As we come to the end of another week we look at some of the motoring news which you may have missed starting with the new Jaguar XF R-Dynamic Black models.
The appeal of the award-winning Jaguar XF Saloon and Sportbrake is heightened further with the introduction of new R-Dynamic Black models, while the Jaguar XE R-Dynamic Black gains an enhanced specification.
Developed from the XE and XF R-Dynamic S, these exclusive models benefit from a number of key features designed to give them an even more confident, assured and purposeful presence.
Each delivers an unrivalled balance of outstanding ride, handling, refinement and luxury together with a focused range of powerful, efficient and electrified powertrains.
Following the introduction last year of the XE R-Dynamic Black, the XF’s Black Pack has been enhanced, with the Gloss Black finish applied to the door mirror caps and side sills in addition to the grille, grille surround, side window surrounds, fender vents, rear badges, and – on the Sportbrake – the roof rails. There’s also privacy glass and a panoramic roof – features that are now standard on the XE R-Dynamic Black too. Complementing these elements are 19-inch wheels with a Gloss Black finish – ‘Style 5031’ for XE and ‘Style 5106’ for XF – together with red brake calipers.
The XE R-Dynamic Black is offered in a select choice of metallic finishes – Firenze Red, Bluefire, Eiger Grey, Santorini Black or new Ostuni White, with the XF R-Dynamic Black models available in the full range of colours.
The luxurious interiors are enriched with beautifully crafted veneers, with Gloss Grey Figured Ebony for XE, and Satin Charcoal Ash for XF. Bright metal pedals add a further finishing touch. The sense of serenity and refinement within XF is heightened still further by the enhanced Premium Cabin Lighting feature, which offers a choice of 30 colours in place of the previous 10.
The fast, intuitive and responsive Pivi Pro infotainment system is now better than ever too. In both XE and XF it already has a range of embedded apps, including Spotify, and Apple CarPlay® as standard. Android Auto™ is standard too.
Soon, wireless Apple CarPlay® will become available to customers in a software-over-the-air (SOTA) update*, to make smartphone connectivity even simpler and more convenient. Wireless Android Auto™ will also become available at the same time*. XE and XF’s SOTA capability enables Pivi Pro and vehicle systems to be updated remotely and seamlessly. This means they always have the latest software without the customer having to visit their Retailer – and Pivi Pro’s dual-SIM technology means you can stream music at the same time.
Pivi Pro can also connect two phones simultaneously via Bluetooth, and the optional wireless device charging pad has a signal booster to improve network reception. The system also provides clearer calls with the help of the vehicle’s external aerial.
101-year-old drives Ford Mustang Mach-E – 90 years after first learning to drive in a Model T
Born in 1920, Harold Baggott, had his first taste of getting behind the wheel of the Model T aged 10, driving the family’s milkman’s delivery float on a farm. He went on to get his license in 1936 (the first year they were introduced), and purchased his first car, a Ford 8 Popular in 1937 for £100 and a Ford Anglia the next year.
Since then the family has owned 20 Fords privately, as well as Ford commercial vehicles in chassis form, converted into coaches for a fleet of 140 run by their travel and coach business.
Mr Baggott was reminded of his Model T experiences with rides in a 1915 model from Ford’s heritage collection, before moving bang up to date and behind the Mustang Mach-E’s steering wheel.
Driving 15-year-old Felix, who has ambitions to be a racing driver, and his 12-year-old brother Charlie, three miles from Beaulieu to former shipbuilding village Bucklers Hard, Mr Baggott was struck by the quietness of electric motoring.
He said: “Since the age of 10, I’ve retained my interest in motoring and today find myself interested in the switch to electrification following the government phasing out the traditional combustion engines I’m used to. I have reminisced about my driving history with the Model T and seen what the future has in store. It was exciting to get behind the wheel of what I expect to see my great grandchildren will be driving.”
The Mach-E is Ford’s first all-electric SUV on sale now, with a maximum electric driving range of 379 miles.
5-star green rating: New Fiat 500 achieves top marks from Green NCAP
The New Fiat 500 has been revealed as the most environmentally friendly electric car on the market, according to Green NCAP.
The brand’s first fully electric car was awarded the top five-star rating and becomes the first and only electric vehicle to achieve top marks in all three test areas: Clean Air Index, Energy Efficiency Index and Greenhouse Gases Index.
It’s also the first car to score a maximum score of 10/10 in the Energy Efficiency Index.
Launched in 2019, the Green NCAP assessment is designed to demonstrate how environmentally friendly new cars are, using the results of both laboratory and real-world driving tests. Ratings are then published online so consumers can see how green a car is before purchasing it.
The laboratory tests New 500 was marked on included cold, warm, cold ambient and highway tests. While the real-world tests included typical on-road driving, on-road driving with a heavy load, on-road driving with a light load, an on-road short trip and while stuck in congestion.
All three test indexes are rated equally, signifying equal importance to health, which is affected by pollutant emissions; consumer spending, influenced by a vehicle’s energy efficiency; and the Earth’s future, which is affected by greenhouse gases.
The New 500 is an iconic car with a clear focus on sustainable mobility, modern design and affordability. Designed, engineered and manufactured in Turin, the New 500 is the first model in Fiat history to be fully-electric and 100 per cent made in Italy from the outset. The car provides a raft of best-in-class features such as Level 2 Autonomous Driving technologies, a variety of battery options and a substantial driving range of up to 199 miles (WLTP). With the 85-kW fast charger, it only takes five minutes to charge up enough to travel 30 miles. To charge the battery to 80 per cent, it takes 35 minutes.
The sustainable philosophy of the New 500 is reflected not only in the electric powertrain but also within the interior. The seats are partly made with SEAQUAL® YARN, the weaving of which produces a material derived from recycled plastic, 10 per cent of which originates from the sea and 90 per cent from land.
UK orders for New 500 now priced from £19,995* OTR
First Bacalar and Blower customer cars hand-finished by Bentley Mulliner
Bentley Mulliner has completed the first customer cars in both of its new series of pinnacle, handcrafted, bespoke projects. Each car is the first of their respective 12 vehicle series, with Bacalar Car One being the first customer delivery of Mulliner’s new coachbuilt barchetta. Meanwhile, Blower Car One is a millimetre-accurate mechanical recreation of Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin’s 1929 supercharged 4½-Litre, and the first customer car of the world’s first pre-war continuation series.
The first customer cars follow their engineering prototypes, known in Bentley as the “Car Zeroes”. Each has completed significant durability mileage, performance and climatic testing in various locations and the engineering sign-off of both projects was successfully achieved to allow customer builds to commence.
Bentley’s Director of Mulliner and Motorsport, Paul Williams, comments:
“Seeing these first two cars now finished has given the whole team an enormous sense of pride. Years of work have gone into the design and development of these projects, and seeing them together is incredibly rewarding. These cars are totally unique, absolutely bespoke, and yet have been built to the same quality standards as any other Bentley. Mulliner is truly the only place in the world that could deliver a 21st century, coachbuilt grand touring barchetta at the same time as recreating an iconic road-going 1929 race car.
“I’m excited for our customers to take delivery of their new cars, and to seeing the rest of the orders in both series come to life. Alongside the more mainstream yet still distinctive cars of the Mulliner Collections family, these are the first models of the Mulliner Classic and Coachbuilt portfolios – but there will be more. We’re just getting started.”
As with every car in the two series, strictly limited to 12 examples apiece, the first cars have had every detail specified by their imminent owners, and as such are totally bespoke to them.
Due to the nature of these personal commissions, Bentley is not able to reveal the identity of the customers nor where the cars will be heading. However, each customer shares a love of driving, along with an avid appreciation for craftsmanship, authenticity & attention to detail, all deeply associated with Mulliner.
