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Next Jaguar F-Type rumored to get BMW M-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8

Unless we're discussing the Porsche 911 or Chevrolet Corvette, trying to predict the future of any sports car out there would stump even Miss Cleo. Reportage takes a walking dead theme, as with the next-generation Audi R8. Or it delves a succession of intel from "reliable sources" on every possibility, each one wilder than and incompatible with the last. The newest turn in the rumor cycle for the next-gen Jaguar F-Type says Jaguar's coupe will be fitted with a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. The gossip comes courtesy of Georg Kacher writing in Car magazine. It closes the loop Kacher opened in 2016 when, writing in Automobile, he said BMW was hammering out a deal to provide V8 engines for the top-end Jaguar and Land Rover products. The deal would put more money in BMW's pockets for an engine that's expensive to develop but doesn't sell in large numbers, while weaning Jaguar off the thunderous and thirsty Ford-sourced 5.0-liter supercharged V8. We haven't heard anything else about that deal in the meantime. Since Kacher says the next F-Type will come in 2020, it seems the coupe would be the first car in the JLR range to get BMW power — specifically, BMW M Power. The 4.4-liter V8 codenamed S63 by BMW, but supposedly codenamed Project Jennifer inside JLR, makes 560 hp in standard form, or 625 hp in the M division's Competition vehicles. The current F-Type R Coupe puts out 550 hp, the SVR Coupe puts out 575 hp. However, the cloud of F-Type rumors is wide and nebulous. The head of JLR North America said last year that every product launched after 2020 will have some form of electrification, and we haven't heard of any hybrid plans for the 4.4-liter S63 V8. The next BMW M3 is said to get some sort of hybridization, but that sedan uses an inline-six. When Road & Track spoke to Jaguar design head Ian Callum earlier this month at the Paris Motor Show, the mag asked about a hybrid F-Type. Callum said electrification "is not necessarily the plan," adding, "There's not a plan, to be honest with you." He said what he'd like to do is "a mid-engine-style electric car." When Auto Express reported on Callum's wish, the mag called the product "a hybrid mid-engine supercar" with " dreams of taking on the McLaren 570S and Audi R8," using a V6 engine and powertrain components from the I-Pace. As a pure electric or a hybrid vehicle, this could be a way to get a C-X75-inspired sports car on the road, but it's not an F-Type replacement in either soul or price.

BMW Active Tourer to hit US showrooms in 2015

It's been over a year since BMW unveiled the Concept Active Tourer at the Paris Motor Show, and another four months since it brought the concept back in Outdoor guise (pictured above). Now word has it that the Bavarian automaker is putting it into production.
Although production specs and dimensions have yet to be revealed, the Concept Active Tourer came in a bit smaller than the existing BMW X1. The production version is expected to be based on the same platform that underpins the new Mini hatchback revealed last week in LA, meaning that it will be predominantly front-drive, but an all-wheel-drive version could follow.
There will also be a longer version with a third row of seats, forming part of a new generation of front-drive BMWs to take on the likes of the Audi A1 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class family, of which the GLA will be the Active Tourer's most direct rival. Expect the Active Tourer to arrive in 2015 with a new front-drive sedan to follow in 2017 aimed particularly at the North American and Chinese markets.

2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe might be a better 3 Series sedan

At BMW, there really is something for everyone these days. Just take a look at the massive 3 Series/4 Series range - you can have a sedan, coupe, convertible, wagon, or funky-backed Gran Turismo. And now, with the introduction of the 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe, you can have another seda... err, hatchback, actually. But perhaps, a better one.
Compared to the 3 Series sedan, the 4 Series Gran Coupe is both longer and wider by about half an inch, but is shorter in overall height by an inch and a half. Honestly, to our eyes, it looks a little better than the 3 Series, too, what with its longer roofline, more sculpted rear haunches and lower stance. Full interior volume specs for the 4GC aren't available as of this writing, but we expect them to be roughly the same as the 3 Series, perhaps with a small decrease in headroom and rear legroom. Trunk space, at 17 cubic feet, matches the 3 Series sedan, and because the 4GC actually uses a hatchback design, it should be easier to access.
Powertrains are completely carryover from the rest of the 3/4 Series range. The 428i uses BMW's well-liked 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four with 240 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque, and the 435i is fitted with the company's 3.0-liter turbo-six, good for 300 hp and 300 lb-ft. An eight-speed automatic is the only transmission available in the US with either model and rear-wheel drive is standard. Only the 428i can be had with BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system, and interestingly, the 428i Gran Coupe is actually expected to be more fuel-efficient than its 3 Series sedan counterpart. The GC is estimated to return 23/35 miles per gallon city/highway, compared to the 23/33 mpg in the 328i sedan. The 435i Gran Coupe should achieve the same 22/32 mpg ratings as the 335i sedan.