Jaguar unveils special XF and Caterham gets its lightweight sports car out

WITH many parts of Britain set to experience the first cold snap of the winter so far, there has perhaps never been a better time for Jaguar to an announce the UK launch of the all-wheel-drive XF.

The all new XF is also married with the Wolverhampton-built four cylinder, 2.0 litre Ingenium engine.

Jaguar said the car offered drivers exceptional fuel efficiency with the sure footedness of enhanced all-weather traction and performance.

Jaguar’s torque on-demand all-wheel-drive (AWD) system features Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD) – a next-generation control technology developed entirely in-house.

Kevin Stride, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar XE, XF, F-Pace, said: “By making our Configurable Dynamics and Adaptive Dynamics technologies available on more models across the range, we’re once again raising the benchmark for ride and handling.”

Configurable Dynamics is said to improve the driving experience still further by allowing the driver to individually tune settings for the suspension, steering, throttle and transmission through the vehicle’s touchscreen.

And for the first time, the Adaptive Dynamics continuously variable damping system will be available on manual transmission models. The improved body control that Adaptive Dynamics provides, coupled with the smooth, precise gear change engineered for the six-speed gearbox, will offer keen drivers even greater involvement.

The car is also one of the safest cars in its segment too, achieving the maximum five star rating from Euro NCAP.

And, Jaguar said that with CO2 emissions from just 104g/km, class-leading residual values, class leading three-year unlimited mileage warranty and the lowest overall service costs in its class, the all-new XF was also set to deliver low running costs.

Aston Martin display is the DBs for Harrods’ customers

WITH the disappearance of the eye-catching Christmas window displays shoppers and people passing by London’s famous Harrods department store might have been forgiven for expecting a rather drab January.

However, this was before the world’s coolest brand decided to try and give people a little razzle dazzle.

Replacing the festive displays at what many people regard as the most famous store in the world, are three stunning Aston Martin sports cars.

The display is part of a month-long campaign celebrating the British marques’ ‘DB’ nameplate. Since their debut in the early 1950s, the ‘DB’ models offered by Aston Martin – named after Sir David Brown who bought Aston Martin in 1947 – have been synonymous with sophisticated grand touring and thrilling sports car performance.

Taking pride of place is the Aston Martin DB10, the car that was built specifically for James Bond. Aston Martin has been associated with the James Bond franchise for over 50 years, with the DB10 exclusively designed, engineered and hand crafted for the latest Bond film, Spectre.

Also on display, the DB9 GT – the luxury British sports car maker’s most compelling production ‘DB’ to date. Designed to offer the best of what DB9 can be, this new model delivers world-class grand touring and hand-built excellence.

Finally, the Aston Martin DB5, arguably the most famous ‘DB’ of them all due to its appearance in the Bond classic Goldfinger, is also on display. Revealed in 1963, the car set the benchmark for all the DBs that followed, with its iconic design language and substantial improvements in performance.

Ample girth no longer a big issue for Caterham fans

CATERHAM is probably the Marmite of the automotive world in that you either love them or hate them.

However, for those who fall into the former category there is very little else of four wheels to compete with seat-of-your-pants thrill of driving one.

Caterham has now tinkered slightly with its iconic design but not comprised on performance.

The Seven 620S is the mildly saner, more road-oriented sibling of the ballistic 620R and features comforts such as a full windscreen, hood and side screens, as well as leather seats.

The 620S, priced at £44,995 (inc VAT) fully-built, joins the 620R at the summit of the Seven range by harnessing the same 310bhp two-litre, supercharged Ford Duratec engine to deliver outrageous performance for those drivers who feel that the iconic Seven just isn’t barnstorming enough.

Delivering a new driving experience, the 620S has been tailored for road drivers, with a five-speed manual gearbox instead of the 620R’s more race-inspired sequential ‘box.

Like all Sevens, the 620S adheres to Caterham’s philosophy of delivering a very special brand of unapologetically raucous fun.

Meanwhile, Caterham’s traditionally minimalistic approach to the engineering of the car is ever-present, with the carbon fibre interior panels and dash and lightweight flywheel of the 620R installed to save kilograms vital to the car’s trouser-worrying performance.

Customers looking to venture out in colder conditions can now experience the warming delights of heated seats in a Caterham Seven for the very first time. Heated carbon seats are now available as an option on all models in the range.

The 620R comes with carbon seats as standard; an upgrade to heated carbon seats is available for £395. The 620S comes with leather seats as standard with an upgrade to carbon seats available for £600 or £995 for heated carbon seats.

Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald, said: “When we launched the 620R, we knew that we were unleashing a beast upon the world. It’s never been one for the faint-hearted and should really come with its own health warning.

“But we are, of course, sensitive also to those customers who want the ridiculous performance stats without having to worry about donning race overalls to access them. The new options mean that customers who want the best of both worlds can have exactly that, whether their aim is to pound around the race tracks of the UK or take a Sunday drive, albeit a deliriously exciting one.”

Orders are now being taken for the Caterham Seven 620 with the ‘S’ pack and the S5 chassis options, with first deliveries expected later this year.

Caterham Seven 620S
Engine: Ford Duratec 1999cc, four cylinder, supercharged
Max Power (bhp/rpm): 310 @ 7,700rpm
Max Torque (Nm/rpm): 219 @ 7,350rpm
Weight: 610kg
0-60mph 3.44 seconds
Power-to-weight: 508 bhp-per-tonne
Top Speed: 145mph