Jaguar Xjr Super Charge 4-door on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Audi, Jag, Kia and Tesla top Strategic Vision 2014 Total Quality Index

A couple weeks ago, J.D. Power released its latest Initial Quality Study, which gave high marks to Porsche, Hyundai and General Motors, with the latter earning more individual IQS awards than any other manufacturer. Now, it's Strategic Vision's turn, and it's doling out its praise not to Porsche, but to Tesla, which wasn't even included in the JD Power IQS.
The Model S was named the best vehicle overall in total quality, while Porsche's corporate brother and endurance-racing rival, Audi, was named the best premium brand, alongside Jaguar. Strategic Vision cited the Q5 and the ancient Q7 for individual segment awards, as well as the A5, which was a mere point off the top of its segment. SV also handed out compliments for the Audi's interior work. The win for the German brand is a nice improvement over its IQS score, with which it landed above the industry average, but solidly mid-pack.
Jaguar was without a segment winner, although SV did say that the Indian-owned English brand had a number of vehicles very near the top of their segments. This is the second significant win for Jag in two weeks, after it finished second overall on the JD Power IQS a few weeks ago.

Porsche tops J.D. Power quality index as Korean brands soar

While complaints about infotainment systems remain a thorn in the side of automakers for J.D. Power's annual Initial Quality Study, there's a lot to celebrate this year. The average number of problems reported per 100 vehicles fell to 112 in 2015 – a three-percent improvement compared to 116 in 2014. The results of this year's survey are based on the responses of over 84,000 people about problems within the first 90 days of buying or leasing a 2015 model-year vehicle. For the third consecutive year, Porsche tops the rankings with an average of 80 problems per 100 vehicles. Although, that's slightly more than the 74 the German sportscar maker scored in 2014. "While the Japanese automakers continue to make improvements, we're seeing other brands, most notably Korean makes, really accelerating the rate of improvement," Renee Stephens, vice president of US automotive quality at J.D. Power, said in the study's release. In fact, Kia ranks as one of the biggest movers in this year's list. The Korean brand jumped to second place from seventh last year. The company had an average of 86 problems per 100 vehicles, a 20-point improvement. Third place went to Jaguar with an average of 93 problems reported, versus last year's second-place finish with 87 of them. Fourth place was Hyundai, and fifth-place Infiniti also earned a gold star for improvement with 97 issues per 100 vehicles – 31-points better than last year. Fiat still anchored the bottom of the list. However, its 161 problems this year is a lot better than the 206 in 2014. Ranked by nationality, Korean brands (Hyundai and Kia) are now leading the industry in initial quality with an average of 90 problems reported per 100 vehicles. According to J.D. Power, this is the first time Europe's figure beat Japan with 113 and 114 issues, respectively. The American brands also averaged 114. Whereas General Motors dominated last year, the segment awards are spread out in 2015. GM, Hyundai, Nissan, and Volkswagen Group are all tied with four models each earning prizes. For more information, you can also see all of the graphs, here. J.D.

2021 Jaguar XF First Drive Review | The final saloon to wear a Leaper?

The 2021 Jaguar XF has arrived. After a series of pandemic-related delays, Jaguar Land Rover’s latest models have finally started appearing stateside, ready to find their way into the waiting hands of buyers thirsting for options after a year of economic uncertainty. Like just about everything else in the Jaguar lineup, however, the XF was also subjected to a dramatic tidying-up for the 2021 model year that leaves it cheaper, simpler and, sadly, quite a bit less exciting. While JaguarÂ’s crossovers get new powertrain options as part of a simultaneous future-proofing effort, the big upgrade for the 2021 XF is an overhauled cabin. Just about every visible component in the XFÂ’s interior is new for 2021. The 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system gets a swanky new magnesium frame to go with its complete software overhaul. The new system plays nicely with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and is capable of over-the-air updates. Jaguar has also added a number of standard features including proximity entry, wireless phone charging, active noise cancellation, a surround-view camera system and a 12-speaker Meridian sound system, all for $45,145.00 – about 10 grand cheaper than a base Audi A6, Volvo S90, Mercedes E-Class or BMW 5 Series. ThereÂ’s bad with the good, however. In case you missed it, the XF is now JaguarÂ’s only sedan, and the downsides donÂ’t end there for four-door fans. Jaguar not only got rid of its other sedans, it also pared down the XF to just a handful of variants. Wagon? Nope. Bigger engines? Nuh-uh. In 2020, Jaguar offered 10 different versions of the XF; this year, that number is three: P250 S RWD, P250 SE RWD and P300 R-Dynamic SE AWD. Helpfully, Jaguar names its models for their engine output figures (in PS, not HP, mind you). The P250 variants make 246 American horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque and are offered exclusively with rear-wheel drive; the P300 R-Dynamic SE picks up another 50 horses and 27 lb-ft, along with an extra pair of driven wheels. Both utilize an eight-speed ZF automatic; both get the same size front and rear brakes. And thatÂ’s it. No six- or eight-cylinder variants. If you want more fun, look into an F-Pace. Welcome to 2021. If you were hoping for a redeeming description of a slimmed-down, lightweight XFÂ’s sporty driving dynamics right about now, sorry, youÂ’re not getting that either.