Wednesday 6 March 2013

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels The wheel ranks right up there with the telescope and four-slice toaster in the pantheon of inventions that have moved humankind forward. But what if a circle in three dimensions had never occurred to anyone, and we all had just moved on without it? Perhaps we'd be driving around in Lucas Motors Landspeeders with anti-gravity engines. Or maybe we'd have the same cars we do today, just without wheels.

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

That's the thought experiment that seems to have led French photographer Renaud Marion to create his six-image series called Air Drive. The shots depict cars throughout many eras of motoring that look normal except for one thing: they have no wheels. The models used include a Jaguar XK120, Cadillac DeVille (shown above), Chevrolet El Camino and Camaro, and Mercedes-Benz SL and 300 roadsters.

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Perhaps one day when our future becomes our past, you'll be able to walk the street and see with your own eyes the rust and patina of age on our nation's fleet of floating cars. Until then, Monsieur Marion's photographs will have to do.

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

Mysterious Qoros hybrid debut set for Geneva Motor Show

Mysterious Qoros hybrid debut set for Geneva Motor Show Haven't heard of Qoros Auto? Not surprising, since it's an all-new Chinese brand. But it's about to make headlines with the launch of a hybrid crossover at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March, alongside its first actual production model. Qoros is itself a hybrid, a joint venture between top Chinese automaker Chery and an Israeli investment group.

Mysterious Qoros hybrid debut set for Geneva Motor Show

Mysterious Qoros hybrid debut set for Geneva Motor Show

The new Qoros hybrid – as yet unnamed – was designed by former BMW/Mini styling boss Gert Volker Hildebrand, for the Chinese and European markets.

The Qoros Hybrid Concept is one of three models to be built at a new factory in Changshu, China now under construction. The other two models are the conventional gas-powered GQ3 sedan and wagon built on the same platform. It is expected the hybrid also will share that platform, since Qoros production is focused on an "advanced modular architecture," according to the British magazine Autocar.

Mysterious Qoros hybrid debut set for Geneva Motor Show

The factory will have an initial annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles, which can be expanded to 450,000 if demand warrants. The GQ3 is scheduled to go on sale in China in mid-2013, and a few months later in Euorpe. The hybrid is due for release in 2014. In addition to the joint venture to build the Qoros brand, Chery has a partnership with Jaguar Land Rover to build cars in China.

Mysterious Qoros hybrid debut set for Geneva Motor Show

First Ride: 2014 Jaguar F-Type

First Ride: 2014 Jaguar F-Type For every car, there is a passionate group of fans who love it, and the F-Type already has a few million rabid followers. These are fabulous things, sports cars, and we're very happy that Jaguar is making one again. Finally. (Before you start relishing the prospect of correcting us, the XK is really a grand tourer, not a sports car.)

First Ride: 2014 Jaguar F-Type

2014 Jaguar F-Type side view

2014 Jaguar F-Type front view

2014 Jaguar F-Type rear view

2014 Jaguar F-Type rear 34 view
2014 Jaguar F-Type interior

2014 Jaguar F-Type shifter

2014 Jaguar F-Type gauges

2014 Jaguar F-Type headlight

2014 Jaguar F-Type wheel

2014 Jaguar F-Type rear wing

2014 Jaguar F-Type exhaust tips

The main question, however, will be whether someone in a position to buy a lifestyle-enhancing yet impractical F-Type will do so in the face of more established competitors from Porsche, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW. The last time Jaguar built a true two-seater sports car (1974 E-Type; the last of the XJ220 limited run in 1994 doesn't count in this league), most of today's new buyers were too young or may not yet have been born. At any rate, the F-Type has a lot of work to do for the brand beyond just selling itself.

Jaguar inviting us to Wales for an early ride in both the 375-horsepower F-Type S and 488-hp V8 S can be interpreted in many ways. Perhaps they want our opinions, as they are now in the final phase of pre-production testing. Or maybe they wish to stretch out coverage by key media outlets instead of depending entirely on the first drive "big bang" that will happen shortly. It's a little of both, we'd guess. The inevitable comparison tests in early summer should be quite revealing, as well.The hills of north-central Wales are where Jaguar frequently wrings out the ride and dynamics of its cars prior to public launch. These country two-lanes (and more frequently 1.5-lanes peaking right on the center line and with no shoulder) are exactly the sort of roads for which all British car brands engineer their sportier offerings. Rain squalls howl through regularly, temperatures vary from hour to hour, and the sun emerges from dark, low clouds as brightly as the reflection from a sheet of Mylar. It's all dramatic and blustery, like five acts of a Shakespeare play, and so the job of the British car is to handle it all so that there is never any loss of face. No quivering of the iconic stiff upper lip. The car can snort and holler as much as it pleases while dominating its environs, but in the end, we need a simple cup of tea or a preferred pint of ale consumed quietly to celebrate.

For our rides in both the S, with its supercharged V6, and the also supercharged V8 S, we were driven by the F-Type's vehicle engineering manager with the thrillingly fabulous name of Erol Mustafa. (We promised Jaguar we would exaggerate the wonder of his name.) From what we could tell riding shotgun, the hot, low-lying Jag is a properly quick sports car that can at the very least compete with, and perhaps even scare, the occasional Porsche 911.In most basic terms, the 3,558-pound, $81,875 F-Type S with 375 hp and 339 pound-feet of torque is thrilling in a different manner from the 3,671-pound, $92,875 V8 S and its 488 hp and 460 lb-ft. This happens a lot with such choices, such as the one between a base Boxster/Cayman or the S versions. The 3.0-liter F-Type S is more the traditional nimble sports car, and it utilizes more of its rev range while piping out a lovelier sound more readily than the V8 S. Meanwhile, the 5.0-liter V8 S (the white car featured in our photo gallery and Short Cut video) seeks longer straights between the curves in order to stretch its considerable legs and make more of its belligerent noise. Both engines benefit from a twin-scroll Eaton supercharger packing a punch but producing absolutely no whine.

In a setting like this Welsh one, we would honestly crave a manual shifter and clutch pedal for enhancing our interface with the F-Type. Well, at least they've left the recessed gearbox rheostat found in the rest of the brand's lineup out of the F-Type recipe. We can choose to manually shift the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission using either steering-wheel-mounted paddles or the shift lever when it's moved left from Drive into Sport. Fortunately, there are rumors being carried by the winds from Coventry that Jaguar intends to grace the F-Type with a manual transmission before too long.Happily, the ZF Quickshift sequential automatic eight-speed still performs extremely well whether upshifting or downshifting. Timings are nicely placed for each flick of the paddles, especially in Jaguar Drive Mode's Dynamic setting, where the little checkered flag icon lights up. It's easy, as well, to induce a nice raspy shift sound in between gears, like a well-traveled jazz vocalist's signature growl in a smoke-filled room. The two S models get this sport exhaust as part of the base price.

The base S trim also gets a self-locking mechanical limited-slip differential in back as standard kit, while the V8 S comes with an active electronic rear differential. With the roads as they were on this typically blustery West Country day, both cars – the S on standard 19-inch wheels and tires, the V8 S on a standard 20-inch set – performed smoothly while dancing over the scrubby hills whether the electronic stability control was engaged or switched off. The V8 S rear axle is noticeably quicker thinking and the power and torque delivery solid from low revs, so the throttle play is subtler stuff than with the S. It's simply two understandably separate driving styles and both are well executed. We're comfortable referring to both setups in the F-Type as true driver's cars and we're eager to see if future plans include a member of the F-Type clan hitting 3.5 seconds on acceleration dashes to 60 miles per hour. F-Type R, anyone?The tracks front and rear are wider than on a Porsche 911, and the steering has been left up to trusted hydraulics (huzzah!). We have the feeling we'll really enjoy the steering, too, once given the chance to drive an F-Type for ourselves in a couple of months. With either engine located mostly arrears of the front axle and a more rigid suspension than any other recent Jag, turn-in can nearly be called kart-like, though a Leaping Cat is always more civil than that. The standard adaptive suspension on S models is supplied by Bilstein, and we enjoyed the authority with which it negotiated these demanding roads. Most of the all-aluminum body-in-white is derived directly from the XK lineup, but torsional stiffness is up by 8 percent and lateral stiffness up 30 percent.

We enjoyed the ambiance inside the F-Type, especially because much of the whizbang gadgetry seen elsewhere in the Jaguar lineup is absent here. We like the cleanliness of the cabin design, and the Jaguar onboard interface is equally clean and simple to interact with. Our seats in both test cars were the optional XKR-S performance seats with adjustable support wherever you need it, which we've always enjoyed as they hold one firmly in place laterally.
The F-Type launching as a convertible – the fixed-roof version comes for the 2014 model year – makes sense for several of Jaguar's key markets, China excepted. The simple, fully automated cloth top uses 12 seconds to open or close and is a lighter-weight roof system than a folding hardtop would be. When up, it doesn't quite make you feel as though you're in a coupe. Roof stowed, the F-Type cockpit is pretty well isolated when it comes to wind noise at interstate speeds, though it could always do a bit better in this regard.

First Ride: 2014 Jaguar F-Type

It's good that the base 2014 Jaguar F-Type with a 335-hp V6 will start at $69,000, because the pricing of the two S models we sat in this day in Wales frankly worries us. The explanation from Jaguar for pegging its prices nearly spot-on with the iconic Porsche 911 is that there is far more standard equipment on these cars than Porsche's obsession with profits from options would ever allow.

Here's hoping true shoppers for this heady bracket care to keep these practical things in mind and manage to see the real beauty of this new Jaguar F-Type.

First Ride: 2014 Jaguar F-Type

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online An alleged US order guide for the 2014 Jaguar F-Type has made its way online courtesy of the good people at F-TypeClub.com, documenting everything from wheel color options to special equipment packages. From the looks of things, buyers will be able to choose from a total of eight wheel designs in sizes ranging from 18 inches on the base model all the way up to 20 inches. While most of those rollers are available in either silver or black finishes, the 20-inch blade-style wheels are not only forged, but come with carbon-fiber trim. Fancy.

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Depending on trim, F-Type buyers will get to choose between two types of seat, including a set of performance-style 14-way power adjustable thrones, complete with seat belts in black, red or tan. Other fun tricks include available power folding side view mirrors and a 770-watt, 14-speaker Meridian sound system.

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

The F-Type will offer owners a rash of option packages that bundle popular equipment choices together, including three premium packages and two performance packages. There are also a number of aesthetic packages to be had, including a Black Package that swaps the standard grille, hood louvers, splitters, vents, roll hoops and rear valance for gloss black bits. Jaguar hasn't said one word about specific options pricing, however, model pricing is set to start from $69,000, and there's a rudimentary configurator already online. Check out the full order guide by clicking through the gallery, and be sure to head over to F-TypeClub.com for more information.

Jaguar F-Type US order guide loose online

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type Lana Del Rey's "Burning Desire" video, the first musical collaboration between Jaguar and its hired songstress, is half music video, half long-form lifestyle commercial for the 2014 F-Type. If you like Del Rey channeling glamorous fifties fame as she lays down vocals of sensuous, languid dolor over images of black-and-white yesteryears, you'll like this song off of her new EP, Paradise.

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type
Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type


Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

We think the appearance of a red and brand-new Jaguar, though, is incongruous – either Del Rey or Jaguar is the anachronism, take your pic. That's not to say it's not beautiful, however, so enjoy the combination in the video below.

Which is hotter, Lana Del Rey or the Jaguar F-Type

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake


2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake Editor's Note: Our reporter was anxious to get some time behind the wheel of the XF Sportbrake, even though Jaguar only had a very small window available for us to drive it. As a result, we weren't able to capture our usual original images to go with the Quick Spin story. Please accept our regrets, and Jag's lovely stock photography, instead.

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake
2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake gagues

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake interior

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake headlight

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake taillight

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake logo
The last wagon attempt from Jaguar was the X-Type, built between 2003 and that model line's unceremonious end in 2009. That X-Type and its legacy represent a real dog of a chapter for Jaguar, and for the Halewood factory where the barker was built. It was the final joke told prior to the brand's proper rebirth phase – a phase we're enjoying the heck out of today.

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Current magnanimous Jaguar owner Tata can be thanked for this new wagon, the XF Sportbrake. Like all newness coming from Jag these days, this new wagon also feels lightyears more serious an offering, ready to compete squarely with established premium wagon makers across Europe. A Jaguar wagon in America is a far-off priority for the company, frankly. Still we deserve to know what we're missing for the time being from this (sometimes overly) cherished British firm.

I was given a right-hand-drive 3.0-liter turbodiesel XF Sportbrake. Jaguar currently offers only diesel powerplants in the wagon due to the European market buying nearly 100 percent of its wagon bodies with the far more efficient powerplants. And on the 40 miles from Welshpool over to Bala at the edge of Wales' Snowdonia National Park, there's some driving to be done.

2013 Jaguar XF Sportbrake