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Jaguar unveils a Touring version of the XE SV Project 8 super sedan

Jaguar produced just 300 examples of the bonkers XE SV Project 8 super sedan. Now, it's going to build 15 more, but in a new street-spec Touring form. It's essentially the same as the track-spec version, but you lose the extreme aero elements. If you remember the Project 8 from a couple years ago, you know it has an adjustable carbon fiber wing sitting atop the decklid. This one just has a small lip spoiler, giving it a more discreet look. Additionally, the adjustable front splitter is swapped for a smaller fixed one that is less likely to scrape on everything you encounter on the road. Finally, Jaguar removed the aggressive decals, but you're allowed to put those back on optionally if you so choose. The Touring retains the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 making 592 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That's good for a 0-60 mph run in just 3.3 seconds. There is some bad news for those angling for the highest top speed, though. Jaguar limits the wingless Touring to just 186 mph, whereas the more stable, regular SV Project 8 is allowed to hit 200 mph. Another bit exclusive to the Touring is the required four-seat configuration. You were able to option the standard car with a half roll cage in place of the rear seats. But hey, don't you want to drive your friends around in your stupid-fast Jaguar? Weirdly enough, the Touring is actually a hair more expensive than the standard car. You'll be looking at a standard price of just over $190,000 to the regular car's $187,500 starting price. The difference is negligible at that point, and the Touring will actually be far more exclusive than the already limited standard Project 8. We certainly like the looks of the Touring version — it reminds us of the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring in nature and purpose, and there's a whole lot to love about that car. Jaguar says that even though it's only making 15 of them, some slots are still open for ordering. If the most powerful Jag without a wing strikes your fancy, we'd recommend getting in touch with Jaguar sooner rather than later.

2020 Jaguar XE P300 R-Dynamic S Drivers' Notes | A divisive sport sedan

The 2020 Jaguar XE in P300 R-Dynamic S trim is the quickest and most aggressively styled version of the XE available after its 2020 update. We lost the characterful and punchy supercharged V6 (and diesel), and in its place we found two turbocharged four-cylinder gas-engine options. The P300 is the high-output version of this engine, producing 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to ZFÂ’s excellent eight-speed automatic transmission and sends the power to all four wheels. There's an updated interior for 2020, adding in a few extra tech features and upgraded material quality. The cabin is typical Jaguar fare. It looks great, but can be overly complex in ways other cars arenÂ’t — take the confusing climate/seat controls as one example. But Jaguar also spent some time improving its exterior looks. Our red tester was striking and classy with the wider grille, sculpted front bumper (exclusive to the R-Dynamic S) and thin new headlights. All this pageantry comes at a price, though. This particular XE starts at $47,290, which is already fairly expensive for this class with its level of performance. However, a number of options caused this carÂ’s price to climb up to $63,125. Yowza. No single option or package was to blame, as this car has a number of expensive extras on it. The $1,950 Technology Pack added the digital rearview mirror, dual stacked touchscreens, head-up display and wireless phone charging. A $1,700 Drive Pack tacked on blind-spot warning, high-speed emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. The $1,365 Connected Navigation Pack added navigation, traffic sign recognition and internet connectivity. Then, a $1,315 Dynamic Handling Pack added in the adaptive suspension, configurable drive modes, red brake calipers and a spoiler. It also had 20-inch optional wheels ($1,700), 16-way heated and cooled front seats ($1,500), carbon fiber trim ($1,100) and a Meridian surround sound audio system ($800), among many other options. Road Test Editor Zac Palmer: Jaguar simplified the XE greatly for the 2020 model year, and while IÂ’m sad to see the supercharged V6 go away, this turbocharged four-cylinder is still a good little mill. ThereÂ’s a slight pause as you wait for boost to build, but itÂ’s quick enough to have some fun on the commute back and forth to work. Its forward thrust is comparable to others in the class with four-cylinder turbocharged engines — IÂ’d place it about midpack on the butt dyno.

Why this could be the perfect time for Apple to make a car play

While the automotive and technology worlds have been pouring billions into autonomous vehicles (AVs) and preparing to bring them to market soon as shared robo-taxis, Apple has mostly sat on the sidelines. Of course, Apple is the last company to ever make its intentions known, and the super-secret tech cult giant hasn't been totally out of the AV game based on the clues that have slipped out of its Cupertino, Calif., citadel over the past few years. Related: Apple self-driving cars are real — one was just in an accident News first broke in 2015 that it had assembled an automotive development team, in part by poaching high-profile talent from car companies, to work on a top-secret self-driving vehicle project code-named Titan. (Thank you very much, Nissan.) Apple also subsequently broke cover by making inquiries into using a Northern California AV testing facility and receiving a permit to test AVs on public roads in California. But then as the AV race started to heat up in the last few years, Apple reportedly began scaling back its car activities by downsizing team Titan. More recently, Apple's car project has shown signs of life with the hiring a high-level engineer away from Waymo and luring one Tesla's top engineers and a former employee back to Apple. It also inked a deal with Volkswagen to provide a technology platform and software to convert the automaker's new T6 Transporter vans into autonomous shuttles for employees at tech company's new campus. That is a far cry from giving rides to Wal-Mart shoppers, like Waymo is doing as part of its AV testing in Phoenix. But this could be the perfect time for Apple to enter the AV market now that ride-sharing is reaching critical mass and automakers and others are planning to deploy fleets of robo-taxis. Apple could easily establish a niche as a high-end ride-sharing service – and charge a premium – given its cult-like brand loyalty and design savvy. The growth of car subscription models could also play in Apple's favor since is already has many people hooked on paying for phones in monthly installments – and eager to upgrade when a new and better model becomes available. To achieve this, some believe Apple will fulfill co-founder and CEO Steve Job's dream of building a car. And as the world's first and only $1 trillion company it's sitting on a mountain of cash that certainly gives it the means. But other tech darlings like Tesla and Google have discovered how difficult it can be to build cars at scale.