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

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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

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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

2011 Land Rover Range Rover HSE

I'd never been in a Range Rover before I had the chance to drive ours. I've heard nothing but praise when it comes to this car, so I had high expectations. Rightfully so for a car that has a base price of almost $80,000. Luckily, the luxury SUV met, even exceeded, all of my expectations.

Outside, the Range Rover is elegant and muscular at the same time. It's styling is much tamer than competitors like the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne, but it's still an attention-grabber. Exterior looks are only trumped by interior design and quality.

The navy piping on our parchment leather seats was perfect, the cherry wood trim on the dash was warm and inviting, and the overall feel inside is wonderful. Some luxury cars take embellishment too far, putting suede-this and aluminum-that everywhere, but not the Range Rover. Nothing inside immediately pops out at you, nothing seems out of place. That, to me, is how you define a car's perfect cabin.

If I were to buy a Range Rover HSE tomorrow, I wouldn't add a single option on, not even upgrade to a different trim level for the supercharged 5.0-liter V-8. It's absolutely flawless as a base model. I can't wait until we get another one in, or for the day I have $79,685 to spend on one.

Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/editors_notebook/1110_2011_land_rover_range_rover_hse/viewall.html#ixzz1ckguJ3aJ

Land Rover Illinois

2011 Jaguar XKR Convertible

I really love the way Jaguar products drive. I really hate the touch-screen infotainment system and pretty much any other electrical item on the car. The problem is with so much traffic clogging up the roads I'm forced to drive most days, I end up spending more time fiddling with the stereo than I do really driving. So I walk away less than thrilled.
The massively powerful 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 in the XKR is one that I would be happy to experience in any vehicle at any time. There's gobs of torque, a nearly perfect exhaust note, and it revs quickly. The six-speed automatic does a nice job of sorting out the power delivery for a grand touring car like the XK.

The weak link in this car is the chassis, which shows its age over bumps if more than half of the engine's power is being delivered. Jaguar is previewing the new XK at the Frankfurt Motor Show, so this is likely one of my last encounters with this generation XK. Hopefully the next XK will be much more reliable, have an easier-to-use infotainment system, and will retain all of this car's fun-to-drive characteristics. It just needs a bit more structural rigidity to handle the engine's power and it would be perfect for the class.

Phil Floraday, Senior Web Editor
Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/editors_notebook/1110_2011_jaguar_xkr_convertible/viewall.html#ixzz1c621gGjA

FEATURES: By Design: Range Rover Evoque

The three most striking British cars of the past sixty years were the original Alec Issigonis-designed Morris Mini-Minor/Austin Seven twins, the Jaguar E-type, and the 1970 Range Rover. In many ways, the Range Rover was the best of the three: it was the most original and the most influential, in that it helped touch off the worldwide SUV boom by making a rugged, all-wheel-drive utility vehicle socially acceptable everywhere. The Mini was important, but it was Fiat's Autobianchi Primula, not the Mini, that ultimately turned almost every family car in the world -- including today's BMW Mini -- into a transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive derivative of the offset-engine, in-line-gearbox layout developed by Dante Giacosa. The XK-E remains a fabulous design icon, attracting as much attention today as it did fifty years ago, but it really did not inspire other manufacturers to explore radical structural solutions or to make equally inexpensive high-performance cars.

The original two-door Range Rover, on the other hand, did far more than give British farmers a nice ride into town after they'd finished (metaphorically) plowing the fields with their handsome all-purpose luxury car. It quickly became a status symbol in its domestic market and caused nearly every carmaker in the world to propose something similar -- including, in a certain sense, Ferrari with the new FF. SUVs from Maserati, Jaguar, and Alfa Romeo are constantly postulated, and BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche have already succumbed to the lure of a big-buck big box. And they sell them in huge numbers at high prices, just like the original.

I'd seen the Evoque in auto shows and thought it a nice piece of work, but it was seeing the production version rushing up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year that really brought home the sense of what a good design it is. It is close in concept and execution to the first Range Rover, thereby justifying its name, and it really does evoke memories of Spencer King, Gordon Bashford, and David Bache's brilliant original. The two-door body is part of it, but above all it is the short overhang, the high ramp angle in front, and the uncluttered body form that complete the effect.

They're not really similar-looking, given the solid rectangularity of the original Range Rover and the swooping wedge shapes of the Evoque, but a similarity of purpose comes through clearly. The Evoque is surprisingly aerodynamic, as befits this carbon-conscious era, and its chopped-top, tapering side glazing is the antithesis of the tall, open upper of the Bache design, but there is a discernible purity of purpose in both designs. They're family -- essentially the sort of thing one can see in looking at pictures of an old man's younger self and then those of his great-grandson. Not the same but indissolubly linked. It's a very good bloodline. There are details to discuss and disagree about, perhaps, but altogether this is a superior design for a compact, agreeable SUV.

Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/features/by_design/1110_by_design_range_rover_evoque/index.html#ixzz1bKl0fuNp

Redesigned Range Rover Reportedly Set to Launch in Late 2012

The latest version of Land Rover’s flagship vehicle, the Range Rover, will go on sale in the fall of 2012. However, don’t be embarrassed if you mistake it for the new Evoque when you first see it. The fourth-generation luxury SUV is expected to be stretched out just ever so slightly compared to the current model. However, despite the miniscule growth, the new Range Rover is expected to drop nearly 990 pounds, courtesy of aluminum (and lots of it) used during assembly.
Interior room especially benefits from the overall growth, with increased rear-seat legroom and longer rear doors equaling easier rear-seat access. It’s blatantly obvious the next-gen Range Rover bites off more than a little bit of exterior styling from the new Evoque. The windshield and roof line are sloped even more than those of past models and the squared-off body sheds right angles for broad curves. Inside, Autocar reports that Land Rover is using Bentley as its standard for interior quality.

The latest Range Rover will share a chassis and electrical system with the next-generation Jaguar XJ but the suspension will be its own. The next generation Range Rover Sport will also utilize the same chassis once it’s released. Under the hood, Autocar reports that new V-6 and supercharged V-6 gasoline engines could join the supercharged V-8 and turbocharged diesel V-6 and V-8 engines currently available in the Range Rover. It also appears Land Rover has been bitten by the hybrid bug, and while chances of it actually coming to fruition are slim, a plug-in hybrid drivetrain is being explored.  The hybrid drivetrain would run on either diesel or gasoline and was shown off earlier this year on the Range_e concept at the Geneva Motor Show.

What do you think of Range Rover’s latest design? Is it headed in the right direction or is it too much like the new Range Rover Evoque? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

Read more: http://blogs.automotive.com/redesigned-range-rover-reportedly-set-to-launch-in-late-2012-59797.html#ixzz1a7deFK00