Jaguar XJL 2012 | First Drive

The folks at Jaguar are rather busy these days. Aiming at creating new brand identity, a new brand positioning and a new brand campaign, Jaguar is upbeat at reviving itself and with the all-new F-type scheduled for launch in 2013 and the Coventry based company is also freshening up its current range. Things couldn't get any better for the iconic British brand who at the moment seem to be on the rise since its takeover by the Indian auto giant, Tata Motors.
With a bid to popularise this brand transformation program, Jaguar’s marketing team has come up with a global campaign designed to capitalise on the emotional pull of Jaguar cars and challenges it’s consumers to answer: 'How alive are you?'
To reflect the ethos of the campaign, Jaguar recently hosted a two-day event in Dubai aimed at challenging attendees on how alive they felt throughout the experience - particularly while driving the XJL. Some lucky participants were also given the opportunity to sky dive from 13,000 feet over Dubai.
 This event turned out to be an ideal occasion to gather some first impressions of the new 3-litre V6 variant of the XJL that was introduced in 2011. Having driven the XJL Supersport with its 5-litre supercharged V8, the V6 instantly feels a bit slower and unresponsive. This engine makes 235bhp at 6800rpm and 293Nm of torque at a rather high 4100rpm. Overall fuel efficiency is close to its 5-litre sibling at 11.6 litres per 100 kilometres. The sprint from 0-100 takes a while at 8.3 seconds and even though the engine revs freely and the sounds sonorous, the car barely seemed to entice its occupants.
There is a sports mode that increases engine responsiveness and holds on to gears longer but that too fails to exude any sportiness. This engine is an upgraded version of the same 2.7-litre engine that was developed by Ford during its ownership of Jaguar and it allows the XJL to be priced very competitively at AED 289,000, expanding its reach to customers with a tight budget for a premium luxury sedan.

 he Jaguar XJL has always been a rewarding car to look at. Pre 1994 models were not really a treat to look at but had a stately charm to them. However, the X300 variant introduced 1994 was the first handsome looking XJ that combined good looks with a classy interior. Technically it was similar to the car it replaced but it was a radical departure from its predecessor in terms of looks.
Similar turn of events took place in 2009 when Jaguar introduced the X351 XJ in London. Determined to revamp Jaguars styling and add modernity to Jaguar’s brand image, Design Director Ian Callum penned the lines for the best-looking XJ ever. It was futuristic, stylish and had you could sense some feline inspiration with the way the headlights and the rear was designed.
I have never come across anyone who doesn’t appreciate the way Jaguar cars are designed. The styling is flawless and beautiful. There won’t be a single day when you wont admire this car sitting in your driveway. The only issue is, I wish Jaguar had got it right with build quality and finish.

 The car I drove had irregularities with the way the leather was glued to the dashboard and the stitching too didn't seem to be consistent. Even though the quality of materials used is top notch, small issues like these can turn away a potential buyer and I think Jaguar should pay more attention to improving fit and finish, especially on its flagship models. Another thing that's instantly noticeable is the cars firm ride. Even though it was riding on 18-inch and not some super low-profile 19 or 20-inch tyres, the ride felt very stiff for a luxury saloon. Something here just didn't feel right. With no option to adjust
Another thing that could have been better is the interior space. The front row feels a bit cramped with the centre tunnel taking up a lot of real estate and leaving a modest amount of space for the foot wells. The rear however is a different story altogether. True to its L badge, this long wheelbase XJ has CEO impressing space at the back.
For those who like the XJ for its looks, there is simply no other car in its segment that comes close in terms of styling. However, like I mentioned, it doesn’t have the fit and finish of a German or a Japanese rival and that is a compromise you will have to make if you opt for this car. However, it will turn more heads when you drive it to your golf club or the next red carpet even

The new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S | First Drive

t's taken a long time coming but it’s finally here. The all-new Porsche 911 Carrera S stood patiently in front of me at the Porsche Middle East office, inviting me to get in and come close to breaking every speed limit in the UAE. It’s just impossible to conceive rational thoughts when you know you are going to spend the next few hours behind the wheel of an all-new 911 that is significantly different and better than the one it replaces. It's been the talk of the motoring town since the day it debuted in August last year and in fact, I wasn’t going to test this car at all, it was going to test me.

The new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S might look somewhat identical to the one it replaces but looks can be deceiving and in this case, very deceiving. In its highly successful 48-year history, this is only the third all-new platform for the 911. The exterior has been completely re-designed with only 4 per cent of parts being shared with its predecessor. Sometimes, you might wonder if the 911 designers have any work to do at all but as a matter of fact, theirs is the most challenging job in the entire company. Designing a car that never departs from its original concept while accommodating all the modern aerodynamic and technical requirements is a very challenging job. The all-new Porsche 911 Carrera S stays true to the distinctive Porsche design language

Even though it looks similar in size to the outgoing version, its longer by a significant margin. Wheelbase has grown by 100 millimetres and so has front track. The height has been reduced as well and Porsche claims to have reached an ideal height-to-width ratio with the new 911 without altering the overall width that gives this car a solid road presence. The overall geometry has been changed to provide better handling with the front wheels pushed farther out and the rear wheels moving closer towards the engine. Porsche claims this improves stability and handling. The overall weight has also gone down significantly thanks to extensive use of aluminium in the body shell.
Porsche as also completely redesigned the interior. References have been taken from their iconic Carrera GT and those who already own a Panamera or a Cayenne will find similarities in the way the dashboard and the sloping centre tunnel has been laid out. Those who have driven the previous generation 911 will instantly identify the very well defined instrumentation cluster with five dials arranged neatly with the centrally located rev counter. A new addition is the multi-function screen in the second dial from the right. In addition displaying data from the on-board computer, this screen also displays navigation information.

Getting in and out of a Porsche 911 has never been easy, especially if you are tall and set on a heavier side like me. But once you manage your way in, you will be greeted by a sea of high quality materials. Everything has a bespoke finish to it and all the controls are very intuitive. Within just a couple of hours of driving this car my mind memorised the placement of each button and dial and I toggled with the audio, navigation and the sport settings infinitely without having to take my eyes off the road.
I was incapable of judging the handling and the performance while being confined to public roads and that saddened me a bit. The new electro-mechanical steering, which Porsche favoured over the older hydraulic setup has been getting negative votes from the experts because of its lack of feedback and lightness but Porsche claims this step was taken to improve efficiency. The lightness of the steering isn’t as light as I was expecting and it doesn't feel like its been set in marshmallows while feedback was good during whatever little spirited driving I could manage during my time with it. Fuel efficiency also seems to be outstanding for a sports car and if driven with a light right foot, the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S will easily go over 550 kilometres before needing a refill, which is really impressive for a sportscar.

The 2012 Porsche Carrera S has a 3.8-litre flat-six engine producing 400bhp at 7400rpm and 440Nm of torque at 5600rpm. A seven speed manual gearbox comes standard along with an optional 7-speed automatic PDK transmission. The car on test had the automatic box transferring power to the rear wheels. Porsche claims a 0-100kmph time of 4.1 seconds and like most high performance cars, the 911 Carrera S has a Nurburgring time too which is 7min 40sec. That's the same as the outgoing monster the 991 GT3 which is a race car for the road. However, steering mounted shift paddles aren’t similar to the conventional paddles found on most cars. The 911 has these two chunky aluminium buttons on the steering wheel which require some time getting use to.
The sport and the sport plus buttons certainly make a world of a difference in the way this car behaves. Fiddle with the sport plus button and the car instantly transforms into something angry and devilish. The engine lets out a roar as the gearbox instantly braces up for performance while dropping a few cogs. The 911 Carrera S also comes with a button to louden the exhaust note and that by far is the best button ever installed on a car. I wonder how Sharjah police will react to that though?

The Porsche 911 is and always will be one of the most iconic cars of the 21^st century and I'm glad I could spend quality time driving it's latest iteration. I’ve always been a sucker for cars representing brand value and heritage and the 911 is as good as they come. Only a few cars have had such a long and illustrious history. Porsche engineers have a done a fantastic job at reinventing the 911 without sacrificing any of its qualities but rather building on them. It’s comfortable enough to serve as a daily driver and provides buckets of performance and thrill at a drop of a hat. It’s one of those cars which you get out of and go,
I want one of that