2000 Jaguar S-type 4.0l V8, New Engine. Nicest One Out There on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

2014 Jaguar XJL AWD 3.0

A bit of British nobility floods the senses when piloting the 2014 Jaguar XJ. It's an emotional rush, a perception based on physical surroundings that influence the mind in much the same manner that a stein of pilsner tastes best when consumed in a German beer garden and no sand is softer than that found on a warm Caribbean beach. Jaguar has been assembling cars for nearly 100 years, and few automakers are as equally adept at capturing aristocracy and timelessness within the rich cabins of their luxury offerings.
Jaguar would have no concern if it were the only game in town, but that's far from the truth. The premium full-size luxury segment, which includes vehicles hovering just under or at the six-figure mark, is a contentious grouping that includes the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Porsche Panamera. Each of those brings its own game to the battle, and none are easy to dismiss.
To better understand the British perspective and evaluate its latest offering on a land without royalty, I recently spent a week with a long-wheelbase, all-wheel-drive Jaguar XJ in Southern California.

Jaguar pushes F-Pace toward Frankfurt debut [w/video]

Automakers regularly subject new vehicles they're developing to extreme climactic conditions to make sure they'll hold up no matter what the customer throws at it. We rarely get to see what those conditions entail, save for the odd batch of spy shots here and there. Jaguar, however, has given us a glimpse behind the proverbial curtain as it puts the finishing touches on the upcoming new F-Pace crossover. The British automaker reports that it's put the F-Pace through its paces in temperatures ranging from as low as 40 degrees below zero (on either scale – that's where they meet) to 50 degrees Celsius above (122 Fahrenheit). Those are some punishing conditions, achieved in the dead of winter in Northern Sweden and at the height of summer in the searing deserts of Dubai, where cabin temperatures inside a vehicle left in the sun can top 158 degrees Fahrenheit. The former is where Jaguar Land Rover maintains a dedicated arctic test facility in Arjeplog, with over 37 miles of test tracks carved out of the ice, snow, and mountains. Jaguar even threw gravel mountain passes into the test regime for the first time, because while it may be geared more toward on-road use than its Land Rover counterparts, people still expect their crossover to be sure-footed in a variety of conditions. Jaguar has now confirmed that the production F-Pace will make its bit debut in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. That's the same venue where the C-X17 concept that previewed the F-Pace's arrival was first showcased the last time the show came to town two years ago. And while the company recently signed a manufacturing contract with Magna Steyr to build an undisclosed model line in Austria, JLR confirms that the F-Pace will be built in the UK at the Solihull plant that already handles production of the Land Rover Discovery/LR4, Defender, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Jaguar XE. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.