jaguar xjr

FIRST DRIVE REVIEW

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2014 Jaguar XJR

The most sporting luxury flagship gets even more power.

So, absent since the current-generation XJ debuted, the XJR is back—because what’s a flagship performance subbrand without a flagship? The XJR’s supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 is cranked up from a previous high of 510 horsepower in the XJ Supersport—which will disappear when the XJR goes on sale—to 550. Torque increases from 461 lb-ft to 502. Both figures nicely square up against this car’s competitors—except for the totally gonzo Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG. This being a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8, the changes necessary to realize such gains amount to a little bit of ECU tweaking. The fruit of those tweaks travels to the rear tires through the same eight-speed automatic transmission as found in other XJs, although the electronically controlled differential gets minor programming changes to suit the fiercer character of the XJR.

The standard XJ already is the sportiest of the full-size luxury pack, but the R sees its springs and adaptive dampers firmed up by 30 percent and its steering fine-tuned for a sportier feel. Executive-class rockets typically don’t get very ostentatious with their exterior decorating, and neither does the XJR. A unique front fascia, rocker panels, and a lip spoiler are the extent of its bedazzlement. Inside, the only major difference from less-powerful XJs is the sport buckets for the driver and passenger.

Blah Blah Blah . . . What’s It Like to Drive?

Arguably, there’s no better venue to reflect on Jaguar’s performance image than a race track. So it was off to Seattle’s challenging new Ridge Motorsports Park to see if the hardware in the 550-hp, near-4500-pound sedan could hold up its end. The XJR’s all-aluminum construction keeps it light for this class—lighter, in fact, than the XFR that sits below it in Jaguar’s lineup. At the track, we found that even the long-wheelbase XJR felt fantastically responsive and nimble, the lengthy span between front and rear axles endowing it with superb stability at all speeds. With steering that was weighty and immediate and brakes that placed uncommon strain on optic nerves, it became obvious the chassis was developed with track use in mind. While the XJR’s tailpipes didn’t emit the raspy bark of the XFR (or, for that matter, the F-type roadster), the flagship sedan’s exhausts had sufficient growl to turn the heads of bystanders.

We’ve previously clocked a 510-horse XJ Supersport to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds; the R should stop the clock at four flat. Meanwhile, back in the XJR, we were reaching north of 145 mph at the end of the track’s roughly half-mile straight.

Finally, Some Character

Cars in this class are almost antagonizing in their perfection. The Audi S8 and outgoing Mercedes S63 AMG excel at seemingly every last small detail. The XJR, however, avoids fussiness and makes an emotional appeal. It engages the driver with abundant personality. Yes, there are quirks: the XJR’s steering borders on twitchy, the ride is less silky, and the ZF eight-speed’s downshifts can stumble a bit in Normal mode (but they tighten up in Sport mode). Still, the Jag feels focused, its purpose helping it to show a little swagger in the face of the German overachievers. That said, those overachievers’ smoother rides would probably make one of them our preference if we had to drive over our nation’s tortured roads tomorrow to, say, Oklahoma. But if we could pick the route and maybe find a few side roads with which to exercise this car’s charms, we’d be leaning toward the Jag.

ashok leyland's stile

Will You Buy Ashok Leyland’s Stile?

Ashok Leyland is known for making commercial vehicles in India. Stile will be its first passenger vehicle, which is a 8 seater MPV based on the Nissan Evalia. You can say, it's the cheaper version of Nissan Evalia. This vehicle will be available in both petrol and diesel variants. Even CNG kits will be available. Few cosmetic changes like new wheels, headlamps, grille are made to Nissan Evalia for creating Stile. This MPV will have 1.5 litre diesel engine powered by Nissan that will deliver maximum power of 85 PS. It has 5 speed manual gearbox.  But the real question is – Will you buy Ashok Leyland Stile?

The month of June and July was very hectic with so many new cars launched and there’s that ever looming automotive slowdown. Will cars from brands like Ashok Leyland appeal the general mass? Will you go for a car from a company which earlier made trucks and buses with no experience with car owners who are basically much polished people than truck or bus drivers/ owners? How will they manage the post sales problem, is everything in place for Ashok Leyland is the question. If you look at the MPV, the car has no style as such. Basically Leyland’s Stile lacks the Style quotient.

Indian automotive market is huge compared to Europe however cars that have no brand name to flaunt hardly appeals people, it won’t be able to capture the whims and fancies of a prospective buyer. Ashok Leyland Stile is jumping into the auto market to face bestsellers like Toyota Innova and Chevrolet Tavera. It will be difficult for Ashok Leyland to sell this MPV for sure. Stile will come with a price tag of Rs.7 lakh. Ashok Leyland collaborated with Nissan to produce this MPV.  Ashok Leyland’s Stile was first showcased in Auto Expo 2012. Some of the latest features available in this car FM radio, Bluetooth, USB port, tubeless tire, fuel gauge, digital clock etc. The chances of this car to do well in Indian market are too low.

These are only my opinion; you can share your views. 

bmw 1 series

BMW India has confirmed that it is the 1 Series hatch will be making its nationwide debut on the 3rd of September this year

Now closer to its actual launch here in India, the BMW 1 Series hatchback is all geared up to take on rivals Mercedes-Benz A-Class and the Volvo V40 CrossCountry, both of which are relatively new to this soil as well. 

Based on the all new 3 Series platform, the 1 Series might be the smallest BMW ever made, but it is still a relatively big car. It comes with well appointed interiors and the exteriors follow in the family style of a long sleek hood narrowing down to a sharp snout, a set back passenger cabin and a sharply chiseled rear. While engine options are expected limited, the company would most probably bring in the 138PS petrol and the 144PS diesel versions. 

The four-door luxury hatchback will be assembled at BMW India's Chennai facility which currently assembles the 3 Series and 5 Series sedans, the X1 compact SUV and the diesel X3. Taking advantage of a lower duty imposed on the car as opposed to CBU imports, BMW should be able to price the new 1 Series rather aggressively. 

With its compact proportions, powerful petrol and diesel engine options, strong rear wheel drive characteristics and internationally adored on road aesthetics the 1 Series has all the makings of a pure driver's machine. Come September, it will be interesting to see how well the car is received here in India. For exact pricing and other technical specifications keep watching this space.

NEW RANGE ROVER

The all-new Range Rover Sport, revealed at the New York motor show, is a model described by Land Rover design boss Gerry McGovern as being “the Porsche 911 of SUVs”.

It’s his way of emphasising the essential difference between the all-new Sport — due in showrooms in September — and the recently launched, considerably larger Range Rover flagship  which shares many of the Sport’s underpinnings but not its essential character. “We’ve taken ride, handling and agility to another level in the Sport,” adds brand boss John Edwards. “This is the fastest, most agile and most responsive Land Rover ever.”

The first-generation Sport rapidly achieved halo status as JLR’s most profitable car, scoring impressive success in the US and especially in Manhattan — hence the decision to unveil the second-generation car at the New York motor show this week. Sales have always been strong; even last year it notched up 56,000 sales, its second-best result to date.

The styling — more sophisticated and sporty than before — makes obvious reference via the floating roof and basic proportions to the ‘senior’ Range Rover, but it is both low and compact in comparison, with greater windscreen rake, a forward control aspect and pronounced wheel arches and haunches that advertise its dynamic priorities. “It’s dramatic and powerful, with immense road presence,” claims McGovern.    

The new Sport has much more in common with the Range Rover than the old model, sharing most of its primary suspension and transmission parts and key components of its aluminium monocoque chassis (adopted instead of the original model’s heavy, old-tech, twin-rail steel chassis). The new car is 62mm longer than the outgoing Sport, but still 149mm shorter than the flagship Range Rover, while its wheelbase is 178mm longer than that of its predecessor. Thus its rear overhang is markedly shorter than before and the redesigned cabin offers both more rear-seat knee room and space for an optional pair of electrically powered, fold-down, child-friendly seats forming a third row, making this a ‘5+2’ SUV for the first time.

Weight saving is a highlight of the new Sport. Engineers claim a ‘real-world’ saving of around half a tonne over the previous model, though that is calculated by comparing the latest high-output V6 with the previous diesel V8, which offers similar performance. If you compare old and new V6s directly, the difference is a still-impressive 420kg.

 

Engineers have also chased efficiency through aerodynamics. The Sport has movable vanes in its cooling system to cut drag on the move, plus near-flush glazing and a smooth underfloor panel to reduce the drag coefficient to 0.34.

At launch, the Sport will be offered with a choice of two engines: a 288bhp 3.0 SDV6 diesel and a 503bhp supercharged 5.0-litre petrol V8. These will be joined next year by a 254bhp TDV6 diesel and a 334bhp 4.4-litre SDV8 ‘super-diesel’ with a 6.5sec 0-100kph time. Later in 2014 we’ll see a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine option — broadly similar in performance to the outgoing V8 diesel.

These engines (all of which incorporate stop-start) send their power through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox to a permanent 4x4 system. But in a big break with the past, the Sport will be offered either with a two-speed transfer case that offers the traditional high range and low range and a 50/50 front/rear torque split, or a single-speed transfer case with a default 42/58 per cent torque split to give a rear-drive bias for sharper on-road handling.

 

Towards the end of 2014, Land Rover promises to deliver a “highly innovative” diesel-electric hybrid version of the Sport that will emit only 169g/km of CO2.

The suspension features air springs and uses many of the same lightweight components as the new Range Rover, but the rates of the springs and continuously variable dampers are biased much more towards handling than the Range Rover’s luxury-focused set-up, and there’s a new Dynamic setting in the Terrain Response menu to best configure the car for energetic on-road driving. Variable-ratio electric power steering is adopted, with its gearing sharpened to three turns between locks.

The whole chassis bristles with electronic driver aids, including roll stability control, corner brake control and engine-drag torque control to go with the more familiar hill descent control, stability control and hill-start assist.

The interior draws much from the conventions established by the previous Range Rover Sport model: driver-orientated controls, slightly lower driving position than the Range Rover (by about 20mm) and a high and very prominent centre console, all of which help to give the whole thing a sporting aspect. But there’s much progress in the execution, which is more sophisticated in design, includes new kit like an optional head-up display, simplifies the controls and generally reaches a higher level of quality that’s perceptible as soon as you experience it. McGovern cites “cleaner, purer surfaces”, and the materials quality has taken another big step forward. What’s more, there’s much more choice for owners: lots of colours and textures and no fewer than 11 designer-endorsed ‘themes’.

Variants avialable at launch are the SDV6 and the Supercharged Autobiography, the TDV6 will arrive next year.

PARTS OF A PETROL ENGINE

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CYLINDER BLOCK

Cylinder block is a rigid frame that holds the cylinders in proper alignment. If the engine is liquid cooled, the block is jacketed, so that it can be surrounded by the liquid, or has passages for the liquid around each cylinder. In automotive engines, the cylinder block and crankcase form a single unit. Most cylinder blocks are made of cast iron or aluminium.

CYLINDERS

Cylinders are rigid tubes that serve as a bearing for the pistons that move up and down inside them. They have highly polished surfaces. This permits a close fit between piston and cylinder and prevents gases from leaking past the piston. The cylinders in most car engines are part of the block. Some engines have a cylinder sleeve made of specially hardened steel or cast iron pressed into the cylinder block.

CYLINDER HEAD

Cylinder head is a casting bolted to the top of the cylinder block. The cylinder head, together with the upper end of the cylinder and the top of the piston, form the combustion chamber where the fuel-air mixture burns. A cylinder head and block may be one unit.

CRANKCASE

Crankcase is a rigid frame that holds the crankshaft and the crankshaft bearings. In small engines, all or part of the crankcase may be a part of the cylinder block.

PISTON AND CONNECTING RODS

There is a piston fitted in the cylinder. This piston is connected to a connecting rod which in turn is connected to the crank shaft. When the fuel-air mixture burns, the expanding gases exert a force on the piston. This force is then transmitted through a connecting rod to the crankshaft. The piston has two to six rings to prevent the gases from escaping and to keep lubricating oil from getting into the combustion chamber.

CRANK SHAFT

Crankshaft changes the reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotary motion. The crankshaft has a number of cranks, or throws. These cranks are displaced at angles to each other. For example, in a six-cylinder, in-line, four-stroke cycle engine, the cranks are displaced at 120° angles to each other. As a result, the engine delivers three equally spaced power strokes in each revolution of the crankshaft to assure smooth operation.

FLYWHEEL

Flywheel stores energy during a piston's power stroke and releases it during other strokes. This helps to keep the crankshaft turning at a constant speed

VALVES

In a four-stroke cycle engine, each cylinder has one or two intake valves, to let the air-fuel mixture into the combustion chamber, and one or two exhaust valves, to let the burned gases escape. These are called poppet valves, because they pop up and down as they open and close. The opening in the cylinder block or head uncovered by the valve is called the port. In many two-stroke cycle engines, the movement of the piston takes the place of separate valves. As the piston moves, it covers and uncovers the ports.

CAMSHAFT

Camshaft opens and closes the valves at the proper point in the engine cycle. It runs the length of the engine and has one cam (lobe) at each intake and exhaust valve. In a four-stroke cycle engine, the camshaft is geared to the crankshaft so that it runs at half the crankshaft's speed. The camshaft may be located in the head of an overhead valve engine, or in the crankcase.

FUEL SYSTEM

Fuel system includes : (1) a storage tank for petrol, (2) fuel lines to carry the petrol to the carburettor, (3) a carburettor to mix the petrol with air, and (4) an intake manifold to distribute the fuel-air mixture to the cylinders. The fuel system also includes a filter to clean dirt out of the fuel and an air cleaner to take dirt out of the air that is mixed with the petrol. In addition, the system may include a governor to limit the engine's speed.

EXHAUST SYSTEM

Exhaust system consists of one or more parts. It may include (1) an exhaust manifold to collect the burned gases from the cylinders, (2) an exhaust pipe to carry the burned gases, and (3) a silencer to silence the noise of the exhaust gases.

IGNITION SYSTEM

Ignition system is the electrical circuit necessary to set fire to, or ignite, the fuel-air mixture in the different cylinders at different times. In a car a storage battery provides electric current, which is increased in voltage by an induction coil. The high-voltage current is carried through a distributor, which delivers the electricity to each cylinder at about the moment the piston reaches the top of the compression stroke. There the electric current jumps a gap between two terminals and sets fire to the petrol-air mixture. The terminals are encased in insulating material and called a spark plug.

Some car engines have an electronic ignition system. These systems use electronic parts, such as capacitors and transistors, to produce the ignition voltage and to control it. Electronic ignition systems may use a distributor to deliver the electricity to each cylinder, or the electricity may be delivered directly to the cylinders. Electronic systems require less maintenance than do ordinary systems, and they provide better engine performance.

LUBRICATION SYSTEM

Lubrication system provides oil as a film between the moving parts of the engine to prevent wear from friction and to keep the engine cool. The two common types of four-stroke cycle engine lubrication systems are the wet sump and the dry sump. In the wet-sump engine, the oil supply is contained within the engine, in the bottom of the crankcase. In the dry-sump engine, the oil supply is contained in a separate oil tank.

Some two-stroke cycle engines, such as those used on lawn mowers, motorcycles, and boats, have no separate lubrication system. Users of these engines mix a small amount of lubricating oil with the petrol. Larger heavy-duty two-stroke cycle engines have lubrication systems similar to those on four-stroke cycle engines.

WORKING OF A PETROL ENGINE

The working of an internal combustion engine is divided into four stages called four strokes of the engine and hence the engine is called a four stroke engine.

The intake stroke :

When the engine starts, the piston moves downwards in the cylinder, because of which a region of low pressure is created in the cylinder, above the piston. At this moment, the intake valve opens and the fuel mixture(petrol vapour and air mixture) is sucked into the cylinder from the carburettor.

The compression stroke :

When the sufficient amount of the fuel mixture (petrol vapour and air mixture) has entered the cylinder, the intake valve gets closed. The piston is then forced to move upwards which compresses the fuel-mixture to about one-eighth of its original volume. Higher the compression ratio, more will be the efficiency of the engine.

The power stroke :

Before the piston completes its upward movement, compressing the petrol vapour and air mixture, the spark plug produces a little electric spark inside the cylinder and this spark sets fire to the petrol-air mixture. The petrol vapour burns quickly in a little explosion, producing a large volume of gases and enormous heat. The heat thus produced expands the gases rapidly. The pressure of rapidly expanding hot gases pushes the piston downward with a great force. The piston pushes the piston rod and the piston rod pushes the crank shaft. The crank shaft is joined to the wheels of a car. When the crank shaft turns, the wheels rotate and move the car.

The exhaust stroke:

When the piston has been pushed to the bottom of the cylinder by the hot expanding gases in the power stroke, then the exhaust valve opens. After that, due to the momentum gained by the wheels, the piston is pushed upwards. The upward movement of the piston, expels the spent gases through the exhaust valve into the atmosphere, carrying away the unused heat. The exhaust valve then closes, the intake valve opens up, and the above four strokes of the engine are repeated again and again. 

F10 M5 Brakes

The F10 M5 is fitted with very large and efficient brakes for bringing its 4000+ lbs quickly from high speed to a standstill, or for dropping the speed quickly for corner entry.

The front brakes are M specific and use a large 15.7" ventilated and cross-drilled compound brake disk (aluminium centre, steel disk) combined with six-piston fixed calipers.

The rear brakes use the same type of disks (but a touch smaller at 15.5"), and have a single-piston floating calliper which includes the electromechanical parking brake. The rear is taken from the base 550i, but painted racy blue!

The front brakes do more work than the rears as the weight of the car shifts towards the front during hard braking and therefore there is more traction available at the front and more braking force needed there.

The steel outer ring is completely symmetrical, so when it expands due to heat it does so uniformly without introducing any bends or kinks that can rub against the brake callipers  As the brakes cool you hear them "ping ping ping" as the outer disk collapses back onto the inner aluminium ring via the pins.

The disks are ventilated, meaning that they are hollow with a plate on each side. They are also cross-drilled, which provides more ventilation and a lighter weight.

The front brakes are six-piston fixed callipers and the rear brakes are single piston floating calliper. 

Disk brakes have brake pads that squeeze against a brake rotor to slow the car door. There are two types of brake callipers at the wheels: fixed and floating. 

The floating calliper system is shown below.

It uses only a single piston that pushes against one side of the brake disk that then pulls the calliper over to make contact with the other (bottom left).

The fixed calliper system is as follows.

There are pairs of pistons that squeeze down on the brake pad from both sides simultaneously. the M5 has three such pairs, hence it is a six-calliper brake. Fixed calliper systems are more effective than floating, but more complex and expensive.

The brakes are power-assisted using the traditional time-honoured approach. Brakes use hydraulic lines to transfer force from the brake pedal to the pistons and callipers.

Leverage combined with hydraulic force multiplication translate a relatively longer travel on the brake pedal into a shorter travel at the brake pistons at a much higher force. The diagram above illustrates the basic mechanisms at work. In this example, the force at the brake pedal is multiplied by a factor of 3 by the leverage and by a further factor of 3 by the hydraulics.

By law, all brakes have two isolated subsystems, one for the front brakes and one for the rear, in case a brake line fails.

The master cylinder is a clever arrangement that ensures the system does not empty of hydraulic pressure and keeps functioning even when one or the other of the sub-systems leak.

Most power brake systems use a vacuum booster to assist braking. The brakes use a brake servo which is powered by the vacuum generated by the engine. In the M5, because it is turbocharged, vacuum is in short supply in the intake manifold, and so a special vacuum pump maintains a reservoir of vacuum in a can, ready to be used to assist breaking on demand.

When the brake pedal is depressed hard enough, an air valve is opened which allows atmospheric pressure into one side of a vacuum chamber that boosts the pressure applied to the master cylinder. 

Here we see a typical arrangement of pedal to power brake booster to master cylinder, and then off to the front and rear brakes respectively, with hydraulic fluid returning on the left.

For each brake there is also the Anti-Lock Braking system that contains electronically controlled valves and an electric pump that modules brake pressure when wheel lock-up is about to occur.

The purpose of ABS is to shorten the braking distance and to retain manoeuvring during braking so that obstacles can be avoided. When a brake is applied until it locks up, then the car starts sliding on its tires. Once the tires start sliding, they are actually less sticky. By pulsing the brakes, they are kept just on the threshold of lockup, which is the most effective for stopping. When driving without ABS, drivers must feel the point at which the brakes are just starting to lockup, and then ease off a bit to keep the wheels spinning. This is called "threshold braking", and is more effective than "pumping the brakes" but harder to master.

When brakes lock up, since there is no traction at all, there is certainly no traction for manoeuvring. The driver can turn the steering wheel round and round but the car will keep sliding in a straight line. With ABS, the car is kept on the threshold of traction, so traction is made available when the steering wheel is turned to steer the car away from obstacles during braking.

The system in the M5 pulses the brakes very quickly, can apply itself to the four wheels independently, and is completely under computer control. This system is used for a variety of additional stability control purposes in addition to the standard "Anti-Lock Braking" (ABS) function, all under the control of a sub-system calls "Dynamic Stability Control" (DSC).

Under normal braking conditions, hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder passes straight through to the brake pistons. The computer compares the wheel speeds against one another. If it detects a wheel locking it can isolate that brake from the driver's foot, and then bleed pressure off and then on again very rapidly. In order to recover pressure after the bleed, a pump is used to restore it. The operation of the pump and the valves is felt in the driver's foot as pressure pulsations when the system is regulating braking.

Additional braking functions in the M5 include the following.

• Cornering Brake Control (CBC) which applies brakes differentially when cornering with light braking;
• Dry Braking which applies 1 bar of pressure on the rotors for 1.5 s every 90s to dry the brakes when the windshield wipers are on continuous mode;
• Brake Standby which looks for a quick release of the accelerator pedal and pre-tensions the brakes with 2.5 bar of pressure for 0.5 s in anticipation of hard braking;
• Dynamic Brake Control which monitors speed and brake pedal pressure changes and goes to maximum braking pressure when warranted;
• Automatic Soft-Stop which automatically reduces pressure at the rear axle just before the vehicle comes to a stop when braking lightly;
• Fading Compensation which monitors brake effectiveness and provides additional pressure when brakes start fading;
• Drive-off Assistant which holds the brakes until sufficient torque is available when on a hill.
• The brakes are also requested to apply themselves to various wheels by the chassis dynamics system discussed later. 

The rear brakes incorporate an electromechanical parking brake that is an independent system for clamping the callipers down on the rotors. It will work when parked and when moving (as per government regulations).

A motor is used to turn a spindle that applies locking pressure. When the motor is off, the pressure is still held as it is "screwed down" tightly.

The system is operated from a switch on the centre console under the gear lever. Pull up on it to apply. Push down to release. It can also be released by pressing on the accelerator.

There is a manual release buried under the trunk.

There is an additional system in the car related to braking called "Brake Energy Regeneration". In most cars, the alternator is continuously run whenever the engine is turning over. In this car, when accelerating or coasting the alternator is disconnected leading to a smaller engine load and more efficiency.

As long as the battery stays above a certain threshold, the only time the alternator is connected and drains shaft energy is during braking, either by means of engine overrun or when applying the brakes directly.