Jaguar C-X17 Concept

Jaguar, thanks to its partnership with Land Rover, has long resisted the siren call to develop an SUV or crossover, concentrating instead on sedans, coupes, and sports cars and leaving more truck-like products to its sibling company. But evidently the popularity of these utilities is something that Jaguar could no longer ignore; at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the company took the wraps off what a crossover cat might look like.

The C-X17 has the face, sleek lines, and fender vents that you’d associate with the XF or XJ sedan, but in a taller, two-box shape more closely aligned with an SUV. The big difference from other luxury crossovers, however, is Jaguar’s commitment to using aluminum structures for less mass and greater efficiency and performance.

Underpinning this concept is an architecture that will first see the light of day in a new compact Jaguar sedan, first in Europe and then in the United States a year later. The C-X17 would have a unibody construction that incorporates the frame elements into the sheet metal itself.

At 185.7 inches long, the C-X17 would slot into the midsize-SUV market against such competitors as the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLK. Power would come from a longitudinally mounted V-6 engine with a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive. While Jaguar hasn’t formally committed to building the C-X17, the flexibility of the aluminum unibody design for the next-generation compact sedans demonstrates that the company has the capability to quickly enter the fast-growing crossover market.

Courtesy: report dot com

Jaguar XF 2.0-litre petrol review

Jaguar XF 2.0 petrol sedan is the carmaker's most affordable petrol car here. We get behind the wheel to see whether the Jag experience is intact.

The downsizing trend at Jaguar continues and this time, it’s a new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that has made its way into the XF’s bay. Priced at Rs 48.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), this small capacity Jaguar is the most affordable petrol Jag, by far. But, has downsizing diluted the Jaguar experience or does it retain the character of a true-blue Jag?

Straight off the bat, don’t let the lack of cubic capacity throw you off. This relatively petite direct injection turbocharged mill squeezes out an impressive 237bhp and 34.7kgm, giving it a bit more muscle than its similar-engined rivals. Transmission is via a ZF-sourced, eight-speed automatic that drives the rear wheels.

As a result, the 2.0-litre petrol Jag looks quite impressive on paper and importantly, it barely loses out on equipment when compared to the top-spec XF. So, all the essential kit you would expect from a luxury sedan is here. There is dual-zone air-conditioning, GPS navigation, 11-speaker audio system, mood lighting, touch-screen interface (which could be a bit more intuitive), reversing camera, leather upholstery and Bluetooth connectivity. Both the comfortable front seats get powered adjustment too. And then there’s the same fantastic interior that seamlessly blends old-world charm with modern elements. The mix of leather, wood trim and brushed metal is more alluring than the industrial feel of a German car’s interior. Even on the outside, Jaguar hasn’t left many tell-tale signs that announce ‘base variant’ either. Also, unlike the downsized 2.2-litre diesel XF, you get dual exhausts poking out of the back, further concealing the car’s relatively lower sticker price. 

In fact, since the interior is quite identical to the top-spec car, the chauffer driven won’t really be able to tell the difference at all. However, unlike your chauffer’s comfy front seat, the XF’s rear bench isn’t as cosy. Yes, while there’s more than adequate knee room, the smallish seat squabs lack the kind of under thigh support found in luxury sedans like the Mercedes-Benz E-class.

So, while this new variant retains its aesthetic and luxurious bits, what is this 2.0-litre petrol engine like from behind the wheel? Simply put, this four-pot isn’t as charismatic as the larger sixes and V8s but from a practical standpoint, it’s more than adequate. Leave it in ‘D’ and the XF does just fine, upshifting early and ambling around at low revs. However, the power delivery is a tad spikey and if you nail the accelerator, the gearbox shifts down, at times up to four ratios, swiftly propelling you forward and may catch you a bit off-guard in slow moving traffic. Twist the gear-selector to ‘S’ and the response improves significantly, making it a lot easier to dart into vanishing gaps. For its lack of displacement, it’s a reasonably quick car too. Flat-out, 100kph comes up in 8.65 seconds and the motor packs enough oomph to comfortably breach 180kph. If you choose to manually cycle through the eight-speed, the steering-mounted paddle shifters are quite quick to react to inputs and deliver as expected.

What’s impressive though is the fantastic level of refinement this motor has. It revs smoothly and keeps noise and vibrations at bay. Only when pushed to its limit, the engine lays down a muted sporty soundtrack that’s rather entertaining. 

In terms of ride, the higher profile tyres aid in better bump absorption and the XF's ride feels soft  for the most bit. However, while it makes easy work of expansion joints and small crinkles, the suspension setup doesn’t fully insulate the cabin from thuds and audible crashes when driven over sharp edges. At highway speeds and overall, it doesn’t ride as flat as a Mercedes E-class or a BMW 5-series but it’s not as firm as the Germans and has a more rounded edge to the ride quality. As for handling, the XF grips the tarmac well and the steering wheel provides adequate feedback and is predictable around the bends.

Just like its downsized diesel counterpart, the 2.0-litre petrol XF gives you pretty much the full XF experience with just a slightly watered-down engine. Yes, the chauffer driven won’t enjoy the best rear seats in the segment but, the ‘low-cost’ XF retains the same charming interiors that feel quite special, especially at night. Also, compared to the ‘German three’, Jaguar’s exclusivity means this ‘entry-level’ XF still turns a lot more heads.

However, during the car’s stint with us, it came across as a bit thirsty, averaging about 6-7kpl in mixed driving conditions. And, since this 2.0-litre petrol XF is priced quite similarly to the 2.2-litre diesel, the latter will prove to be substantially cheaper in terms of running costs. That said, the refined nature of this engine definitely makes a strong case for itself. And for some, this may take priority over running costs, especially if you clock limited kilometres.

Courtesy: AutoCarIndia dot com

Jaguar Land Rover's ‘upper class’ models in the future

Jaguar Land Rover's engineering chief believes that hybrids will be the dominant powertrain for ‘upper class’ models in the future

JLR has just launched its own Apple and Google-compatible ‘In Control’ App, which you can download to a smartphone and it appears on the car’s TFT screen “as if it is actually embedded in the car”.

Jaguar Land Rover's engineering chief Wolfgang Ziebart has told Autocar that “hybrid will become the dominant drivetrain among ‘upper class’ models” in the future as fuel economy regulations appear in most global markets.

Those areas include “advanced driver assistance”, as part of a move towards zero fatalities. Ziebart says that a new WiFi protocol is about to be established, allowing car-to-car communication to become a reality. Also, advancing quickly are new and wider “fuel-saving technologies”, which could be afforded by the mass-market rather than just by premium manufacturers.

Ziebart said he also saw potential in the next-generation of infotainment systems with which "downloading would become the new functionality”. JLR has just launched its own Apple and Google-compatible ‘In Control’ App, which you can download to a smartphone and it appears on the car’s TFT screen “as if it is actually embedded in the car”.

When asked about the chance of a pure battery-powered model from JLR, Ziebart said he thought that the market for EVs “could be bigger outside Europe” and admitted that the company was keeping a close eye on Tesla’s upcoming Model X crossover. “We can’t neglect any segment, and if a segment gets stronger and shows momentum, we would have to react. But we have not made a decision about an EV model.”

“The company is currently in a very intensive phase. We are significantly accelerating our product development, going from one new vehicle per year to one new basic model every six months for the foreseeable future. Our shareholder (India’s Tata Motors) has given us a lot of freedom and we are now reinvesting most of our profits into product development.”

Ziebart said JLR now employed around 6000 people in product development, with the company’s Research and Development department growing by 10 percent per year over the last three years.

Courtesy: AutoCarIndia dot com

New Jaguar C-X17 SUV

Jaguar's upcoming SUV to feature the same aluminium architecture as the new XE sedan.

Jaguar has started work on the engineering process of its upcoming SUV which is due in international markets by 2016. The C-X17 SUV has the same basic aluminium architecture as Jaguar’s new XE sedan.

Thanks to the natively rear-drive chassis, the Jaguar C-X17 SUV is destined to challenge the Porsche Macan head on as a crossover with true sports car on-road dynamics, while sister brand Land Rover concentrates on luxury and ‘adventure’ off-roaders with the Range Rover and Discovery families.

The test-mules seen carry a heavily chopped-about body of the Land Rover Freelander replacement SUV, but the final product is expected to be a much larger SUV which will have wider tracks, longer wheelbase and extended rear overhang. The production version of Jaguar’s SUV will be sized close to the 4.7m length of the concept that was first shown last year.

Dubbed internally as a ‘sports crossover’, the C-X17 will be the second model in the biggest new-model offensive in Jaguar’s history. It’s a product programme that has to boost Jaguar’s annual sales well into six figures and - in the medium term - well beyond 200,000 units annually.

Although the concept version of the C-X17 was rather lower than this production model (which was the same height as the extremely compact Evoque), the real car is clearly quite sizeable.

The production version of the Jaguar SUV is expected to be  powered by Jaguar Land Rover’s range of home-grown Ingenium four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, a range that promises to be flexible enough to offer lower emissions and a top speed as high as 300kph in petrol form when hooked up to twin turbochargers.

It’s not yet known whether the Jaguar C-X17 will be offered in pure rear-wheel drive form, but that’s a distinct possibility for the lower-powered models for some markets, not least because it would benefit fuel economy.

Compared with the Porsche Macan - 
which is based on the Audi Q5 architecture but fitted with the longitudinal Porsche PDK transmission - the C-X17 looks set to be more spacious. It’s expected to be longer and has much less of a coupé profile than the Macan.

The C-X17 will benefit from a better weight distribution than the Macan, with the engine sitting further back in the nose. The Jaguar should also undercut the Macan’s unladen weight of 1865kg, thanks to its all-aluminium structure.

Courtesy: AutoCarIndia dot com

2013 Jaguar XF Sedan and XJ Luxury

The 2013 versions of the Jaguar XF sedan and the XJ luxury saloon have just been unveiled at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed. another launch at Goodwood was the XF Sportbrake version, essentially an estate variant of the XF sedan. This car though is not very relevant to the Indian market given the traditionally poor sales estates have had to endure in this part of the world. What is very relevant indeed is the 2013 XF sedan and the XJ luxury saloon, as both cars are sold in India. The facelifts on these cars are minor with the bigger story being that of the updated engines and transmission.

2013 Jaguar XF Sedan