1970 Jaguar Xke 4.2 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar F-Pace V6 reminds us why we love supercharged engines

There are many things we like about our 2018 Jaguar F-Pace long-term car, as well as some things we don't care for, but easily one of the best things about it is the engine. Under the hood is the 380-horsepower supercharged V6 that Jaguar offers on other models. That amount of power would be fun in just about any car with any engine, but there are specific reasons why this particular engine is special, and it's because of that supercharger. Supercharged engines have a very different character than increasingly common turbo engines. One of the most noticeable differences being engine response. Unlike turbo engines, the F-Pace's V6 feels hardwired to your foot. Every extra millimeter of pedal travel yields a slightly greater amount of tug. And the tug is felt immediately. Even the best turbo engines have a hard time recreating this response. The power band is very linear, as well, so you know exactly what you're getting every time you hit the gas. The engine is wonderfully torquey, too. Because the Jaguar's engine uses a classic Roots-type blower, there's a major improvement in low-end torque. This means that our F-Pace has loads of grunt for punting around at low-rpm and can seriously move when tromping on the gas. And because of the near-instant throttle response and linear power band, it doesn't slam you in the back unexpectedly like some turbo engines do. Despite how great these supercharged engines are to experience, we're concerned that supercharged engines like this may disappear in all but ultra-limited production, high-performance cars such as the Chevy Corvette Z06 and Cadillac CTS-V. The reason being that car companies have to keep making cars more fuel efficient and lower emitting. Putting a supercharger on an engine is adding a handicap, since it takes engine power to spin the belt-driven supercharger. And when a turbo, which uses wasted energy from exhaust gas to spin the compressor and built boost, can effectively do the same thing, it's hard to make a case for a supercharger. We won't give up hope completely, though. Mazda is using superchargers on its spark-assisted compression ignition gasoline engines. And while we're not sure how powerful and sporty those will be, Mazda has said that it's going with superchargers for exactly the reasons we like the Jaguar engine: smooth power and fast throttle response.

2021 Jaguar F-Type Luggage Test | Get away, and look extremely good doing it

Just like the Porsche 911 I performed a luggage test on not too long ago, the 2021 Jaguar F-Type is not a luggage-hauling machine. It’s a sports-car-oriented grand tourer, and it also happens to be stonking fast with a supercharged V8 under the hood. Since the engine is in the front, that leaves the rear trunk for all the cargo coming onboard. Assuming you want to take your F-Type on vacations and longer journeys (you do), the respectably-sized boot will come in handy. Jaguar says the coupe (what weÂ’re testing) has 14.4 cubic feet of space, whereas the convertible just about cuts that space in half with only 7.3 cubes. From a numbers perspective, the Jag just edges out the 911 (13.8 cubic feet of space combined between the frunk and rear seat). However, weÂ’ve learned to never take those numbers at face value. I use different equipment than Riswick does in Portland: Two carry-on suitcases sized (24 inches long, 15.5 wide, 10 deep); one carry-on suitcase (21.7L x 13.7W x 9 D); one medium-size suitcase you have to check (24.5L x 16.8W x 11.5D) and one larger, full-size suitcase (33.8L x 21.5W x 13D). The second full-size suitcase didnÂ’t get the call up, because one look at the luggage compartment was all I needed to know that two of them werenÂ’t going in there. Getting into the luggage compartment is luxurious enough for a Jag. Use the button on the fob, a toggle switch on the interior, or press the button under the lid. ItÂ’s fully powered going up and down, so you can devote all of your bodyÂ’s energy to wrestling the car around corners. The space itself is rather shallow and hindered by a privacy cover that hangs low. YouÂ’ll need to remove that shade to take advantage of the entire space, but we started with it on to see what could fit under it. This F-Type is low, so even though you have to lift things over the rear bumper, itÂ’s not horribly strenuous. I initially slid two of the carry-on suitcases in. Those fit lying flat, but there wasnÂ’t much extra space. To take advantage of what was left, I squeezed in the fancy bag (22L x 8.8W x 12D). With the privacy shade intact, youÂ’re not going to fit any more suitcases than that due to height restrictions. A very shallow item could slide on top of the inboard suitcase, but it would have to be very short. Another configuration I tried showed that the medium suitcase and one carry-on could fit. Additionally, the full-size suitcase also fits if itÂ’s in there alone.

Jaguar F-Pace snapped inside and out

We've seen the Jaguar F-Pace undergoing testing before: at the Nurburgring, in the snow, and wearing a variety of different bodywork as development has progressed. But we've never seen it this close, and we've never seen it inside, until now. This latest batch of spy shots shows Coventry's new crossover out on the road undergoing warm-weather testing in what looks like Spain. It's tellingly parked in between a Jaguar XE and Range Rover Evoque, the gap between which the F-Pace is expected to bridge. It's still wearing heavy camouflage, of course, but this is our first glimpse inside the cockpit. The cabin rather similar to the one on the new XF sedan – and hardly any more upright, either, which tells us a bit about the handling character Jaguar is going after with the F-Pace. Expect to see the finished product at the Frankfurt Motor Show this coming fall – the same show where it unveiled the C-X17 concept two years ago to preview its arrival. Related Video: