2007 Jaguar Vanden Plas Sedan 4-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

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Jaguar to offer high-performance SVR models like Land Rover?

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past weekend, Land Rover previewed its upcoming performance version of the Range Rover Sport. Only instead of wearing the R-S badge that adorns the most hardcore of Jaguar models, the performance SUV from JLR's Special Operations unit introduced the letters SVR. And now, it seems that badge is here to stay.
Following the Range Rover Sport SVR, a new report from Motor Authority now says that Jaguar Land Rover will use those letters to distinguish the top-of-the-line performance models from both marques moving forward. As such, we might expect SVR models of the upcoming Jaguar XE compact sedan and Land Rover Discovery Sport, as well as potential new performance models based on the new F-Type and next-generation XF.
If accurate, the move would seem to separate Jaguar in particular from the R-S badge that has adorned performance models like the XFR-S and XKR-S. Both Audi and Porsche use the letters RS to distinguish its most hardcore models as well (e.g. Audi RS7 Sportback and Porsche 911 GT3 RS). Whether the similarity was a factor in shifting to the SVR moniker, we don't know, but either way, we welcome the arrival of a new generation of Jaguar and Land Rover performance models - especially if they pack the 575-horsepower version of the company's ubiquitous 5.0-liter supercharged V8. Not incidentally, that delicious powerplant gained a couple of new engine bays to call home at Goodwood as well - it's not just found in the forthcoming Range Rover Sport SVR, it's found a home in the F-Type Project 7, too.

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.

1965 Jaguar Series 1 E-Type Roadster shows what Classic Works can do

You might have heard that England's Queen Elizabeth recently celebrated 70 years with a four-day Jubilee throughout London. You might also have heard about the Platinum Jubilee Pageant that stretched nearly two miles long, featuring thousands of performers and a whole lot of cars. More than a dozen of the vehicular contingent came from Jaguar alone; the brand has a long history with the royal family, Jaguar Land Rover being one of four automakers possessing a Royal Warrant to provide motorcars to the queen. And Jaguar wanted to highlight this participant among its phalanx, a 1965 Series 1 E-Type Roadster restored by Jaguar Classic Works.  It doesn't have any connection to the queen, but billed as a showcase of "the full capabilities of Jaguar Classic and ability to comprehensively update E-types," it could be taken as a small indicator of how much more the automaker could do for monarchs. A private customer went to Jaguar Classic Works with a request for an E-Type built the year he was born, the final product to be "relied upon for daily driving and be comfortable on Grand Tours while remaining authentic to the original."  First, fixers fanned out, locating an example built two days after the new owner was born. Its pathetic condition posed no problem for the restorers in Coventry, who didn't leave anything alone during the 12-month build. Going by the before picture, technicians started by swapping the original left-hand drive for right-hand drive. They bored the original 4.2-liter engine to 4.7 liters and undisclosed power, "optimised for road driving." The mill's output is sent through a sport manifold and exhaust and a custom five-speed manual transmission. The gearbox is an in-house Classic Works production originally created for the E-Type 60 Edition that delivers "a smoother, quieter and more refined driving experience." Wider wheels and tires, and more powerful brakes, are bolted to an upgraded suspension.  The cabin and sheetmetal received attention worthy of the mechanicals. The exterior is drenched in a custom blue based on the Union Jack that took months to perfect; in-the-metal pictures at Coventry Live show just how lustrous the paintwork is. The red interior recalls the red of British pillar boxes, their term for mailboxes.