Jaguar News

It's not only Jeep customers — such as the creator of the hit YouTube video "I made a mistake I bought a Jeep" — who are upset with the company's customer service.

The days of bargain-basement XF Jaguars are over.

Luxury brands vie for attention with opulence and drop-tops.

Imagine someone turning up for a New Year's Eve celebration on January 30th, 10 years later, and it will give you some idea of just how late Jaguar is in coming to the sporty SUV party.

Jaguar has given us our best look yet at its first ever SUV, confirming the F-Pace will be used as the Sky Team support vehicle at the 2015 Tour de France that starts this weekend.While the F-Pace SUV won’t be officially revealed until later this year, the support car wears minimal camouflage and gives us our best indication yet as to the model’s styling direction.These latest F-Pace images clearly show that the styling of the original C-X17 concept shown at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show has been kept intact for the production model.The F-Pace features the familiar Jaguar grille with slim headlights and smooth lines, while the rear is heavily influenced by the F-Type sports car.Jaguar’s first ever SUV is currently in its final stages of development and the British brand claims its duty as the Sky Team support car will be a great real-world test of the high-rider’s durability, performance and packaging. Jag is clearly confident in the F-Pace’s abilities, as a malfunction of any kind at such a public event would prove damaging to the brand.The F-Pace will be used during the Tour de France to carry a crew of up to four people including the team director, doctor, mechanic and another senior Sky Team member.Jag is clearly confident in the F-Pace’s abilities, as a malfunction of any kind at such a public event would prove damaging to the brand.Jaguar’s first SUV will adopt an all aluminium chassis architecture derived from the new XE and XF sedans with similar proportions to the Audi Q5.The F-Pace is expected to be powered by a range of petrol and diesel engines including a 250kW 3.0-litre supercharged V6, 202kW turbodiesel and possibly even a 404kW 5.0-litre supercharged V8 in a performance ‘R’ variant.Rear and all-wheel drive will likely be available with an eight-speed auto shifting gears.The production F-Pace will go on sale internationally in 2016.  

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol will land in Australian showrooms on September 1 in Prestige trim level. Jaguar Australia opted not to take the base Pure specification.Buyers will get an eight-speed automatic to handle the 147kW/280Nm from the Ford-built engine, reversing camera, automated parking, blind spot and lane departure warning with autonomous emergency braking, a eight-inch infotainment screen with satnav, high-intensity xenon headlamps, leather upholstery, electric seats and 11-speaker audio, though digital audio is an option.The same engine in a higher "25t" tune develops 177kW/340Nm. The sticker: $64,900.The single diesel model is a 2.0-litre turbo priced from $62,800. The Jaguar-developed engine is good for 132kW/430Nm and class-leading fuel economy of 4.2L/100km.Prices undercut the rival BMW 3 Series and Benz C-Class but are about $3000 dearer than Audi's ageing but still more than competent A4.The three XE variants also come in R-Sport trim that adds $4000 and includes distinctive 18-inch alloy wheels, sports seats with grippy mesh inserts, sportier suspension tune and body kit.A Portfolio edition, exclusive to the 25t at $70,400, adds luxury touches such as premium perforated leather, instrument panel topped with faux-leather and electric rear window blind.At the peak of the range is the $104,200 XE S, sharing the 250kW/450Nm supercharged V6 from the F-Type coupe. It rolls on 19-inch alloys and includes sports leather seats with suede inserts, adaptive dampers, unique body kit and blacked-out window surrounds and rear valance.That pitches it directly at the Audi S4 sedan; neither BMW or Benz has a comparable model. Then again, Jaguar doesn't have a rival — for now — for the M3 or C63 AMG S.Notable options include the Highway Technology Pack, which for $3420 bundles adaptive cruise control with a head-up display and a "solar attenuating" windscreen. The adaptive dampers from the XE S can be ordered as an $1850 option on the rest of the range.Jaguar Land Rover Australia managing director Matt Weisner admits it was an arm-wrestle with head office to secure the price and specification needed to give Jaguar impetus in the segment."This is the most hotly contested field in the premium market, we're the new kids on the block and we needed to make sure we could make a statement from a value point of view as well as with the product itself," Weisner says."The XE is important to give us volume. The XE, like all Jaguars, at its core is and must be a drivers' car."The September rollout is the start of a frantic 10 months for Jag. The facelifted XJ is due in November, followed by the XF about February and the F-Pace arriving mid-2016.

Korean brands, once scoffed at for their poor quality and reliability, have ranked near the top of the class in a respected US quality survey.

If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. The adage explains why car makers like to launch their latest and greatest at the annual New York motor show. Many of the cars unveiled there won't make it here in the near future, if at all. CarsGuide casts an eye over the models that will.The Chevy Spark arrives wearing a Holden badge in early 2016.The company has addressed criticisms of the previous model by upgrading the fabrics, improving the fit and finish and stiffening the chassis to improve roadholding.The new Spark's looks have been streamlined with a longer wheelbase and lower body and there's a new more powerful 1.4-litre engine.Holden vehicle performance director Ian Butler says local engineers will give the car a local suspension and steering tune. "We made sure the car remains fun and agile but will now deliver even more sophistication," Butler says.The Civic coupe concept previews the 10th generation small car that will reach showrooms late this year.Designed by Honda's US studio along with the sedan — Europe will shape the hatchback — the Civic uses shorter overhangs and sharper lines to differentiate itself from the unloved previous model.The new model will have a 1.5-litre turbo engine matched to a six-speed auto or continuously variable transmission.Honda Australia head Steve Collins says the Civic is a crucial model. "Because it is a global car, ours will share some of the styling characteristics with the car just launched in New York and it will also have design features specific to our region."More interior space and more upmarket interiors mark the new Optima.A big hit in the US — Kia sold 160,000 last year — the Optima hasn't enjoyed such success locally.Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth says the new car is a more refined package, headlined by a 2.0-litre turbo engine that pushes the car to 100km/h in just on seven seconds. "(It has) improved ride, more rear space and an engine that will be a class benchmark for power and economy," Hepworth says.Top-spec US models use a 360 degree camera, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and blind-spot alert. The car is due in Australia late this year.The 570S is aimed squarely at the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8 V10. Essentially a detuned version of the 650S supercar, the 570S nevertheless shares no panels with its big brother.The 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 is retained, although outputs have been reduced to 420kW/600Nm. That's good for a 100km/h sprint time of 3.2 seconds.Its Australian launch is early 2016 — expect a price in the high $300,000s.The facelifted Outlander's most obvious change is the "dynamic shield" front end, to be worn by future Mitsubishis.Mitsubishi Motors Australia marketing head Tony Principe says the update includes revisions to the Outlander's suspension, steering and drivetrain."Outlander will continue to offer great SUV functionality, terrific fuel economy and low running costs," he says, "but it will now be significantly quieter, more responsive and even more enjoyable to drive, making it a real stand out in the medium SUV class."The Outlander is launched locally next week.The massive Lexus spindle grille and flared fenders make the new RX hard to miss. The SUV also gets a 50mm increase in wheelbase to differentiate it from its NX stablemate, but the extra length doesn't include an anticipated third row of seats.The vehicle will be sold with both a 3.5-litre V6 and a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, each good for 221kW.The RX will have head-up display, 12.3-inch infotainment screen, heated rear seats, and optional 11.6-inch rear entertainment screens. Optional safety gear includes lane departure and blind spot warning, lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.Built on the same aluminium-intensive architecture that underpins the XE and F-Type models, the XF is up to 190kg lighter than the current model.Interior upgrades are just as impressive, from head-up display to 10.2-inch infotainment setup using a quad-core Intel processor and ethernet connectivity for super-quick response. Touch and voice control abet smartphone-style apps for everything from remotely warming the car to calculating owners' arrival time at a destination.A new 2.0-litre turbo diesel will be the entry point while its supercharged petrol V6 puts out 280kW. Prices are expected to start below $80,000 when the XF arrives here early next year.The Boxster Spyder is all about driving purity, so owners will have to operate the fabric roof by hand. Based on the design and mechanicals of the Cayman GT4, this is the most powerful Boxster yet — its 276kW 3.8-litre boxer six-cylinder is lifted from the 911 Carrera and matched to a six-speed manual transmission. Porsche quotes 4.5 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint and fuel use of 9.9L/100km.The Spyder will arrive here in the third quarter, priced from $169,000.

It's low-fat cream, with the mid-size sedan shedding up to 190kg relative to its predecessor thanks to modular "aluminium-intensive" architecture that also underpins the recent XE compact sedan and F-Type sports car. The diet has led to big gains in performance and fuel economy from the four engines in the range.The 2.0-litre "Ingenium" base turbo diesel replaces the 2.2-litre oilburner in the current car. Outputs are down slightly but the sprint to 100km/h has been cut by a second and fuel use is down 0.9L/100km.It's a similar story for the 2.0 turbo , 3.0 supercharged V6 in two states of tune and 3.0 turbo diesel.The XE gives us a ‘conquest car' to pitch to younger buyersThe entry diesel will be the only XF with a six-speed manual transmission; all other engines are exclusively paired with an eight-speed automatic. The supercharged V6 will be sold in rear or all-wheel drive, though Jaguar Australia's Tim Krieger says AWD won't be available locally at launch.The XF is due in Australia early next year and Krieger says it will reinforce the executive sedan's standing as a key rival to German prestige vehicles."The XE gives us a ‘conquest car' to pitch to younger buyers on the one hand and they can then aspire to the XF as a more focused luxury package on the other," he says.The XF was the third best-selling car in the over-$70,000 luxury segment last year and the new model brings major styling and interior updates, from edgier panel lines to a laser head-up display.Jaguar claims a first with ethernet connectivity. This is paired with the "InControl Touch Pro" infotainment option, which combines a 12.3-inch digital driver's display and 10.2‒inch touchscreen in a smartphone-styled interface.Users can add widgets to the main screen as a shortcut to favourite features. The navigation will transfer the pedestrian part of a route to the driver's smartphone to complete the journey.The phone can also be used to remotely check on the car and to start the aircon before the driver arrives.Infotainment is the new selling point and the XF is the most sophisticated example of how that can be deliveredJaguar vehicle line director Ian Hoban says convenience is a major consideration as buyers expect to be able to port their preferences from phone to car or from vehicle to vehicle."We used to talk about engines and transmissions at launches; now we're talking about connectivity and integrated apps. Infotainment is the new selling point and the XF is the most sophisticated example of how that can be delivered," he says.Despite being smaller and lower than the outgoing model the new car sits on a longer wheelbase. Along with a 28 per cent stiffer chassis, this improves its handling and boosts rear legroom.Krieger says pricing and spec have yet to be set. "We'll be competitivewith our rivals...as a challenger brand we know we have to offer more, be that on pricing or features."AT A GLANCEJaguar XFPrice: From $78,000 (est)Engines: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 132kW/318Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo, 177kW/251Nm; 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel, 221kW/516Nm; 3.0-litre V6 supercharged, 250kW or 280kW/332NmTransmissions: 6-speed man, 8-speed auto; RWDThirst: 4.3L-8.3L/100km, 114g-198g/km CO2Dimensions: 4954mm (L), 1880mm (W), 1457mm (H)Weight: 1590kg-1710kg

A silly stunt above the River Thames in London is a reflection of the biggest new-car overhaul in the history of Jaguar.