All About Automotive

Jaguar XF review. The Jaguar XF is an executive saloon with a real feel-good factor. Grace, space and pace: the three things a Jaguar should offer according to the company's founder, Sir William Lyons. Fortunately, the XF saloon was designed with this in mind. When it was launched in 2008 it was better than anything you could buy from Audi, BMW or Mercedes. And it remains a strong contender, thanks to its eye-catching interior, strong diesel engines and entertaining drive. There鈥檚 plenty of space in the front of the XF, but its swooping roofline means you have to be careful not to bang your head when climbing in and out of the rear. Also, while adults do fit back there, they can鈥檛 stretch their legs out like they can in the Audi A6, BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class. In-car storage and boot space are harder to fault. And the XF鈥檚 rear seats fold down so you can enlarge the luggage area, a handy feature that Mercedes charges extra for. The suspension isn鈥檛 particularly good at dealing with bumps in the road when you鈥檙e driving around town.

However, things improve significantly with speed, making the XF a relaxing cruiser. True, it lets in a bit more wind noise than a BMW 5-series, but the 2.2-litre diesel engine is reasonably smooth and the 3.0-litre diesel exceptionally so. The front seats adjust electrically, too, to help you find a good driving position, but the seats themselves aren鈥檛 especially supportive. The XF鈥檚 interior has a real sense of occasion to it. The vents in the dashboard automatically open when you start the engine, while tasteful slivers of wood and aluminium combine with blue backlighting to create an ambience more akin to a cosmopolitan cocktail bar than a car interior. An automatic gearbox is standard across the range, and this combines with gutsy engines to make driving the XF about as taxing as sitting in your favourite chair. Sadly, parking it isn鈥檛 quite so simple due to a small rear window that means you can鈥檛 see much out the back. You鈥檙e very reliant on the parking sensors. The most fuel-efficient version of the XF uses a 2.2-litre diesel engine that averages 57.7mpg, a figure that would have been seriously impressive a few years ago. The XF has higher CO2 emissions than some other executive saloons, which means it will cost you slightly more to run as a company car. However, leasing rates are competitive, so if you鈥檙e prepared to pay the extra, the company accountants are unlikely to have a problem with you choosing an XF. Resale values are strong, too, which is good news for private buyers. It would be unfair to call Jaguar stingy, because every XF comes with alloy wheels, climate control, Xenon headlights and satellite-navigation.

This is significantly more that what one could fit in a 3 Series sedan. Under the hood the 4 Series Gran Coupe is all 3 Series, borrowing that model's 240 horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder base model as well as its range-topping 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder unit (good for 300 horses). Fuel economy for the four-cylinder model shows as 23-mpg city and 32-mpg highway, and optional all-wheel drive can be ordered across the board. The 2015 Toyota Yaris is a sometimes-overlooked subcompact 5-door that is also available as a 3-door model. Designed to appeal to those seeking basic transportation. Toyota Yaris is motivated by a 106 horsepower, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that returns fuel economy figures of 30-mpg around town and 37-mpg during highway cruising. The 2015 Chevrolet Sonic's 5-door edition adopts motorcycle-influenced styling within and without, a trait that is most apparent when examining the car's headlights as well as its unique gauge cluster.

The 2015 Mazda Mazda2 proves that you don't have to blaze to 60-mph in five seconds or less to have a good time behind the wheel. Although the Mazda Mazda2's engine output is modest - the 1.5-liter four-cylinder mounted between its fenders generates 100 horsepower - the 5-door hatchback benefits from a lightweight platform and lively suspension tuning that make it entertaining in the handling department. The 2015 Chevrolet Volt is another option that most buyers might not immediately think of when discussing 5-door cars, but this plug-in hybrid is in fact a hatchback. 2 seating arrangement in the Chevrolet Volt is due to the placement of the battery along the center of the floor, but you can still fold down the seatback to expand on the trunk's 10.6 cubic feet of storage space. The Volt is motivated by an electric motor that is good for 149 horsepower, and the vehicle's battery can be charged by either plugging it in or via the car's small gas-powered generator. There's about 38 miles of battery-only operation per charge available with the Volt, and a total 380 mile range on a full tank of fuel.

It's rumored that Porsche will introduce the first ever production Cayman Turbo model next year. With the recent debut of the Cayman and Cayman S model, it was apparent to note that both cars shared the same styling and did not have Porsche's now signature front LED's. This does point the direction of a top model and more aggressive Cayman as a possibility. Another note to mention is the buzz we have heard all year about Porsche's new flat-4 cylinder turbo engine. The believed 2.5L Turbo powerplant is rumored to have 350hp and of course offer great fuel efficiency. Insiders are suggesting that the Turbo Cayman and most likely Boxster could debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September as a 2014 model. The aggressive/sharp styling is based on the Quattro Concept, and that isn't a bad thing since the concept brought a lot of positive attention. If the next TT looks anything like this, it will surely be another hit.