2003 Jaguar S-type Base Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Jaguar XF First Drive [w/video]

Jaguar has never had a problem with style or driving joy. Every generation of the British brand's vehicles – with excuses made and accepted in advance for S-Type and X-Type and other outliers – has offered compelling styling and great performance. New kid XF was no exception when it was introduced in 2007. The car's sheetmetal pointed the way forward for the fully up-to-date range we see now, and its confident engines and handling chops were on pace with the best Bimmers, Benzes, and Cadillacs. The first-generation XF made some hay for Jaguar, selling around 280,000 copies through 2014. But those annualized rates still represented a blip on the luxury midsize radar when viewed against the backdrop of the German Three's numbers. Part of that sales story has been down to the E-Classes and 5 Series of the world being consistently excellent, to be sure. But a lot of the blame can be found in Jaguar's historic weak spots. Grace and pace the brand had in spades, but consumer perception of quality and reliability just weren't there, pricing was typically near the top of the class, and the residual values of the cars were low (a combination of all three factors, most likely). Of course, Jag would love to sell a few more cars. But this time, instead of simply building a great-looking, great-driving new XF (which is absolutely the case), the brand is doing some clever non-engineering-based things to put more big cats in more garages than ever before. The tradeoff of very good ride quality is worth the minute amount of roll. After flying all they way to Spain – Pamplona and the Navarra Circuit, by way of Barcelona and a Range Rover adventure you'll hear about soon – I would be remiss not to tell you how the new XF goes down the road. Some 150 kilometers (93 miles) of motorway and challenging b-roads lie between the city with that annual livestock problem and the 2.44-mile, FIA approved racecourse. A route that led me to understand that this XF, in my case the 380-horsepower XF S, has gained more than it has lost in the generational changeover. The company is fully committed to aluminum for its midsizer, with the new car now using a body structure that's 75-percent built from the stuff. I'm told that means a body in white that weighs just over 600 pounds, and an overall weight savings of 11 percent. Body stiffness has been raised by 28 percent in the process.

Jaguar I-Pace eTrohpy battery-electric racecar

Related: We obsessively covered the Frankfurt Motor Show — here's our complete coverage Jaguar's first battery-electric vehicle is the I-Pace eTrophy. The luxury automaker debuted the I-Pace at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Jaguar plans to electrify all new models by 2020. Green Jaguar Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video

How Jaguar optimized the Ingenium gas engine for the F-Type

At the 2017 New York Auto Show, Jaguar showed off the new entry-level F-Type, packing a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, gasoline-fueled inline-four that produces 296 horsepower, which is built in-house in the UK. It's the debut of this branch of the Ingenium engine series, and it's also the top of the Ingenium gas range; most JLR vehicles will offer a less powerful 247-hp version. We caught up with Jaguar's engineers to figure out exactly how this high-output Ingenium engine differs, and what Jaguar had to do to fit it in the F-Type's engine bay. While all Ingenium 2.0-liter gas fours share major architecture – the aluminum block and heads, as well as the bore and stroke – there are some internal differences. The most important are the low-compression pistons, which allow for more boost without detonation. The new compression ratio is 9.5:1, compared to the 10.5:1 ratio in the 247-hp spec engines. To make the most out of more boost, you need new plumbing and a way to get more fuel into the combustion chamber. So Jaguar fitted a larger twin-scroll turbocharger that's unique to this application. It features low-friction ceramic ball bearings – Jaguar says this improves transient response. There are also new fuel injectors and a fuel pump to accommodate the increased demand for gas in the high-output engine. On the back end, there's a unique exhaust system with active flaps to give it a louder bark when called for. Of course, some new hardware and more boost means the various electronic systems that control the engine needed changes. For one, Jaguar's changed the cam timing and valve lift mapping, as well as the ignition timing. The throttle mapping and transmission calibration have also been optimized for the new engine. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As far as the driver's concerned, the biggest change from the 247-hp engine to the 296-hp one – other than increased scoot – will be where the power peak is. The 296-hp engine makes peak power at a higher point in the rev range, which should reward drivers who generously prod the throttle and hold gears in manual mode. Remember, F-Types equipped with this engine will only be available with an automatic transmission. You should also remember that it's an excellent gearbox overall, with rapid, smooth shift characteristics, if the other 8-speed Jaguars are anything to go by.