1954 Jaguar 3.4l Xk120 Roadster - Documented Restoration on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Motor Trend first to compare Jaguar XE and BMW 3 Series

How many automakers have loaded up how much ammo and taken how many shots at the BMW 3 Series? Yet here we are, decades on and at least a decade away from the 3 Series' halcyon days, waiting for someone to give the sport sedan something beyond a flesh wound. In this most recent episode of Head 2 Head, Johnny Lieberman goes to Spain to figure out if the Jaguar XE is the sedan to do it. Here the champion wears the guise of the 335i M Sport, powered by a 3.0-liter, turbocharged, inline-six with a square 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque run through a ZF eight-speed transmission. After a short time behind the wheel Lieberman quotes from a familiar hagiography, saying it's evident "just how great this car is and why it defines the segment." The all-aluminum challenger from Jaguar comes in XES trim, meaning a 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 with 340 hp and 332 lb-ft. It uses the same eight-speed transmission as the BMW, but with different programming. According to the specs in the video, some of which are manufacturer estimates, the Jaguar is heavier, more expensive, and much thirstier at the pump. Away from the spreadsheet, Lieberman holds that the XE looks better and feels more special inside. In case you're wondering, the comparo was done before MT could get its mitts on the 320-hp BMW 340i. Lieberman says the English company spent its money on the XE suspension and it shows, but there have been other efforts from other automakers with excellent dynamic chops that weren't enough to threaten the BMW. His final assessment is that one of the two cars is awesome, and one is quite a bit better. Watch the video to find out which is which. Related Gallery 2016 Jaguar XE View 74 Photos Related Gallery 2016 BMW 3 Series Refresh View 57 Photos News Source: Motor Trend Channel via Carscoops, YouTube BMW Jaguar Luxury Performance Sedan motor trend jaguar xe head 2 head

How Jaguar optimized the Ingenium gas engine for the F-Type

At the 2017 New York Auto Show, Jaguar showed off the new entry-level F-Type, packing a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, gasoline-fueled inline-four that produces 296 horsepower, which is built in-house in the UK. It's the debut of this branch of the Ingenium engine series, and it's also the top of the Ingenium gas range; most JLR vehicles will offer a less powerful 247-hp version. We caught up with Jaguar's engineers to figure out exactly how this high-output Ingenium engine differs, and what Jaguar had to do to fit it in the F-Type's engine bay. While all Ingenium 2.0-liter gas fours share major architecture – the aluminum block and heads, as well as the bore and stroke – there are some internal differences. The most important are the low-compression pistons, which allow for more boost without detonation. The new compression ratio is 9.5:1, compared to the 10.5:1 ratio in the 247-hp spec engines. To make the most out of more boost, you need new plumbing and a way to get more fuel into the combustion chamber. So Jaguar fitted a larger twin-scroll turbocharger that's unique to this application. It features low-friction ceramic ball bearings – Jaguar says this improves transient response. There are also new fuel injectors and a fuel pump to accommodate the increased demand for gas in the high-output engine. On the back end, there's a unique exhaust system with active flaps to give it a louder bark when called for. Of course, some new hardware and more boost means the various electronic systems that control the engine needed changes. For one, Jaguar's changed the cam timing and valve lift mapping, as well as the ignition timing. The throttle mapping and transmission calibration have also been optimized for the new engine. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As far as the driver's concerned, the biggest change from the 247-hp engine to the 296-hp one – other than increased scoot – will be where the power peak is. The 296-hp engine makes peak power at a higher point in the rev range, which should reward drivers who generously prod the throttle and hold gears in manual mode. Remember, F-Types equipped with this engine will only be available with an automatic transmission. You should also remember that it's an excellent gearbox overall, with rapid, smooth shift characteristics, if the other 8-speed Jaguars are anything to go by.

This or That: Mercedes S-Class 350SD vs. 2003 Jaguar XJR [w/poll]

Budget. It's a wretched word, whether you're going out to eat, shipping for a new outfit or, more relevant to today's discussion, buying a car. Massive marketing machines have convinced us, as a population, to buy the best you can afford, repercussions be damned – If you've saved up some money, spend it! All of it, on whatever it is that currently sits atop your personal Amazon wishlist, be it a Timex that takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin', a $17,000 Gold Apple Watch or a $60,000 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. But what if the best you can afford is... say, $12,815? For that price, you can buy a brand-new 2015 Nissan Versa (including destination), assuming you're happy with zero options and a manual transmission. For that price, you'll get standard air conditioning, a CD player and... well, a warranty. Pretty sensible choice, Captain Frugal. But also ridiculously uninspired. And so that brings us to today's edition of This or That, in which two Autoblog editors pick differing sides of an argument and duke it out to see which one of us can convince you, dear reader, is better. Or at least less wrong. You be the judge. As a refresher, I'm two-and-two on these challenges, having lost the first and second editions before storming back in rounds three and four. Today, as alluded to above, we decided to throw our collective brainpower (oh lord, what have we done?) at what may be the single most difficult question currently confounding the best minds our planet has to offer: What is the best used used luxury car you can buy for the price of a 2015 Nissan Versa? Shall we meet our contenders? Allow me to introduce you to the most perfect luxury car money can buy (assuming the amount of money you're holding is equal to the amount of the cheapest new car currently sold in America, the Nissan Versa). My pick is the 1991 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Not just any S-Class, but the legendary W126, which was produced between 1979 and 1992. And not just any W126, either, but one powered by a 3.5-liter turbodiesel engine. And with that, I send the argument to my esteemed colleague, Associate Editor Chris Bruce. Bruce: Jeremy, we had over $12,000 to budget for this challenge, and the best you can manage is a 24-year-old diesel Mercedes? I love oil-burners as much as any other auto writer with their mountains of torque and huge cruising range, but you're making this too easy on me. Also, you're really choosing a brown, diesel, German luxury sedan?