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We're spending six months with a Jaguar XE diesel

It's hard to discuss the Jaguar XE sedan without at least mentioning the BMW 3 Series. So here we are doing it. The XE was built to compete with the 3 and the likes of the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It's the smallest Jag sedan in a long time, and it's poised to be one of the brand's best-selling vehicles. We're putting one in our fleet for half a year to see how it is to live with. What we got For the detail-oriented, this is a 2017 Jaguar XE 20d AWD Prestige painted Ammonite Grey with a Jet and Latte interior. Translation: a midlevel trim with a diesel engine, all-wheel drive, dark gray paint, and a cabin with light tan leather seats and a black dashboard. It's a handsome combo. Base price for the model is $46,395. This one has plenty of options, which raise the price to $55,485. For $2,400, the Vision Package includes things to help you see and some more that help the car see for you: xenon headlights with washers, auto high beams, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitor, and cross-traffic detection. The $2,100 Comfort and Convenience Package adds heated and cooled front seats, heat for the rears, a power trunk lid, and an electric rear sunshade. A 10.2-inch wide-format touchscreen, navigation, WiFi, and an 825-watt sound system are included in the $2,700 Technology Package. And then there's the little stuff: metallic paint for $550, a head-up display for $990, and $350 to get the SiriusXM working. Other details include an eight-speed automatic transmission, engine stop-start, and some nice 18-inch wheels. What we skipped This XE most notably lacks a place to put gasoline – we didn't get the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder or any of the tunes of supercharged V6 in the pricier models. We also skipped the upper trim levels, which for 2017 included R-Sport and Portfolio (an S model is new for 2018). The only other big item you can put on a Prestige is the $360 Black Design Package; it swaps out the shiny grille, vent trim, and window surrounds for – you guessed it – black parts. Why we got it It's a completely new model in a popular segment. Sport sedans are fun. And Jaguars are pretty. There are likely to be some mini comparisons between the Jag and our succession of long-term A4s. What's next On the other end of the new-Jaguar spectrum is the F-Pace, a crossover that has a lot in common with the XE. So we're going to spend some time with one once the XE leaves.

Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).

Petrolicious profiles one of the final Jaguar E-Types

There's no question that David Paddison has got a very lovely 1974 Jaguar E-Type convertible. The rubber bumpers of this late E-Type may distract ever so slightly from the purity of the lines, but that doesn't mean we're still not completely jealous of the latest Petrolicious subject car.
As usual, the team of vintage car videographers has done a fine job capturing a small moment of gear-headness with this latest installment - The Last of the Breed. We do wonder why we don't get to hear a little bit more of that famed Jaguar V12 rumble, however. There's just a whiff of engine and exhaust sound in the middle of the video, while the rest of the piece sounds like it was scored by Amy Grant's rhythm guitarist. See for yourself, below.