Jaguar XK

1. Exterior

The Jaguar XK convertible is a classically designed car. Its long bonnet conceals a suitably large engine, and its wide rear haunches point clearly to the fact this model is only available with rear-wheel drive. It couldn’t be more different from rivals like the bug-shaped Porsche 911 or techno-fest Nissan GT-R.

2. Interior

The same rear-wheel drive layout which influences the exterior also has a major impact on the cabin. That’s because the central transmission tunnel runs through its centre, cocooning the driver and passenger between it and the doors. It gives the Jag a reassuringly solid feel, even though it’s extremely low compared with most other road traffic. The dials and switches are attractive and since its 2009 facelift, interior materials have been upgraded and the rising central gear selector knob has been carried over from theJaguar XF.

3. Practicality

Very few sports convertibles offer great practicality, and the Jaguar XK Convertible is no exception. At best it can carry a couple of sets of golf clubs or enough luggage for a weekend trip, because its 285 litre boot (a Ford Fiesta has 295 litres) is wide and shallow, making it better suited to soft bags than rigid suitcases. The XK is described as a 2+2, but really its rear seats are too small to be used as such, and will more often accommodate some more soft bags on longer trips. Visibility is surprisingly good, but parking is never that easy in a low car with a long bonnet.

4. Ride and handling

One advantage Jaguar has over most of its competition is the fact all its cars – XK convertible included – are designed, tested and built in Warwickshire, a stone’s throw from some of Britain’s best roads. Drive the XK Convertible and this is immediately felt through the crisp steering, the exquisite body control and the amazing level of comfort. The Jaguar XK series proves that fast cars don’t have to be boneshakers. Adaptive suspension monitors the car and road 500 times per second and firms or softens each corner of the car accordingly for the best blend of ride and handling. Unlike many convertibles, its ultra-stiff and lightweight aluminium body makes it just as good to drive as the XK coupe.

5. Performance

The Jaguar XK convertible is powered by a 385bhp, 5-litre V8 which purrs at low speeds, then snarls and crackles as each gear is shifted into the next by the slick six-speed automatic gearbox. Gear changes are taken care of automatically or through steering wheel-mounted paddles, and get more aggressive when Dynamic mode is chosen through the JaguarDrive Selector. The 0-62mph dash is dispatched in 5.6 seconds. It’s a lovely, smooth engine which sounds even better with the roof stowed, but the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet has it licked for outright acceleration.

6. Running costs

With a 5-litre petrol V8 under the bonnet it’s no surprise the XK Convertible is pricey to run. But, it’s perhaps not as bad as you might think, averaging 25.2mpg if you forgo the supercharger, which reduces this figure to 23mpg. CO2 emissions of 264 to 292g/km place every XK in the highest tax band. The most economical Porsche 911 Cabriolet can average 27.2mpg.

7. Reliability

The XK has been subject to a few VOSA recalls, including one in August 2010 involving the XF saloon as well, served for a potential engine cut out. In 2008, almost 5,000 cars were recalled for a possible airbag failure. However, don’t expect any issues with the XK during day-to-day running. It’s built impeccably and using electric parts shared across the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Jaguar dealer service is reputedly excellent, too.

8. Safety

Like most expensive convertibles the Jaguar XK hasn’t been tested by EuroNCAP, although it’s littered with safety kit. It even has a pop-up bonnet to protect pedestrians on impact. Front, side and curtain airbags are standard, as are adaptable electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes.

9. Equipment

All XKs are well-equipped, including all the kit a high flyer could possibly need. The higher level Portfolio model is more about adding luxury than equipment and features a greater combination of leather, stitching and trim options. That said, it does get bigger 20-inch wheels and an ear-shattering Bowers & Wilkins stereo upgrade. It’s priced very competitively with the Porsche 911 and BMW 6 Series, and has a longer standard spec sheet than either rival.

10. Why buy?

The Jaguar XK convertible is a modern take on a traditional sports car recipe and has lots of charm. It’s effortlessly quick, comfortable and looks beautiful. Visit the Jaguar website now for more information on the Jaguar XKconvertible.

Jaguar XKR

1. Exterior

The styling of the Jaguar XKR convertible is as sensational as anything from Italy. It has the feline looks which are a Jaguar hallmark, but moves them up a gear to create a genuinely jaw-dropping design. The teardrop-shaped headlamps point inwards to a oval grille with the Jaguar logo at the centre. Its sleek sides raise slightly towards the rear, but with a canvas roof being employed, there’s no need for a hunched up back. The rear is reminiscent of the iconic E-Type, with circular elements to the long rear lights and the high-mounted numberplate.

2. Interior

Like the outside, the cabin is nothing short of sensational. It has the ability to make the driver feel special, which is rare in a sub £80,000 car and shames cars costing more than £100,000. The dash layout is simple, with the majority of ancillary controls accessible on or around the colour screen. There’s a pleasantly chunky steering wheel, and the seats are pure GT – supportive but wonderfully comfortable.

3. Practicality

Although the Jaguar XKR convertible has four seats, the reality is they’re unusable for adults, with no legroom if a six footer is sitting up front. But it has a surprisingly large boot, measuring 283 litres slightly less than theBMW 6 Series but much more than the Mercedes SL. However, boot space is radically reduced when the roof is folded. There’s a reasonable amount of space in the front of the cabin, including a reasonable sized box between the seats.

4. Ride and Handling

The Jaguar XKR convertible is wonderfully controlled at all speeds, with a tight feeling, taut chassis despite feeling slightly less rigid than the coupe version. The extensive use of aluminium means weight is reduced, which improves handling further. On smooth, flowing roads, the XK convertible is sublime, and is a textbook high speed cruiser, only becoming slightly unsettled over broken roads with the big, wide wheels fitted to our XKR test car.

5. Performance

There are two engines available in the Jaguar XK convertible. They’re both 4.2-litre V8s, although the faster XKR has a supercharger. The standard 300bhp 4.2 will reach 62mph from rest in six seconds, while the 420bhp supercharged version will cover the same benchmark in five seconds dead. Top speed for both is limited to 155mph. Both models are fitted with a six-speed automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddles for lightning-quick gearshifts. Overtaking ability in the XKR is devastating, and both models make a wonderful noise under acceleration, not unlike an American muscle car, but are hushed at speed.

6. Running Costs

Continued demand for the Jaguar XK convertible means the 4.2 and XKR models will retain 55 and 52 per cent of their value after three years/36,000 miles. Neither models will be cheap to run day-to-day though, with emissions of 269 and 294g/km and insurance group 20 for both. The car’s lightweight construction helps fuel economy, however, with both models returning average mpg figures in the mid twenties.

7. Reliability

Jaguar scores well in ownership surveys these days, and the XKR convertible appears to be built impeccably, using high quality materials.

8. Safety

The Jaguar XKR convertible hasn’t been put through the Euro NCAP crash test programme, but should perform well in a crash. It has a pop-up bonnet to protect pedestrians from hitting the engine in a crash without spoiling the car’s sleek lines. Inside there’s a pair of pop-up roll bars and front, and side head and thorax airbags and whiplash-reducing headrests. Traction control and Trac DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) with ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution are also standard.

9. Equipment

As with all Jaguars, the XKR convertible is well equipped featuring full leather seats, all-round electrics, cruise control, keyless start, and front and rear parking sensors. In terms of entertainment, buyers get sat-nav, Bluetooth communication, six CD autochanger and a 525 watt Bowers and Wilkins surround sound system.

10. Why buy?

The Jaguar XK convertible is an excellent car in almost every respect, but the standout feature is the way it looks. It might have been 

Porshe 911

The Porsche 911 (pronounced Nine Eleven or German: Neunelfer) is the flagship of the current line up of Porsche. It is a two-door grand tourer made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. Since its introduction in 1963, it has undergone continuous development, though the basic concept has remained little changed The engine was air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998.

Throughout its lifetime, the 911 has been modified by private teams and by the factory itself for racing, rallying and other forms of automotive competition. It is among the most successful competition cars ever. In the mid-1970s, naturally aspirated 911 Carrera RSRs won major world championship sports car races such as Targa Florio, Daytona, Sebring and Nürburgring, even against prototypes. The 911-derived 935 turbo also won the coveted 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979.

In the 1999 international poll for the award of Car of the Century, the 911 came fifth It is one of two in the top five that had remained continuously in production (the original Beetle remained in production until 2003), and was until 1998 the most successful surviving application of the air- (now water-) cooled opposed rear-engine layout pioneered by its original ancestor, the Volkswagen Beetle. It is one of the oldest sports coupe nameplates still in production, and 820,000 had been sold by the car's 50th anniversary in 2013

Porshe Macan !!!

Porsche is looking to attract a whole new group of customers while attempting to establish itself at the top of the increasingly competitive performance SUV ranks with the launch of an unprecedented fifth model line and second dedicated SUV, the all-new Macan.

Unveiled by Porsche chairman Mathias Muller at this week's Los Angeles motor show, the junior sibling to the highly-successful Cayenne has been conceived to appeal to both dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts as well as family car buyers, with a broad range of model variants that appear set to bolster the German car maker's annual sales beyond the 200,000 mark for the first time when deliveries of the Macan begin in early 2014.

The initial Macan line-up, due to reach New Zealand showrooms mid next year, consists of the trio of V6 powered models: the Macan Turbo, Macan S and Macan Diesel S - all featuring a seven speed dual clutch gearbox and permanent four-wheel drive as standard.

Although it is yet to make its plans official, Porsche is also developing more affordable variants of its new SUV, including four-cylinder Macan and Macan Diesel models - a move that will make it the first Porsche to be offered with four-cylinder power since the demise of the 968 in 1995.

The Porsche Macan is based around the same platform as the five-year-old Audi Q5. The two share a similar high strength steel floorpan, bulk heads and body structure together with various driveline, chassis and electrical components. But while the Q5 is assembled at Audi's main production facility in Ingolstadt, Germany, the Macan is built at Porsche's secondary plant in Leipzig, Germany - the same facility responsible for the Cayenne and Panamera.

Porshe carrera !!!

1/10Touring Car Size 200mm/Use 3mm offset wheel for 190mm width chassis Porsche, the Porsche shield and the distinctive design of Porsche cars are trademarks and trade dress of Porsche AG. Permission

HPI Racing is proud to release this incredible 1/10th scale replica of the Porsche Carrera GT! The recently released 605 BHP full size Porsche Carrera GT is a thoroughbred super-car that is a direct evolution of more thanby  23,000 race victories Porsche cars around the world. Now R/C car owners can experience a piece of the legacy with this superbly detailed 1/10th scale body! Included with the body are a full set of highly detailed pre-cut decals that make re-creating the real car quick and easy. Realistic 3 dimensional light buckets are also included, along with window masks and protective film to prevent overspray. The standard rear spoiler and an additional racing wing are both included.

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