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2016 Jaguar XJ sedan revealed

Jaguar has been steadily updating its sedan lineup, launching the entry-level XE and a new version of the mid-range XF – and now it's revealed an refreshed version of its flagship XJ. A facelifted version of the existing model (which was first launched in 2009 and arrived in the US in 2011), the 2016 Jaguar XJ benefits from a few key enhancements to keep it current. The principal visual updates revolve around the exterior lighting, which now includes full LED headlights, new daytime running lights and redesigned LED tail lights. There are new oval exhaust tips as well, but some of the most vital updates have been carried out inside. The refreshed interior includes a new InControl Touch Pro touchscreen infotainment system, with multi-touch control and backed up by a 60-gig solid-state hard drive. A new 17-speaker Meridian sound system comes standard, and the instrument cluster has been redesigned as well. The XJ also benefits from Jaguar's All-Surface Progress Control system and a raft of driver assistance features. Rear-drive models also get a new electric power-assisted steering rack and semi-automated parking system. Between engine options, drivetrain choices, wheelbase lengths, and trim levels, the updated XJ continues to offer an array of configurations – and Jaguar has worked to further differentiate them from one another. The base model carries the 340-horsepower, 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 and can be specified with rear- or all-wheel drive. There are regular and long wheelbase versions, and in R-Sport and Portfolio trim lines (the former now coming standard in the shorter car). Though the entire range is supercharged, the model designated as the XJ Supercharged packs a 470-hp version of the company's celebrated 5.0-liter force-fed V8, while the performance flagship XJR packs the same engine but with 550 hp (once again in either wheelbase) and now comes standard with the Black Pack. The 2016 Jaguar XJ is slated to reach US showrooms this fall. The updates will surely go a long way towards keeping Coventry's flagship sedan in the game for longer until an all-new model is ready. The question is whether these updates will be enough to keep the XJ competitive against the newer BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class, and Maserati Quattroporte. Or for that matter with the Audi A8 that's just as old but was also recently refreshed, or the Lexus LS that's been around for longer with similar updates along the way.

Jaguar to offer high-performance SVR models like Land Rover?

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past weekend, Land Rover previewed its upcoming performance version of the Range Rover Sport. Only instead of wearing the R-S badge that adorns the most hardcore of Jaguar models, the performance SUV from JLR's Special Operations unit introduced the letters SVR. And now, it seems that badge is here to stay.
Following the Range Rover Sport SVR, a new report from Motor Authority now says that Jaguar Land Rover will use those letters to distinguish the top-of-the-line performance models from both marques moving forward. As such, we might expect SVR models of the upcoming Jaguar XE compact sedan and Land Rover Discovery Sport, as well as potential new performance models based on the new F-Type and next-generation XF.
If accurate, the move would seem to separate Jaguar in particular from the R-S badge that has adorned performance models like the XFR-S and XKR-S. Both Audi and Porsche use the letters RS to distinguish its most hardcore models as well (e.g. Audi RS7 Sportback and Porsche 911 GT3 RS). Whether the similarity was a factor in shifting to the SVR moniker, we don't know, but either way, we welcome the arrival of a new generation of Jaguar and Land Rover performance models - especially if they pack the 575-horsepower version of the company's ubiquitous 5.0-liter supercharged V8. Not incidentally, that delicious powerplant gained a couple of new engine bays to call home at Goodwood as well - it's not just found in the forthcoming Range Rover Sport SVR, it's found a home in the F-Type Project 7, too.

2016 Jaguar XF First Drive [w/video]

Jaguar has never had a problem with style or driving joy. Every generation of the British brand's vehicles – with excuses made and accepted in advance for S-Type and X-Type and other outliers – has offered compelling styling and great performance. New kid XF was no exception when it was introduced in 2007. The car's sheetmetal pointed the way forward for the fully up-to-date range we see now, and its confident engines and handling chops were on pace with the best Bimmers, Benzes, and Cadillacs. The first-generation XF made some hay for Jaguar, selling around 280,000 copies through 2014. But those annualized rates still represented a blip on the luxury midsize radar when viewed against the backdrop of the German Three's numbers. Part of that sales story has been down to the E-Classes and 5 Series of the world being consistently excellent, to be sure. But a lot of the blame can be found in Jaguar's historic weak spots. Grace and pace the brand had in spades, but consumer perception of quality and reliability just weren't there, pricing was typically near the top of the class, and the residual values of the cars were low (a combination of all three factors, most likely). Of course, Jag would love to sell a few more cars. But this time, instead of simply building a great-looking, great-driving new XF (which is absolutely the case), the brand is doing some clever non-engineering-based things to put more big cats in more garages than ever before. The tradeoff of very good ride quality is worth the minute amount of roll. After flying all they way to Spain – Pamplona and the Navarra Circuit, by way of Barcelona and a Range Rover adventure you'll hear about soon – I would be remiss not to tell you how the new XF goes down the road. Some 150 kilometers (93 miles) of motorway and challenging b-roads lie between the city with that annual livestock problem and the 2.44-mile, FIA approved racecourse. A route that led me to understand that this XF, in my case the 380-horsepower XF S, has gained more than it has lost in the generational changeover. The company is fully committed to aluminum for its midsizer, with the new car now using a body structure that's 75-percent built from the stuff. I'm told that means a body in white that weighs just over 600 pounds, and an overall weight savings of 11 percent. Body stiffness has been raised by 28 percent in the process.