the dash, door panels, seats, head rests and steering wheel. There are also carbon fiber panels around the front and rear door handles and the pistol shifter, which was borrowed from the F-Pace and replaces the previous version's dial shifter. The front-seat leather headrests are embossed with the Jaguar leaper logo, and the stitched-leather seats are a new design. The new front and rear door panels feature a more ergonomic 360-degree leather pull handle, replacing the previous design that had it as part of the door armrest. There's also a slot down low designed to securely stow reusable water bottles. Callum said the new door panels will appear on all future Jaguar models. The XE also features a redesigned center console with more storage, a pair of USB ports positioned inside the stowage bin along with an auxiliary power jack, and the second-generation heads-up display has improved graphics. Borrowed from the electric I-Pace is the optional InControl Touch Pro Duo touchscreen, which is kept separate from the climate control screen that retains two dial knobs. Also available is a wireless phone charging port, a first for Jaguar, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. "We've taken something from a much higher car into our small family car, which is the right thing to do," Callum said. "We've got to cascade all that good stuff into our affordable car and try to work around it. It was challenging, because it costs money, but it's what people expect.

2018 Jaguar F-Pace S is a fun but thirsty travel companion

I love road trips. I've moved across the country twice, spending weeks living out of my car, eating granola bars and sucking down energy drinks like it was finals week all over again. I get a huge kick out of calculating fuel economy, stretching out tanks of gas or diesel until the low-fuel light begins to sear itself into my retinas. I try to take each and every one of our long-term vehicles on some such trip. Not long after our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace S arrives, my wife and I decided to see some family in Asheville, North Carolina, roughly 10 hours and 700 miles from our home in suburban Detroit. Now, I knew from the outset this was going to be a far different experience than our previous long-termer, a 2017 Jaguar XE diesel. I managed to eek out nearly 700 miles per tank, averaging 42 mpg over 2,000 miles with that car. But the 380-horsepower supercharged V6 in the F-Pace is rated at 18 city/23 highway with a combined rating of just 20 mpg. Not good, and — unlike the XE — I didn't think I could do much better without greatly altering my admittedly aggressive driving habits. Still, I wanted to take our blue bomber to the Blue Ridge Parkway, so onward I went. There were a few other things I was worried about over what was sure to be another 2,000-mile trip. The F-Pace's suspension was a bit stiff thanks to the sporty S trim. The 20-inch wheels don't help matters, though things could be worse (some people on staff wanted to get 22s). At least they look good. Still, the seats are comfortable and the radio is top-notch. LCD Soundsystem's latest album had just come out, so I put it on repeat and headed south. The first part of the trip was going to be both the most boring and the most economical. The roads in Michigan and Ohio are flat and straight. It isn't until you hit Kentucky and head into the Appalachian Mountains that things get interesting. Just set the radar cruise control and barrel down Interstate 75 with as much urgency as you dare. I forgot my Valentine One at home. The ride was firm but not as bad as I imagined it might be, at least once we got off of Michigan's pockmarked pavement. The F-Pace tracked straight and true, but I became acutely aware that the steering wheel itself was out of alignment, leaning just slightly to the left. Fuel economy was fine, but I was just meeting the EPA estimate, not beating it like I usually manage to do.

50th Anniversary Porsche 911 vs. Jaguar F-Type Coupe is a battle of beauty, brawn

There can't really be a loser between the Jaguar F-Type Coupe R and the Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Edition. One might be better than the other, but if you're behind the wheel of either of them, you can't complain. In a new video, Motor Trend takes on the difficult task of determining which one of these European powerhouses is the best, not just in terms of raw performance, but also how they actually feel to drive.
The Porsche 911 is one of the perennial favorites of the motoring world. It just doesn't go away and always seems capable of challenging the top vehicles in its class. In this video, Motor Trend takes a look at the 50th Anniversary Edition model that celebrates that heritage while boosting power somewhat over the standard version.
The F-Type Coupe is an incredibly masculine car, MT describing it as "a British Corvette." The coupe's exterior lines are tautly stretched over its athletic body, and it's supercharged 5.0-liter V8 sounds like a demon's growl. Jaguar seems to have things right with its latest sports car.