JAGUAR R-D6
Coupe look for new saloon concept from Jaguar
This is the shape of Jaguars of the future. A mixture of design cues from the past and new looks to shape the future of the marque.
It's a short car - 342mm shorter than the X Type - and its stance is accentuated by the short overhangs. The wheel at each corner design also allows a relatively large interior making it a proper four seater.
The car is constructed largely of aluminium and composites to keep its weight down to 1500kg. As is fashionable amongst many manufacturers now, power comes from a diesel engine - this one being a 230bhp, twin turbo V6 (as will appear in the S Type next year).
Inside, things are predictably sumptous with plenty of leather and wood in use. Jaguar have even provided a wooden floor. In the area immediately below the seats and extending partially into the footwell, the wood is obscured by a 'floating floor' of tensioned thick saddle leather that 'flows' over the transmission tunnel and is also visible at the outer edges of the cabin floor. The 25mm gap between the leather and the wood, aided by apertures in the wood, forms part of the climate-control system.
The rear cabin of R-D6 is occupied by two individual seats. These are accessed via rear-hinged doors as first seen in modern times on the RX8.
When the rear seats are unoccupied, the entire assembly can slide forward to almost interlock with the front seats. The boot floor is a two-layer design, with the upper layer moving forward with the seats to save you having to reorganise the boot when filling it with bags of cement and hardcore. The side-hinged tailgate is reminiscent of the E Type and helps retain head room in the back.
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