2002 Jaguar Xj8 Base Sedan 4-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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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.

Lexus RC F takes star turn in 'Men in Black: International' blockbuster

Here's a little car candy for the holidays. There have been three :Men in Black" films, the last one in 2012 (even though it seems a lot longer ago, doesn't it?). "Men in Black: International," due for release on June 14, looks like it will showcase its vehicles in a way the previous movies didn't, starting with getting the Lexus RC F ready for its close-up. This will be Lexus' second blockbuster turn in two years, after putting an LC in the line of fire in this year's "Black Panther". And if "MIB: International" gives off the whiff of petrol, that's at last partly because F. Gary Gray directs, the man behind 2003's "The Italian Job " and 2017's " The Fate of the Furious." This is the first "MIB" to give the agents a whiz-bang modern car. The most modern vehicle previously was a "new hotness" 2003 Mercedes-Benz E550 in the 2002 sequel, but that was primarily a joke referring to the 1986 Ford LTD, referred to as a "Ford P.O.S.," in the first movie. The third film, which took place in the sixties, used a 1964 Ford Galaxie. "MIB: International" includes a few throwbacks to the movies and the television series. The RC F goes airborne with the help of a big red button, just like that '86 LTD. A bigger and better hovercycle ties into the hovercycle from the TV show. The all-new move comes with a mid-seventies Jaguar XJ; whereas the first agents merely retrieved their weapons from the trunk, the XJ not only holds weapons, it disassembles into weapons systems. As Jalopnik noted, in many ways this movie " looks just like 'Thor: Ragnarok' but set in a different universe." Should go well enough with a bucket of popcorn and pail of Coca-Cola, though. Related Video:

2019 Jaguar I-Pace pricing announced, starting at $70,495

The Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle arrives in the United States later this year with a starting price of $70,495, including destination, putting it head-to-head with luxury EV rivals like the Tesla Model S sedan and Model X crossover. Jaguar's fully-electric crossover is powered by two electric motors, one at the front and another at the rear, with the battery pack nestled in an underfloor, positioned in-between the front and rear axles. This powertrain not only provides the all-wheel-drive I-Pace with a low center of gravity and perfect 50:50 weight distribution, it delivers a total of 394 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque. According to Jaguar's stopwatch, the I-Pace accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 124 mph. That lives up to the performance level a customer expects from Jaguar – not to mention being a match for the straight-line speed of Tesla's offerings at this price range. It should be noted, however, that despite aligning on price and performance with models S and X, the I-Pace is a bit closer in size to the Model 3. As we've already noted, the Jaguar's 90-kWh lithium-ion battery pack provides a useful range of up to 240 miles between charges. When you're running low on juice, a 100-hW DC fast charger will provide 80 percent of range in only 40 minutes. That's still a considerable amount of time compared to filling up with gasoline, though it's much better than the hours-long wait EVs usually required only a few years ago. Plugging in at home does require more patience, however. Using a 230-volt, 32-amp Level 2 home-charger requires just over 10 hours to recharge your I-Pace. Three trim levels are offered: S, SE, and HSE. There will also be a fully-loaded, one-year-only "First Edition" based on the HSE trim level, which carries a price of $86,895. In fact, it's very easy to start adding options – and a heftier tab – onto the base price of the I-Pace. Available safety features on the entry-level model include blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control with steering assist, high-speed emergency braking, and a 360-degree surround-view camera. The First Edition model is pretty much the upper limit of I-Pace pricing, and comes fitted with all those safety features, along with a full leather interior, 20-inch alloy wheels, a 15-speaker Meridian surround sound stereo, and premium LED headlights. It's worth noting that Jaguar includes a substantial 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranty with each I-Pace.