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2018 Jaguar F-Pace S Long-Term Review | Wrapping up our six-month test

It's been six months since our long-term 2018 Jaguar F-Pace S arrived to warm our hands and hearts. Jaguar's most popular model with consumers was equally popular with the Autoblog staff. We drove it 13,000 miles and would continue to rack up more if Jaguar would just let us keep the keys. It was a great follow-up to our fuel-efficient but slightly gutless 2017 Jaguar XE diesel. Our Caesium Blue bomber is loaded with nearly every option. That includes heated seats front and rear, a black package that swaps out chrome for black trim, and a full-size spare (that takes up a lot space). The S model's supercharged 3.0-liter V6 sends 380 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic. All in, our F-Pace S will set you back $74,640. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: I spent a lot of time in the F-Pace this year. It's powerful, sporty, looks sharp (love the lively blue-purple paint) and has a solid interior. The styling resonated with me. I think Jaguar design boss Ian Callum and team nailed the proportions and curves. A crossover was sure to be controversial with Jag loyalists, but it's beautiful, and the reasoning for joining the SUV fray is ironclad. Everybody from Ferrari to Porsche is there. I appreciated the driving dynamics. The steering has decent feedback, the engine sounds good and has energy, and you ride just high enough to feel in command. The Jaguar DNA comes through. I took it to a tailgate, where I was boxed in and had to be the guy in the Jaguar who asks people to move so he can leave early. Cutting through rows of tailgaters in a purple Jag with black wheels isn't exactly subtle. But the car was versatile. I put tons of groceries in the back. My dog enjoyed the second row. It was good in snow. All the things you want in a crossover. The F-Pace was one of the more memorable long-termers we've had at Autoblog. It was fun to drive and stayed in high demand, even after we'd had it for months. It's not perfect. The interior was a little plain, and I don't love the infotainment, but in its first attempt at a crossover — Jaguar nailed it. Senior Editor, Green John Beltz Snyder: While I found it comfortable for long highway drives Up North, this thing is absolutely ferocious in Dynamic Mode with the gear selector set to S. The paddles amp up the fun. It really changed the character of this cat, and I was always surprised by the transformation. I got a lot of looks in the F-Pace.

Xcar weighs in on the five best-sounding modern cars

Getting behind the wheel of a well-balanced vehicle can be a wonderfully visceral experience, thanks to the combined feeling of things like the weight of the steering, the bite of the brakes, and, of course, the roar of the engine. Unfortunately, many of the sensations of driving require actually being in the driver's seat to understand them, but thankfully the intoxicating noise of a beautifully tuned internal combustion engine can be shared with everyone. In a new video, Xcar shares their opinion on the five best-sounding modern performance cars. The list is a symphony of horsepower. As opposed to keeping all of the vehicles brand new, Xcar actually picks a few that are recently off the market. They're all definitely champs, though. While the list itself is well stocked, you might be able to argue with the specific order, and it would be nice to hear a few participants from outside of Europe for a collection like this one, too. No matter. Every listener is sure to find something they like in the bunch, though. Turn up the volume and enjoy.

2018 Jaguar XJR575 First Drive Review | Everyone loves an underdog, right?

The number is right there, nestled smack in the middle against the windshield in red: 575. In case you missed it, there are another four red 575s stitched into the seat backs. You might excuse Jaguar for the numerical ostentation, but with manufacturers taking the horsepower arms race nuclear, the 6-year-old XJR sure could use a hook. What better way to stand out than an engine output humblebrag? The $122,400 Jaguar XJR575 gains 25 horsepower for 2018 thanks to software recalibration, which helps scoot the 17-foot-long four-door to 60 mph in a claimed 4.2 seconds. I'm gunning the XJR575 along the mountainous passes near the Alvao Natural Park in northern Portugal to find out whether the upgrade is enough to keep this underdog relevant in the fevered pitch of the high-dollar sedan market. Glance at the Jag in profile, and you might doubt its athleticism. Though nearly identical in length to a long-wheelbase BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class (and 1.8 inches shorter than the Audi A8L), the XJR575's sloping rear window and rounder styling lend it a somewhat lazier, more lavish appearance. It's also long in the tooth, this design having been first introduced in 2009, but it wears its age surprisingly well. Frankly, you just don't see XJ-series Jags as often as their strong-selling competitors, and that keeps them looking fresher, somehow. In contrast, the Germans have kept their exterior lines purposeful and contemporary looking, with more frequent redesigns furthering their cause. Climb inside, and the XJR's premium trim lends a bit more modernity to the familiar cabin. For starters, the diamond-quilted and perforated leather seats offer solid support, but they might be a bit firm for long hauls. Unlike other XJs, the XJR and R-Sport trims don't offer a massaging feature, an unfortunate sacrifice that is available on most, if not all, of the competitive set. The rear quarters do, however, offer enough legroom for serious stretching out. Tall swaths of carbon fiber trim the door panels while another thin rim of carbon extends around the dashboard, a design shorthand for sportiness despite the fact that the XJR is only available stateside in long-wheelbase form. An Alcantara headliner aids the high-end argument. A few aging elements show cracks in the facade, among them the ungainly seams at the dashboard's center and switchgear that's grown more than a bit long in the tooth.