Jaguar Considering Track-Focused Special-Edition XKR-S Coupe

Jaguar is considering building a handful of special-edition XKR-S coupes—of course, with just 100 of the super coupes being built each of the next three years, the “non-special” car already will be a rare sight.

Frank Klaas, Jaguar’s global head of communications who describes the XKR-S as an “ambassador of the brand,” said that the proposed special-edition model would appeal to the guy who wants to drive to the track, lap or race to his heart’s content, and drive home. As such, the car might lose its rear seats and gain lighter stereo and HVAC units for the touch-screen-based systems, hard-core racing seats, a fire-suppression system, unique gauges, and track-focused aero addenda. A roll cage may or may not be part of the package, depending on the markets in which the car is sold. (If the examples of various track-ready Porsche 911s are anything to go by, ours would be one of the markets to do without the cage.)



As with the standard XKR-S, this variant—which could be named after the Nürburgring, where production-grade XKR-S models have allegedly posted sub-eight-minute lap times—would be built by Jaguar’s in-house Engineered To Order (ETO) group. (If the XKR-S is an ambassador for the brand, consider ETO the consulate. Klaas promises that the ETO team, which quietly fulfills requests for bespoke cars for high-value customers, will play a more prominent role in Jaguar marketing in the future.)

We weren’t told whether the special-edition coupes would add to the annual 100-car XKR-S allotment, but Klaas did say that a harder-core version of the convertible is not being considered at this point. Watch for a vehicle to be floated out to gauge interest at either next month’s Geneva auto show, or, more likely, the Paris auto show in the fall.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/jaguar-considering-track-focused-special-edition-xkr-s-coupe/

Jaguar Dealers

Range_e Plug-in Hybrid Prototype: First Drive Report

At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover unveiled its first ever plug-in hybrid concept vehicle, the Land Rover Range_e Diesel Plug-in Hybrid.

Then in October last year -- purely by chance -- we bumped into one of Land Rover’s five engineering test Range_e prototypes in a shopping mall parking lot the weekend before it was due to take part in the annual RAC Green Car Challenge from Brighton to London, U.K.

Like the rest of the automotive press however, we had to wait until last Friday to get behind the wheel at a special Land Rover Jaguar joint press day.

Regular Range Rover Sport -- With A Plug

From a distance, the Range_e plug-in hybrid prototype looks identical to the 2011 Range Rover Sport.
Get closer, and it becomes obvious that the Range_e isn’t just another gas-guzzling SUV.

On the rear right quarter panel, there’s the usual fuel filler flap -- but move to the

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1072440_range-e-plug-in-hybrid-prototype-first-drive-report

By Design: Land Rover DC100 Sport

As a designer, Gerry McGovern is rather like American muscle cars of yore: neither handles curves too well, but give them a straight line and there's no catching them. His MGF roadster and various Lincoln concepts were less than convincing, but his multiple off-road designs have been outstanding. From the highly successful Land Rover Freelander -- Europe's four-by-four best-seller from 1997 to 2002 -- to the terrific Range Rover Evoque, his Land Rover designs are winners. His grasp of how to modulate the surfaces of a box-shaped mass to make it attractive eludes most designers.

There was never any styling per se on the original Land Rovers. Their bodies were made of aluminum sheet that was bent and riveted without the benefit of compound-curved stampings. The first one was built on a Willys Jeep frame with Rover passenger-car engines and components. Two 80-inch-wheelbase prototypes were shown at the 1948 Amsterdam motor show, and the basic design has been a success ever since, with successive models having longer wheelbases: 86 and 107 inches in 1954, a two-inch increase in 1956, and another two inches for the short one and an inch for the longer model in the 1980s.

Land Rover has been owned by various entities, including Rover (of course), British Leyland, British Aerospace, BMW, Ford, and now Tata, a longtime purveyor of four-by-four cars of even less refinement than the 1948 Land Rover. It's a good match, however, probably much better than any of the previous proprietors. Two DC100 concepts were shown at Frankfurt, one a closed vehicle probably much like what will be built in series production in a few years, the other this Sport version, a fairly silly and impractical pure show car. Two seats only, a rollover structure that takes up far too much interior room, and a nearly frameless windshield top are all frivolous "entertainment" elements. But I'll be surprised if a successor to the Defender were not made available as a completely open model with a properly framed windshield and at least four seats.

Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/features/by_design/1202_by_design_land_rover_dc100_sport/viewall.html#ixzz1kfsCf98T

Range Rover Evoque Wins North American Truck of the Year: Detroit Auto Show 2012

There probably weren’t too many surprises on this one. Since it’s introduction, the ‘baby’ Range has been making waves in the luxury SUV field, augmented by awards left right and center.

Although it faced fairly stiff competition from the updated 2012 version of Honda’s popular CR-V and the latest BMW X3, in terms of design and engineering, the Evoque was judged the overall winner in the 19th annual North American Truck of the Year awards, which took place on January 9th at Cobo Hall in Detroit, just prior to the opening of this year’s North American International Auto Show.

This represents the third time that a European branded vehicle has won the title, the last was back 2003 when the Volvo XC 90 took the honors. Interestingly, the only other European SUV to ever win North American Truck of the Year was the first generation Mercedes ML back in 1998, recognized as a game changer in the segment, much as the Evoque is today.

The North American Car and Truck of the Year awards are administered by a group of 50 automotive journalists from both the US and Canada, with the awards financed entirely by member dues (no advertising or commercial support for automakers or auto related businesses is accepted).

Read More: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/01/range-rover-evoque-wins-north-american-truck-of-the-year-detroit-auto-show-2012.html

Chicago Land Rover

Just in: 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Some of my colleagues were musing recently about the name of this vehicle. Must we wear out our keyboard-calloused fingers typing “Land Rover Range Rover Evoque?” It seems that the shortest vehicle in the company’s line-up has the longest name, such as the previous champ Land Rover Range Rover Sport. But, we must, as we have just added this upscale SUV to our fleet.

It’s a cliché, but perhaps the new Evoque is Land Rover’s attempt at putting the “sport” back into “sport utility.” For example, it’s much lighter than the rest of the line—a bragging right no doubt helped by the standard 240-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Neither a big six-cylinder nor V8 engine are offered. So not only does the Evoque suggest a much less truck-like driving experience, it may also be much more fuel efficient than some of the brand’s behemoths. In fact, Land Rover estimates the stylish SUV will get 28 mpg on the highway.

Rather than being aimed at the landed gentry who need off-road capability to check on their back forty, the Evoque goes for a more metropolitan crowd. Think jacked-up Volkswagen GTI or an even more expensive Mini Cooper Countryman. The concept-car styling, giant on-road tires, and full glass roof all create a very different experience than an LR4 or “proper” Range Rover. While the Evoque has off-road modes for its all-wheel-drive system, the lack of a low-range or other hardcore off-road gear suggest this is more a soft-roader than an off-roader.

Our four-door model is equipped with the “Pure Plus Package” (the bottom trim level), which includes power leather seats, a backup camera (especially helpful given the tiny rear window), and the aforementioned panoramic roof. It also has the “Climate Comfort Pack,” which includes heating elements for the front seats, steering wheel, washer jets and windshield. Interestingly, the $750 Sirius satellite and HD radio option doesn’t come with complimentary satellite service.

Our lightly-optioned Evoque stickered at $45,745. That strikes most of us as being semi-precious, especially since our tested Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLK, and Volvo XC60 all cost thousands less. And those cars aren’t exactly bargains themselves.

Read More: http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/12/just-in-2012-land-rover-range-rover-evoque.html

Chicago Land Rover

2012 Jaguar XJL Supersport

From previous experience, I know the Jaguar XJ to be dynamically astounding, but unfortunately I wasn't able to fully enjoy its performance prowess due to the buckets of rain that fell during my time with the car. These conditions, however, did not prevent me from appreciating the big Jag's lovely interior and abundance of luxury features.

However, I was very frustrated to discover that it's quite hard to get a child seat to plug into the lower anchors in the rear seats, so tight are the rear seatback and cushion fitted together (I ended up having to invert the clips on the kid seats themselves). It seems that the bigger and more expensive the car, the harder it is to install baby seats -- the BMW 7-series is also a giant pain in this regard. Surely that is why parents prefer minivans and crossovers to six-figure European sport sedans ...

Still, it's hard not to fall for a long-wheelbase, high-zoot XJ and all its horsepower and loveliness. I particularly love the small, sporty steering wheel, which helps diminish the perceived size of the car and further enhances the sporty driving experience.

Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/editors_notebook/1111_2012_jaguar_xjl_supersport/viewall.html#ixzz1gS3LtNMg

Chicago Jaguar

Green Car Reports: Jaguar XF Clean Diesel Sets Off On U.S. Tour

In an effort to meet future fuel economy requirements, more manufacturers than ever are considering selling diesel models in North America.

The next carmaker considering diesel sales could well be British sports and luxury car maker Jaguar.

According to Motor Authority, a British-registered, right-hand drive Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel departed New York City yesterday, marking the start of a seven-day, 2,800 mile tour across the country to Los Angeles.

The cross-country tour will be the second long-distance run from British brothers David and Alexander Madgwick, who've previously taken the same car over 816 miles across Europe on a single tank of diesel.

Equipped with a four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine and 8-speed automatic gearbox, the XF 2.2 diesel achieves 52.3 miles per imperial gallon on the combined European cycle, or 43.5 mpg in U.S. gallons. As ever, it's worth noting that European figures can be between 10-20 percent higher than EPA figures, model-for-model.

Despite being the base-model XF it still offers reasonable performance too, with 60 mph arriving in 8 seconds and a 140 mph top speed.

Jaguar says the journey will help them test the capabilities of the XF, though it's sure to create a promotional whirlwind too, perhaps preceding a U.S. launch further down the line.

You can follow the Jaguar duo's progress via the company's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1068359_jaguar-xf-clean-diesel-sets-off-on-u-s-tour