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Autoblog Podcast #396

Episode #396 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Chris Paukert talk about the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, the 2016 Jaguar XE, and the 2015 Lexus RC. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #396:
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Jaguar F-Type Coupe unveiled with range-topping R model

This is the Jaguar F-Type Coupe, the long-awaited hardtop counterpart to the F-Type roadster we tested earlier this year. Besides adding a roof, it shuffles up the engine range that we saw on the Convertible model, and in two of three cases, it cuts the cost of entry rather quite nicely (a happy contradiction to earlier reports).
The big change is that the F-Type Coupe does away with the Convertible's V8S trim (although the 495-horsepower variant will still be available in the droptop), and adds an even more potent letter to the top of the range. The $99,000 F-Type R Coupe is the latest member of Jaguar's R Performance line, and despite being down a letter on the XFR-S and XKR-S, it features the same 5.0-liter, 550-hp supercharged V8. With all that power on tap, the F-Type R will sprint to 60 mph in just 4.0 seconds (if it doesn't break into the 3s in independent testing, we'll be shocked) and on to a top speed of 186 miles per hour. If you need to get to freeway speeds quickly, the F-Type R will also go from 50 to 75 mph in just 2.4 seconds.
As the top tier model, the F-Type R is loaded down with performance-oriented tech. The suspension features adaptive dynamics that manage the car's body movements and adjust accordingly, while the suspension itself is 4.3-percent stiffer in front and 3.7-percent tighter in the back than the F-Type V8S Convertible. Drivers can dial up an even stiffer suspension setting in Dynamic Mode, which will also tweak the steering, the shift schedule of the eight-speed SportShift automatic and the throttle response of that brawny engine.

Jaguar opens new engine plant in the UK

The heads of Jaguar Land Rover are having a busy couple of weeks opening factories. Just days after inaugurating the company's first overseas plant in China, the automaker's new Engine Manufacturing Center in the UK is being inaugurated, as well. The plant near Wolverhampton, England, marks the first time in decades that JLR is building its own powerplants in-house. Further signaling the importance of this launch for the business, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were on hand and even tweeted about it.
The factory's first major project is to build JLR's latest Ingenium four-cylinders, starting with the 2.0-liter diesel version. "Our new Engine Manufacturing Centre is an important step in advancing the competitiveness and capability of the UK automotive sector. The production of in-house engines will support the expansion of the UK supply chain providing critical mass for inward investment," said Trevor Leeks, plant operations director in the automaker's announcement.
Opening the doors to the Engine Manufacturing Center has been years in the making for JLR. The plant was first announced in September 2011 and broke ground in June 2012. Building it cost the company 500 million pounds ($800 million) and created 1,400 new jobs. Of course, being a state-of-the-art factory, considerations were made to make the place as energy efficient as possible. That meant installing the UK's largest solar array with 21,000 panels to produce about 30 percent of the site's electricity needs.