2007 Jaguar Xj8 L on 2040-cars

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Jaguar puts Mourinho on ice

There is principal among the persecuted to embrace insults and turn them around. That's how the gay community turned "queer" from a pejorative term into a badge of pride. Now Jaguar has done the same with "footballer's car." While this has been generally seen as the UK equivalent of a "rapper's car," generally a big four-wheel-drive such as a Range Rover, blinged up so as to make it unusable off-road, Jaguar has taken the curious step of deliberately putting a footballer in the new F-Pace. Before you can even buy a Jaguar F-Pace, the company has taken ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho to Northern Sweden to drive a prototype on ice. And there is not an ounce of bling about the event. It was run on 60 km (37 miles) of frozen lake at Jaguar Land Rover's extreme testing facility in Arjeplog, Sweden, which is 40 miles from the Arctic Circle. And it's not just JLR engineers who get to do this. Jaguar sells the "Jaguar Ice Drive Experience," while Porsche has something similar and if you really want to go for it there is a company that does it in Porsches, Maseratis, and the wonderful Alfa 4C. But those are not footballers' cars. Jag quotes Mourinho as saying, "The experience was magnificent. For people in my world, I think a few days in a place like this is magnificent." However even if you read it in a Spanish accent it still sounds like it was written by a PR man. Ditto the quote "I am always learning. Even in football, which is an area that obviously I feel that I'm an expert, I'm never perfect and I always learn." What Jaguar gets out of the association is some quotes about Mourinho's plans – he's going to stay in the UK – which means the major UK papers might pick it up. They probably will and then ignore all the cool ice driving stuff. What we get as car nuts is some awesome footage of the car power-sliding with rooster tails of snow. It's a good looking car; I've seen some testing on the roads around Jaguar's home of Coventry and did a double take. It's a little Macan-like but better looking. I've driven the F-Type with both the 375-HP V6 used in the Mourinho F-Pace piece and the 550-hp supercharged V8, and the V6 is plenty. Until you drive the V8, which blows your mind way. Indeed I have the letter on my desk pleading guilty to the fixed penalty (62 in a 50) that I picked up in the F-Type. What you can't tell from the video is how good the V6 sounds. How it does a nice little wake-the-neighbours blip when you switch it on.

Hey wait, not everyone hates the diesel engine in our 2017 Jaguar XE

My friend Joel doesn't seem to care for the turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel engine in our long-term 2017 Jaguar XE 20d. That's fine. He's entitled to his opinion. But he does not speak for the entire Autoblog staff. I, for one, am a big fan of this oil burner. I said so months ago after I returned from a 2,000-mile road trip. The intervening months have done nothing to sway my opinion. It's smooth, efficient, and all the engine you need in a non-performance application. It may not have the raw power or full range torque of the XE's gasoline engines, but it's a fine fit in this car. Not everyone who buys a sports sedan like the XE or BMW 3 Series does so because they want a sharp canyon carver. Some just want a handsome car that will get them from point A to B in relative comfort. The Jaguar XE diesel does just that, and it does so while achieving some pretty astounding fuel economy numbers. We met the 30 mpg city rating and eclipsed the 40 mpg highway rating with ease. It's not like the XE diesel is slow. Sure, a 0-60 mph time of 7.5 seconds isn't blistering, but it's far from what anyone should consider slow or lethargic. That time is right on par with the BMW 328d. Sure, it runs out of breath at peak revs, but so does every other diesel. If you care about wringing it out, buy a gas version. By Joel's own admission, the engine's 180 horsepower and 318 pound-feet of torque are available when needed for highway passing or city driving. That's all most people really need. So what if it falls on its face at high revs. I will concede that this isn't the most refined diesel on the market. At idle, it shimmies like an unbalanced washing machine. Jaguar has tuned a lot of that out, but it isn't nearly as calm as the competition (though it's miles better than diesels of old). It revs quickly for a diesel, but the exhaust note is one to forget. The engine sounds like a muffled foghorn mixed with a jar of nails. Not good. Once you get moving, it settles down. Highway cruising is a breeze. You forget you have a compression ignition engine under the hood. Even around town, turn the radio on and you'll be fine. Joel is right about the ride and handling totally outclassing the diesel engine. The car is comfortable on highways and city streets but sharpens up on a curvy backroad. The steering and suspension communicate to the driver what the car is doing at all times. The brakes inspire confidence with a firm pedal and sharp bite.

Eagle Spyder GT is the roadster Jaguar E-Type of your dreams

Eagle, a British company that has specialized in restomodding classic Jags for over thirty years, has rolled out a new version of their modified E-Type called the Eagle Spyder GT. If you've heard of Eagle already, it's probably for its gorgeous Speedster. The company subsequently followed up with the fixed-roof Low Drag GT, inspired by the competition model Jaguar developed back in 1961 (and recently continued). The Spyder GT splits the difference, with a chopped and raked windscreen and a folding fabric roof mechanism. Like its stablemates, the Eagle Spyder GT wears bodywork painstakingly crafted entirely out of aluminum, with exquisite detailing. No wonder that, in reviewing it on Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson said, "I think this, by a long way, is the most beautiful car I have ever seen. It might actually be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." That's high praise indeed from a guy who's not known to shy away from speaking his mind. Unfortunately most of us will never find out, as Eagle only produces these special editions in very limited quantities and at very high cost. Each is custom-made to the owner's specifications, with the first example of the new Spyder GT to be delivered this summer. Related Video: X EAGLE E-TYPES ANNOUNCE THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME - THE EAGLE SPYDER GT In Brief: - Eagle announces the third in their trilogy of special edition Jaguar E-Types - the new Eagle Spyder GT. - The Spyder GT combines the style and dynamics of the celebrated Eagle Speedster with the high performance touring capability of the Eagle Low Drag GT- and incorporates a folding roof for practicality. - Completely bespoke with extensive customer options, the few produced will be the most exclusive hand built cars in the world. Eagle has focused for over thirty years to refine, develop and deliver exceptional engineering for the Jaguar E-Type while remaining true to the spirit of this extraordinary car. The Eagle E-Type has often been described as 'the finest hand-built car in the world' and the reaction of the world's press to the successive 'special edition' Jaguar E-Types developed in-house at Eagle has been rapturous. Leading the way was the Eagle Speedster, which was developed from a client request and then feted around the world.