Drew Dowdell

Jaguar is updating the F-Type for 2021 with a sleeker look and updated engine choices. The headlamps have been slimmed down and the bumper reworked wit model specific graphics. Around the tail end, the tail lamps are slimmer and feature a new "Chicane" graphic that is borrowed from the Jaguar I-Pace. Those who select the R model will get a new wheels design, 20-inch 10-spoke wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires, 10 millimeters wider than before. All models can be selected in one of 16 different paint colors with each one offered in either gloss or satin. Inside there is a new reconfigurable 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The 10-inch Touch Pro infotainment system supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system is able to receive over the air updates. The base F-type and R-Dynamic model will get sport seats while Performance bucket seats are standard on the R and First Edition models. Under the bonnet is a choice of three engines depending on model. At base, there is a 2.0-liter turbo 4-cylinder capable of 296 horsepower with a claimed 0-60 time as low as 5.4 seconds. Next up is a supercharged V6 rated at 380 horsepower. Sitting at the top is a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 which is uprated slightly from prior years to 575 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. Along with torque vectoring all-wheel drive, the top motor can get this cat from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds. Each engine comes with active exhaust system for more exhilarating sound when you want it. The ride and handling has been updated with an updated suspension and electric assist power steering. Jaguar's Adaptive Dynamic system with continuously variable dampers have been tuned for more comfort at low speed and greater stability at high speed. For just the 2021 model year, there will be an F-type First Edition model. It will be based on the high-performance R-Dynamic trim and feature special 20-inch wheels, and just three colors, Santorini black, Eiger gray, and Fuji white. They come with 12-way power-adjustable seats with Windsor leather while the instrument cluster is wrapped in ebony suedecloth. Pricing has not yet been announced, but don't expect it to cost less than the current $63,000 the car goes for today. It will likely go on sale mid-way through next year. View full article

She won't appreciate it for what it is... a good, reliable, solid car that will get her where she needs to go. It's no longer a cool car and wasn't anytime during her adult life. It's not an SUV and it doesn't have AWD, things that are desirable especially in Reg's part of the world. In the end, the car will simply keep going and she'll want something newer (SUV, with AWD, and "cooler"), but with no good reason to get rid of the GP it will make the justification hard and she'll end up resenting it. Eventually it will get traded for a used but fairly new Honda CR-V or Chevy Equinox with AWD.... a "good" car. For now, she'll be happy to have some wheels once it is fixed up.

That's a good, and large, light on the side there. Most of them are just little icons in the mirror.

Transmissions have been electronically actuated for more than a decade now.... even if they have a column or floor mount shifter.

So I went and tested this out for you. With the blind spot monitoring system, you get an amber light in the mirror and also in the heads up display telling you someone is in your blind spot. If you signal that direction, you get a chime and the steering wheel buzzes. Plus you also get the video of that area in the dash.

Cool, thanks!

I was just out in it for 45 minutes. I could really see myself living with one on a daily basis since I'm shopping in this size class anyway once I find a new job. BTW, here's a close-up of the center console and the gear selector.

No, I don't think I've experienced that. Once they're off, they stay off. @William Maley ?

Big grilles are in these days. See 7-series, A8, and LS. I actually like this one.

The latest generation of vehicles from Korea, in the upper tiers, may be the first to really deserve that kind of praise. The K900, the Telluride, the Palisade, the G70/80/90 are all substantially better than prior attempts. I'm betting the Genesis GV80 SUV will deservedly get accolades as well. Like I said earlier, could they get away with a Genesis version of the Palisade? Probably, but they're doing a whole different platform for it.

It's very well done. Very little of the surfaces I would consider cheap plastic. The buttons and other switchgear all have a nice weighted feel to them. It really is well done inside.

It'll be trusty and reliable and she'll eventually hate it, but it won't die.

I"m surprised the UAW was so successful this time around. They basically got everything they wanted.

What "rotary"? The Rotary dial is not the shifter, it's the drive mode selector. Set it to comfort or snow, but otherwise leave it alone.

Mazda has an internal debate going on as to whether to electrify or not the next generation MX-5 Miata. One of the major concerns is keeping the car light weight. The current car in base form tips the scales at just 2,345 lbs. and is incredibly well balanced, so adding batteries and electric motors could upset that balance. Electric motors can be compact and powerful though, adding torque in places where gasoline motors are weak. In order to provide that power, they require dense and heavy battery packs. Still, if power can be added to the 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque, it might make up for the weight increase in a straight line. Why do this? It's not like the MX-5 is a huge seller. It doesn't contribute to Mazda's overall volume in such a way that it should require efficiency tuning to meet fuel economy standards. Just 8,971 Miatas passed through Mazda dealerships in 2019. The answer is in image. Mazda wants to maintain the appearance of being eco-friendly. They feel that the preference of people who enjoy driving sports cars could be changing, so Mazda needs to think about the direction society is going. The next Mazda MX-5 isn't due until 2022 or so, so Mazda still has some time to decide. Mazda is committed to the original formula that made the Miata an icon though, and any electrification will have to happen with the thought of maintaining lightness as a priority. View full article