2007 Jaguar X-type Wagon on 2040-cars

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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.

Jaguar-Land Rover rules out downsizing into new segments

Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR) will continue expanding its portfolio of models during the 2020s, but the group confirmed it won't chase volume by branching out into smaller segments like its German rivals. The two brands will instead seek partnerships to generate economies of scale. "We should not and will not drive down into segments just to get economies of scale," said Felix Brautigam, Jaguar-Land Rover's chief commercial officer, in an interview with Autocar. He added the second-generation Range Rover Evoque (pictured) released in 2018 is already a relatively small car. It stretches 172 inches from bumper to bumper and 75 inches from side to side, so it's approximately 4 inches longer and 5 inches wider than the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf. It's about 8 inches taller than the German hatchback, however. While that's small by luxury car standards, Mercedes-Benz and BMW respectively went smaller with their Smart and Mini brands. Audi doesn't have an entry-level sub-brand, but it doesn't need to because it's part of the gigantic Volkswagen Group. Japanese luxury firms like Lexus and Infiniti are also part of bigger companies. Brautigam's comments bury numerous rumors. They confirm Jaguar won't take on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the Audi A3, and the BMW 1 Series with a model positioned below the XE, which competes against the C-Class, the A4, and the 3 Series, respectively. They also douse cold water on the born-again Freelander (which ultimately morphed into the LR2 in America), which Land Rover was allegedly developing to slot directly below the aforementioned Evoque. Ironically, JLR might soon have access to platforms capable of underpinning smaller vehicles. Parent company Tata Motors is actively looking for an outside company to link arms with the British brands, according to a separate report. Officials reportedly approached BMW -- which used to own Land Rover, and announced a joint-venture with the group in 2019 -- and Geely, the Chinese giant whose portfolio of brands includes Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Proton, London Taxi Company, Terrafugia, and half of Smart, plus a sizeable, nearly-10% stake in Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler. Geely told Bloomberg it hasn't heard from Tata or JLR. BMW and Tata remained silent. While a partnership with someone looks likely considering the significant hurdles faced by JLR, its parent company has categorically ruled out selling the duo it purchased from Ford for $2.3 billion in 2008.

Jaguar XJ220 hooned remotely by a kid

The Tax the Rich crew has a knack for indulging in automotive fantasies and capturing it all on video, such as a tug-of-war battle between two Ferrari F50s, drifting a Ferrari Enzo on gravel roads and even powersliding a Rolls-Royce Phantom on a field of wet grass. This latest video features a Jaguar XJ220 and a kid with an iPad, who somehow is able to control the old supercar with the Apple product.
No, there's no app for that (yet), and we lied - the boy isn't actually controlling the car - but it sure is nice to see the XJ220 in all its turbocharged, six-cylinder glory doing donuts and sliding across a grassy field. It jolts us to see the old Jaguar - capable of 217 miles per hour and once described by Jeremy Clarkson as having no brakes and massive turbo lag - thrown about like a rally car, but then we never imagined anybody would abuse a Rolls-Royce like that either. We'll continue to leave the high-stakes antics to Tax the Rich - we're just glad somebody had the guts to behave so badly in such a valuable machine. What else were they made for?
Be sure to check out the video below, if you have a pulse.