1997 Jaguar Xk8 Base Coupe 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Watch new Jaguar XF perform a literal high-wire act

Coming out with a new luxury sedan can be a truly daunting prospect. Make it too edgy and you'll risk disenfranchising what can often be a rather conservative customer base. Make it too conservative and you may fail to attract enough new customers or generate enough interest to make the endeavor worthwhile. Whether Jaguar succeeded in walking that thin line with the new XF is a matter of personal taste, blending as it does elements from the smaller XE and the outgoing XF it replaces. But in launching the new model, Jaguar didn't just pull of a figurative high-wire act – it did quite a literal one. To drum up support for its newest debut, Jaguar undertook the stunt depicted in the video above, stringing a pair of carbon-fiber cables some 60 feet above the River Thames in London. With some guide wires and counterbalance weights to keep it all in check, and a motion-picture stunt crew orchestrating it all, the new XF drove over 780 feet from one bank of the river to the other, setting a new world record in the process. Instead of thinking too hard about the whys (seriously, though... why?) and hows, we suggest you just watch the video above. Related Video:

Jaguar to follow up with larger J-Pace crossover

Jaguar is about to launch its first foray into the crossover market (that's the C-X17 Concept you see above) with the upcoming debut of the F-Pace, but that won't be its last. According to the UK's Car magazine, plans are already underway to launch a bigger J-Pace crossover as well. Just as the F-Pace is set to serve as the high-riding counterpart to the XF sedan, so too would the J-Pace align itself with the upcoming new XJ – in a strategy not unlike what Mercedes is taking with its crossovers, aligning the GLE (nee M-Class) with the E-Class, the upcoming GLS (GL-Class) to the S-Class and so on. That would make the J-Pace a rival to the likes of the aforementioned GLS and Audi Q7. Tipped to launch in 2019, the Jaguar J-Pace is expected to borrow its aluminum underpinnings from the flagship Range Rover, but take a sportier, more dynamic approach than the top-of-the-line Landie. Expect V6 and V8 engines to be offered, alongside diesel and hybrid powertrain options. The J-Pace has reportedly won out over other proposals to expand the XJ family with coupe, convertible and wagon variants, as the crossover is expected to drive higher sales. Here's hoping those revenues could be poured back into those back-burnered projects, too. Related Video:

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.