RE: Driving the 2018MY Jaguars
Wednesday 10th May 2017
Another Americanism creeping into the British automotive lexicon is the roll-out of model-year cars before the previous year is even half-way through. It's May 2017 so it's time for the 2018 models, right? Er, of course. Walk into a Jaguar dealer from now and the XE, XF and F-Pace you'll be ordering will be an 18MY machine. Why not stock up for Christmas while you're at it?
XE S (380hp)
First up is a £48K halo car. An XE with a V6 engine wasn't enough for Jaguar. Now it's put the F-Type S V6 engine in there: all 380hp and an F-Type-matching 0-62mph in 5.0sec of it. Basically ballpark Audi S4 stuff - but this is a much more appealing engine to use. Mainly because it's so old-school.
The lush noise is all flutey parps at low revs and howl at high revs - not aggressive or fake, just vocal and prominent. It'll need a back-to-back drive to feel the extra performance over before; rest assured though, it's a mechanical delight. As are the impeccable steering weight, the beautiful brake-pedal feel, adaptive suspension that breathes and feels almost too soft in normal mode, but perfect on British roads in Sport. It's the antithesis to stolid alternatives, a pure and thoroughbred performance saloon that's perfectly happy to remind you it's rear-drive with a hint of a playful on-throttle wiggle even in everyday driving with the ESC on.
F-Pace 2.0T 250At last, JLR Wolverhampton is making petrol engines. We're excited about the upcoming 300hp 2.0-litre F-Type, and the 250hp F-Pace is our first taste of it. Panic over: it revs through very smoothly, with little four-pot wheeze - if anything, it gets sweeter above 4,000rpm. Linear acceleration doesn't give you a diesel-like punch in the mid-range, but it's both less rumbly at lower revs and surprisingly vibe-free at high revs. It's a well-balanced engine with a mechanical feel, in contrast to the inert and lifeless Ford 2.0-litre unit JLR used to use.
With the F-Type in mind, it's nice to discover how linear and driveable this engine is on and off boost: it's a crisp turbo installation. It works well with the eight-speed auto that's the sole option on the two-seater - no boost drop-off between gearchanges here - and is swift enough (0-62mph in 6.8sec) without feeling aggressive or frenetic. Hopes are high, even if, for the vast majority, the likeable and fully-formed F-Pace may remain the default choice. Nothing during this 18MY drive changed our opinion that it's the best car Jaguar currently makes. Indeed, this is now even better balanced than earlier models; it's 100kg lighter and this is mainly taken from the front end, enhancing purity and lessening any nose-heavy traits. Only the badge on the back irks: 2.5t, Jaguar? Really?
XF 2.0d 240
Hooray, a new diesel engine for the under-the-radar XF: one with twin turbos and 240hp. This makes it as fast to 62mph as a Ford Focus ST petrol, yet it averages 53.3mpg and emits 139g/km CO2 (choose AWD instead of RWD for £1,800 and economy drops only slightly, to 51.4mpg). New blind-spot assist will help XF drivers on their second home, the motorway, and a gesture-control tailgate will make them look like an idiot in the office car park.
XJR
The elephant in the room is the elephantine Jaguar XJR in the corner; it was too long to park in the regular spaces at the launch event. As gloriously old-school Jaguar as a packet of Silk Cut and a torn-up Coral betting slip, it's a modern classic compared to all this fancy new stuff. Jaguar surely can't replace it with more of the same, as it's so laughably off the pace of a Merc S-Class. What it might pull off, though, is enhancing what this car does so well.
Which is, essentially, go so ridiculously fast. Like a Tesla Model S, flooring it for the first time leaves you wide-eyed at how this big beast is instantly rocketing up the road - the wonderful-sounding 550hp supercharged V8 boasts eye-popping immediacy that very quickly has you wishing it weren't quite so hefty and dynamically aged. Forget about carrying passengers if you're in the mood for a blast: hustling this on back roads is roll-your-sleeves-up time, a good old-fashioned fight between mass and monstrous muscle.
Driving the 2018MY Jaguars
Continuous improvement is alive and well in Whitley
Not that we should be grumbling. The F-Pace, recently made World Car of the Year, is doing storming business, but the older XE and XF haven't wowed us in quite the same way - they're great driver's cars, but not the all-rounders that BMWs or Mercs are. Any honing has to be a good thing. Thus, with the 18MY cars, Jaguar is hoping to tick off the demerits in the road test reviews, one by one.
First up is a £48K halo car. An XE with a V6 engine wasn't enough for Jaguar. Now it's put the F-Type S V6 engine in there: all 380hp and an F-Type-matching 0-62mph in 5.0sec of it. Basically ballpark Audi S4 stuff - but this is a much more appealing engine to use. Mainly because it's so old-school.
It's still not perfect, though. Rear space isn't as bad as some would have you believe, but it's only average. The seats aren't a patch on an Audi S Line, and infotainment is better but still not BMW-intuitive. Most damningly, the plain-looking interior's finish remains like a late-prototype version of the final car: almost there, but with some glaring oversights. No premium car should have lower plastics this Austin Rover-like, and the subtle detailing of the XF is absent. What price a new dash for the 19MY car, Jaguar?
JAGUAR XE S
Engine: 2,995cc, supercharged V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 380@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 331@3,500-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 5.0secs
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,635kg (kerb weight)
MPG: 34.0 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 194g/km
Price: £48,045
JAGUAR F-PACE 2.5T 250 R-SPORT
Engine: 1,997cc, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 250@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 269@1,200-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 6.8secs
Top speed: 135mph
Weight: 1,760kg (kerb weight)
MPG: 38.2 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 170g/km
Price: £44,460
Hooray, a new diesel engine for the under-the-radar XF: one with twin turbos and 240hp. This makes it as fast to 62mph as a Ford Focus ST petrol, yet it averages 53.3mpg and emits 139g/km CO2 (choose AWD instead of RWD for £1,800 and economy drops only slightly, to 51.4mpg). New blind-spot assist will help XF drivers on their second home, the motorway, and a gesture-control tailgate will make them look like an idiot in the office car park.
The Ingenium diesel keeps on improving. On the go, it's far more refined than early iterations, perhaps damped further by doubling the turbos. It's Germanically strong in surging response and authoritativeness, and the responsive chassis is as luxurious as an XJ (maybe even more so these days). Alas, damn it, the engine still vibrates and clatters at idle. OK, stop-start means you often escape this, but once you notice the pulsing feel and gravelly noise as you roll up to junctions, you'll never escape it. Jaguar NVH guys, you need to fix this: your rivals do it better.
JAGUAR XF 2.0D 240 R-SPORT
Engine: 1,999cc, four-cylinder turbodiesel
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 240@N/Arpm
Torque (lb ft): 368@N/Arpm
0-62mph: 6.5secs
Top speed: 153mph
Weight: 1,740kg (kerb weight)
MPG: 51.4 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 144g/km
Price: £41,900
The elephant in the room is the elephantine Jaguar XJR in the corner; it was too long to park in the regular spaces at the launch event. As gloriously old-school Jaguar as a packet of Silk Cut and a torn-up Coral betting slip, it's a modern classic compared to all this fancy new stuff. Jaguar surely can't replace it with more of the same, as it's so laughably off the pace of a Merc S-Class. What it might pull off, though, is enhancing what this car does so well.
Just imagine if Jaguar built upon this fast, driver-first nature with a four-door coupe replacement as elegant as the original 1968 XJ, maybe with a Tesla-aceing electric drivetrain from the i-Pace and a modern chassis to whip a Porsche Panamera into shape. What a £100K diametrically-opposed alternative to a Range Rover that could be.
JAGUAR XJR
Engine: 5,000cc, supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear wheel drive
Power (hp): 550@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 501@4,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.6secs
Top speed: 174mph
Weight: 1,875kg (kerb weight)
MPG: 25.5 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 264g/km
Price: £91,755
Discussion
I've never understood why they didn't put the V6 diesel in the XE and give us a decent 330d/335d alternative. The 240 bhp Ingenium four seems to more than deliver the numbers, but four cylinder diesels always cheapen the feel of cars like this. I've had a couple of 320d s and have zero complaints about what they do, but adding two cylinders to a diesel transforms the feel and smoothness of the thing. A 330d is a MUCH nicer car to drive than a 320d, without even considering the performance difference.
Limpet said:
I've never understood why they didn't put the V6 diesel in the XE and give us a decent 330d/335d alternative. The 240 bhp Ingenium four seems to more than deliver the numbers, but four cylinder diesels always cheapen the feel of cars like this. I've had a couple of 320d s and have zero complaints about what they do, but adding two cylinders to a diesel transforms the feel and smoothness of the thing. A 330d is a MUCH nicer car to drive than a 320d, without even considering the performance difference.
I'm sure there was even talk that they were able to fit the V8 in the XE but nothing ever came of it. I'm not surprised but that would have been a mega car. If they did put the V6 diesel in the XE there would be no reason to buy the XF at a higher price point would there?kambites said:
They may not have the elegance of the older Jags, but they're still at least the best looking cars intheir respective classes to my eye.
I wouldn't mind so much if they didn't try so hard to make all of their cars look so similar. Never understood that at all. Telling an XF from an XE while driving past one is pretty hard.Seems Land Rover and Aston Martin also use this moronic concept in their design language too. Both brands I used to love and both I find little interest in their current/recent offerings.
lukeharding said:
Limpet said:
I've never understood why they didn't put the V6 diesel in the XE and give us a decent 330d/335d alternative. The 240 bhp Ingenium four seems to more than deliver the numbers, but four cylinder diesels always cheapen the feel of cars like this. I've had a couple of 320d s and have zero complaints about what they do, but adding two cylinders to a diesel transforms the feel and smoothness of the thing. A 330d is a MUCH nicer car to drive than a 320d, without even considering the performance difference.
I'm sure there was even talk that they were able to fit the V8 in the XE but nothing ever came of it. I'm not surprised but that would have been a mega car. If they did put the V6 diesel in the XE there would be no reason to buy the XF at a higher price point would there?300bhp/ton said:
I wouldn't mind so much if they didn't try so hard to make all of their cars look so similar. Never understood that at all. Telling an XF from an XE while driving past one is pretty hard.
Seems Land Rover and Aston Martin also use this moronic concept in their design language too. Both brands I used to love and both I find little interest in their current/recent offerings.
Most brands go through it at one point or another. JLR have grown considerably in recent years partway due to a new design language, so of course they will repeat what works. Look at Audi, Merc etcSeems Land Rover and Aston Martin also use this moronic concept in their design language too. Both brands I used to love and both I find little interest in their current/recent offerings.
I wouldn't say Aston's latest offerings have been that similar. You've got the DB11 and the Vulcan, at a stretch the Vanquish which is previous generation design language - all of those are very different. Its not like their models have ever been particularly diverse in terms of design anyway
300bhp/ton said:
I wouldn't mind so much if they didn't try so hard to make all of their cars look so similar. Never understood that at all. Telling an XF from an XE while driving past one is pretty hard.
Seems Land Rover and Aston Martin also use this moronic concept in their design language too. Both brands I used to love and both I find little interest in their current/recent offerings.
And you think this is any different from VAG group BMW and Mercedes cars !!??Seems Land Rover and Aston Martin also use this moronic concept in their design language too. Both brands I used to love and both I find little interest in their current/recent offerings.
At least they actually look nice , even if they have a similar brand face, you couldn't say that about an A4/A6 Q5/Q7 etc
lukeharding said:
Limpet said:
I've never understood why they didn't put the V6 diesel in the XE and give us a decent 330d/335d alternative. The 240 bhp Ingenium four seems to more than deliver the numbers, but four cylinder diesels always cheapen the feel of cars like this. I've had a couple of 320d s and have zero complaints about what they do, but adding two cylinders to a diesel transforms the feel and smoothness of the thing. A 330d is a MUCH nicer car to drive than a 320d, without even considering the performance difference.
I'm sure there was even talk that they were able to fit the V8 in the XE but nothing ever came of it. I'm not surprised but that would have been a mega car. If they did put the V6 diesel in the XE there would be no reason to buy the XF at a higher price point would there?http://blog.caranddriver.com/block-party-creating-...
Maybe there's hope yet for an XE SVR
theredmini said:
No reason why they couldn't put a V8 in there. The V6 and V8 blocks are the same size and use the same engine mounts:
http://blog.caranddriver.com/block-party-creating-...
Maybe there's hope yet for an XE SVR
Wouldn't it be great?? Goes right back to putting your biggest engine in your smallest car days of creating quick cars.http://blog.caranddriver.com/block-party-creating-...
Maybe there's hope yet for an XE SVR
jl34 said:
And you think this is any different from VAG group BMW and Mercedes cars !!??
At least they actually look nice , even if they have a similar brand face, you couldn't say that about an A4/A6 Q5/Q7 etc
I think JLR and Aston do it more so and worse, BMW have more just kept the grill design, rather than entire shape of the car.At least they actually look nice , even if they have a similar brand face, you couldn't say that about an A4/A6 Q5/Q7 etc
And from my stand point, the Jags are just fugly and bland and certainly no better looking than the competition, just arguably fuglier.
lukeharding said:
If they did put the V6 diesel in the XE there would be no reason to buy the XF at a higher price point would there?
I'm not sure I agree with that. The 5-series still sells well despite its six pot engines being available in the smaller 3-series. The bigger, more sophisticated car should sell in its own right.I also don't think people looking for an XE sized car would move up to a vastly bigger and more expensive XF just because of a bigger engine option. In my view, they are much more likely go and buy a car from BMW, Audi or Mercedes, who can offer them the engine they want, in the car they want.
Limpet said:
I'm not sure I agree with that. The 5-series still sells well despite its six pot engines being available in the smaller 3-series. The bigger, more sophisticated car should sell in its own right.
I also don't think people looking for an XE sized car would move up to a vastly bigger and more expensive XF just because of a bigger engine option. In my view, they are much more likely go and buy a car from BMW, Audi or Mercedes, who can offer them the engine they want, in the car they want.
Yes but for the average buyer the XE and XF already look very similar where there is more distance between the 3 and the 5. I also don't think people looking for an XE sized car would move up to a vastly bigger and more expensive XF just because of a bigger engine option. In my view, they are much more likely go and buy a car from BMW, Audi or Mercedes, who can offer them the engine they want, in the car they want.
I recently had an XF as a loan car - 66 plate, some sort of Sport trim level. It was a potentially lovely thing almost totally ruined by the wheezy rattly four cylinder diesel in it - totally out of character with the rest of the car. Hopefully the new models will have that ironed out.....?
DPSFleet said:
Got to keep making the XJ, it's the only real special saloon car (styling and real luxury) in the range (the rest are all look-a likes) besides what would the PM be chauffeured in?
I'd say its quite lagging behind competitors now its so long in the tooth (if it wasn't already when new). It would be nice to have a new one that pushes onwards and upwards though.300bhp/ton said:
They really all do look the same... Just the bigger they are the bigger the price tag is
Sadly, I find I have no interest, passion or desire for any of their ugly car range these days. Bring back the Jaguar of old please.
Interesting to read that they are improving the rather dreadful refinement of the Ingenium diesel though. Maybe it's like the AJ6 and they'll have it sorted in a decade or so.
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