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Latest Invention: Google cars drive themselves
Latest Invention: Google cars drive themselves
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| Driverless car in the making |
Did you ever want to send text messages and maybe do some online surfing while driving on a busy street? Well those days are near! Google announced the invention of its automated cars, which they have been test driving on the streets of California. These include, six Toyota Priuses and one Audi TT, have effectively driven over 140,000 miles.Cars (Widescreen Edition)
The self driven cars have a excess of hardware and software that permits them to be autonomous. Every car is eminent by the presence of a ‘lidar,’ a revolving antenna on the top that locates everything in a radius that expand over 230 feet in the region of the car. Four radar antenna’s, three in the facade and one in the back, lets the vehicle to spot far-away objects. A video camera installed close to the rear-view mirror perceives both traffic lights and impediments in motion. On the left back wheel, a position estimator sensor permits the car to place its own location on the map.
The cars drive in directions that are put in into a GPS navigation system, as well as thorough maps that have been composed in advance by regular cars. Along with containing geographic information, the cars also identify the speed limit of each road. The lidar, camera and sensors endlessly revise the map as the car is being driven. This is element of a method known as SLAM, or “simultaneous localization and mapping.” By keeping posted and taping alterations that take place on the road, the maps and records of the cars stay in progress.Cars: Mater
Human-driven cars use GPS, the automatic cars employ a voice to put the driver on alert of the changes in direction, roads, and the position of the antennas. The computerized form of the cars can be dominated through a guidebook driving through three options: pressing a close by red button, stepping on the brake or rotating the steering wheel.Vtech Cars Lightning McQueen Learning Laptop
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| A cool driverless Car |
The invention of robotic cars is not new and it has been supported by the government. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has organized a chain of self-directed motor vehicle races and awarded the winners. Sebastian Thrun, the head of the Google cars project, took part in and won the $2 million Pentagon prize during the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge.
Google’s official blog reports that additional engineers on their team have been hired from the DARPA Challenges, including Chris Urmson, who led the Carnegie Mellon team to victory in the 2007 challenge, Mike Montemerlo, whose Stanford Team won the 2005 challenge and Anthony Levandowski, who built the first self-directed motorcycle in one of the challenges. Google also employed taught safety drivers to reserve the driving seat of the automatic cars as a safety measure. In the traveler seats, skilled technicians monitored the software.
Regardless of the so far success of the test driving of these robotic cars, there are some precincts to it. For one thing, the cars are not familiar with and cannot track hand signals.Cars Mack Hauler
One other concern is legal responsibility, as it is unlawful for the driver to be inattentive while driving, the drivermust be in control at all times.
Rob Enderle, the principal analyst at the Enderle Group, a business and technological advisory group, in an interview with TechNewsWorld said that Monetizing the automated cars is the real dilemma.
“We’ve always been optimistic about technology’s ability to advance society […] While this project is very much in the experimental stage, it provides a glimpse of what transportation might look like in the future thanks to advanced computer science. And that future is very exciting.”
- This will be very exiting when fully made, imagine a world of no drivers, it will be very great indeed. what do you think post your comment below.
New Invention: Airbag for bicycles
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| A biker demonstrating the airbag. |
New Invention: Airbag for bicycles.
A new Swedish invention could spell the end of bad hair days for bike riders.
A Swedish design house has created a potentially life-saving fashion accessory for cyclists.
The Hovding airbag collar has been designed to provide a safe alternative to the bicycle helmet without the detrimental effect that stack-hats tend to have on one’s hairdo.
Designed to wrap around the cyclists neck like a scarf, the Hovding (which means Chieftain in Swedish) will deploy an airbag in the form of a hood if its in-built sensors detect a potential head impact.
The sensors are able to detect an over-the-handlebars accident, a rear impact, and even if the rider simply falls off the bike sideways.
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| demonstration of the airbag |
The designers of the Chieftain, Terese Alstin and Anna Haupt, predict that the collar airbag will be a big hit when it goes on sale in Europe next year, priced at about $500.
The latest is an airbag collar aimed at cyclists called the Hövding that is worn around the neck and inflates to enclose the rider’s head in the event of an accident.
The pair teamed up at Sweden’s University of Lund, completing a thesis on helmet use which culminated in Sweden introducing a law for all children under the age of 15 to wear helmets.Pacific Stratus Men’s Mountain Bike (26-Inch Wheels)
Pacific Stratus Men’s Mountain Bike (26-Inch Wheels)
Pacific Stratus Men’s Mountain Bike (26-Inch Wheels) The company’s website states that the Cheiftain has been designed specifically for commuters, and that more extreme cyclists should still wear regular helmets.
The Cheiftain has been designed for those cyclists who’d prefer not to wear a helmet – and there’s a strong push locally for helmet laws to be overturned.
In 1991, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce mandatory helmet use for cyclists, and as the number of cyclists on the road increases, there have been calls for the laws to be quashed.
Sydney University’s School of Public Health associate professor Chris Rissely recently told the ABC that there has been no decrease in head injuries since the helmet laws were introduced, claiming the number of cycling related injuries has remained steady since the 1980s. GMC Topkick Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike
GMC Topkick Dual-Suspension Mountain BikeGMC Topkick Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike
GMC Topkick Dual-Suspension Mountain BikeGMC Topkick Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike“What it does is it puts people off cycling and makes people think that cycling’s a dangerous activity, even though it’s a really healthy thing to do and it increases people’s physical activity,” he told the ABC. Victory Vision Men’s Road Bike
Victory Vision Men’s Road BikeVictory Vision Men’s Road BikeVictory Vision Men’s Road Bike
he told the ABC. Victory Vision Men’s Road BikeVictory Vision Men’s Road BikeVictory Vision Men’s Road BikeVictory Vision Men’s Road Bike“And you’re seeing things like in the Melbourne bike hire scheme – it’s not working as well as it has in the rest of the world because people don’t walk around with a helmet just in case,” Rissely is quoted as saying. “You’ve got helmets creating a barrier to cycling, particularly spontaneous, short-trip cycling.”
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| A lady Wearing the airbag |
This invention simply means save Bicycle rides, what do you think post your comments below.
The enough misery stamps before a star bankrupt.
This post is for some other thing.The enough misery stamps before a star bankrupt.
Auto Review: 2011 Audi R8
Reviewed by Internet Auto Guide
Overview
The 2011 Audi R8 is Audi’s halo car, a low-slung, two-seat supercar derived in part from the Lamborghini Gallardo. The R8’s big V-8 and V-10 engines and quattro all-wheel drive offer blistering performance on the track, but are still docile enough to cruise Rodeo Drive in style, all at a price more accessible than the average supercar.
Keeping the R8 fresh, Audi added a V-10 engine in the car’s second model year and in this, its third model year, adds a new convertible model. The convertible Spyder will initially be offered only with the V-10 engine and borrows most of the V-10 coupe’s unique styling cues. A V-8-powered variant of the Spyder is expected in the near future.
The Audi R8 is a driver’s car through and through. Luggage capacity is minimal, though a storage package adds netting behind the seats to make the luggage shelf more usable. Though capable, the R8 is tuned more as a grand tourer than a street-legal race car. Fuel economy remains on par with its racier brethren, but that really isn’t the point, is it?
The Range
Bodystyles: Coupe, Convertible
Engines: 4.2L V-8, 5.2L V-10
Transmissions: 6-speed single-clutch automatic, 6-speed manual
Models: R8, R8 5.2, R8 Spyder 5.2
Engines: 4.2L V-8, 5.2L V-10
Transmissions: 6-speed single-clutch automatic, 6-speed manual
Models: R8, R8 5.2, R8 Spyder 5.2
What’s New
After launching the new V-10 engine last year, the R8 model gets another update with the new convertible model, called the R8 Spyder 5.2. Mechanically, it’s identical to the R8 5.2 with its V-10 engine and Audi’s signature quattro all-wheel drive. Cutting off the roof and adding a power folding top and the requisite chassis reinforcements adds about 200 pounds to the R8’s curb weight.
Exterior
The 2011 Audi R8 is an eminently styled coupe with strong Coke bottle curves and near-perfect proportions. The V-10 and Spyder models receive unique wheels, grille, headlights and side scoops.
Interior
Leather-wrapped power seats are standard, as is climate control, navigation, Bluetooth, a multi-function steering wheel and a premium stereo. An optional convenience package adds a rear view camera, hill hold and heated, auto-dimming and power-folding side mirrors.
Performance & Handling
The 2011 Audi R8 is already a potent street and track machine with its 4.2-liter V-8 developing 420 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, but the truly power-mad will opt for the 525 horsepower 5.2L V-10 with its 391 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are mated to either a 6-speed single-clutch automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual and Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system.
Safety
Both passengers get front, side thorax, side curtain and knee airbags. Electronic traction control and stability control are standard, as is Audi’s Crash Sensor, which unlocks the doors and turns off the engine and fuel pump.
EPA Fuel Economy
R8 Manual: 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway
R8 Automatic: 13 mpg city/18 mpg highway
R8 5.2 Manual: 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway
R8 5.2 Automatic: 13 mpg city/19 mpg highway
R8 Spyder Manual: 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway
R8 Spyder Automatic: 13 mpg city/19 mpg highway
R8 Automatic: 13 mpg city/18 mpg highway
R8 5.2 Manual: 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway
R8 5.2 Automatic: 13 mpg city/19 mpg highway
R8 Spyder Manual: 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway
R8 Spyder Automatic: 13 mpg city/19 mpg highway
You’ll Like
- Great styling
- Great engines
- Great handling
- Did we mention that styling?
You Won’t Like
- Not much storage space
- Could use a dual-clutch transmission
- Supercar fuel economy
If You Like This Vehicle You Might Also Like
- Lamborghini Gallardo
- Ferrari 458 Italia
- Nissan GT-R
- Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
- Porsche 911
2011 Audi A8 Auto Review
Reviewed by Internet Auto Guide
Overview
Audi’s flagship A8 luxury sedan is all-new for 2011 and better equipped than ever to take on the best from Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The 2011 A8’s understated styling belies a rich interior loaded to the brim with high-tech features including a new infotainment system that receives your inputs from a touchpad on the center console.
Added size and features are offset by improvements to the Audi A8’s all-aluminum frame that drops the weight below that of the car it replaces. Improvements to the A8’s base engine, a 4.2L V-8 that now produces 372 horsepower and 328 lb-ft of torque thanks to direct injection ensure top-level performance, especially when matched with Audi’s superb quattro all-wheel drive system and a new 8-speed transmission. In addition, the vaunted W-12 engine option is set to return, with a reported 500 horsepower and 460 lb-ft on tap. An even higher-performing S8 model is also expected to join the lineup sometime next year.
You can also opt for the Audi A8 Long Wheel Base model and lounge in luxury in the well-appointed rear seats as your driver whisks you away in complete comfort.
The Range
Bodystyles: Sedan
Engines: 4.2L V-8, 6.3L W-12
Transmissions: 8-speed automatic
Models: Normal Wheel Base, Long Wheel Base, S8
Engines: 4.2L V-8, 6.3L W-12
Transmissions: 8-speed automatic
Models: Normal Wheel Base, Long Wheel Base, S8
What’s New
The 2011 Audi A8 is all-new and launches with a revised 4.2L V-8 engine that produces 372 horsepower and 328 lb-ft of torque and now features direct injection. Despite adding a number of high-tech features, the new A8 is roughly 15 pounds lighter than the car it replaces. The latest iteration of Audi’s impressive MMI infotainment system features a touch pad for data entry and a navigation system that interfaces with the transmission and adaptive cruise control to maximize efficiency based on upcoming changes in the road.
Exterior
Evolution, not revolution, is the mantra of the 2011 Audi A8’s styling. Some may find it too conservative, but it can also be seen as subtle and understated. Curvaceous sheet metal gets more creases and Audi’s signature LED lights abound.
Interior
Premium leather and soft touch materials are standard fare for the A8, as is navigation with a pop-out screen and the new MMI Touch system. A 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo system is optional.
A power driver’s seat is standard across the range, as is air conditioning, cruise control and an AM/FM/Satellite radio with CD player and MP3 connectivity. The trunk is large, with a capacity of 15.1cu-ft.
Performance & Handling
The 2011 Audi A8 will launch with a single engine option, an updated version of Audi’s 4.2L V-8 that now produces 372 hp and 328 lb-ft of torque and is also more fuel efficient, thanks in part to direct injection. In the spring of 2011, Audi will add an updated W-12 engine with 500 hp and 460 lb-ft. Either way, power is transmitted to the ground through a new 8-speed automatic transmission and Audi’s superb quattro all-wheel drive system.
Safety
Per Federal law, driver and passenger front airbags will be standard, and front passenger side impact thorax bags are likely, as are front and rear head curtain bags. Dynamic safety devices include standard Traction Control, and Stability Control.
EPA Fuel Economy
A8, A8 L: 17 mpg city/27 mpg highway
You’ll Like
- Great handling
- Powerful engines
- Loaded with technology
- Supreme luxury
- Plush ride
You Won’t Like
- Vague steering
- Keeps getting bigger
- Conservative styling
If You Like This Vehicle You Might Also Like
- BMW 7 Series
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Lexus LS
- Hyundai Equus
This is a luxury ride, what do you think post your comment below.
The 2011 Jaguar XJ
2011 Jaguar XJ2011 Jaguar XJ – First Drive Review
Alloy-ed and alluring, the new XJ transports Jaguar to an altogether different place.
•
Top Competitors
• BMW 7-series
• Lexus LS460
• Maserati Quattroporte
• Mercedes-Benz S-class
• Porsche Panamera
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: $72,500
ENGINE TYPES: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection; supercharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 305 cu in, 5000 cc
Power (SAE net): 385 bhp @ 6500 rpm (V-8)/470–510 bhp @ 6000 rpm (V-8 supercharged)
Torque (SAE net): 380 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm (V-8)/424–461 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm (V-8 supercharged)
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 119.4–124.3 in
Length: 201.7–206.6 in
Width: 74.6 in Height: 57.0 in
Curb weight: 4050–4300 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.7–5.4 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 121–155 mph
FUEL ECONOMY (MFR’S EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 15–16/21–23 mpg
Alloy-ed and alluring, the new XJ transports Jaguar to an altogether different place.
•
Top Competitors
• BMW 7-series
• Lexus LS460
• Maserati Quattroporte
• Mercedes-Benz S-class
• Porsche Panamera
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: $72,500
ENGINE TYPES: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection; supercharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 305 cu in, 5000 cc
Power (SAE net): 385 bhp @ 6500 rpm (V-8)/470–510 bhp @ 6000 rpm (V-8 supercharged)
Torque (SAE net): 380 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm (V-8)/424–461 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm (V-8 supercharged)
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 119.4–124.3 in
Length: 201.7–206.6 in
Width: 74.6 in Height: 57.0 in
Curb weight: 4050–4300 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.7–5.4 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 121–155 mph
FUEL ECONOMY (MFR’S EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 15–16/21–23 mpg
Above all things, Jaguar desires to be different. That’s why the new 2011 XJ flagship has the flamboyant lines of an Italian torpedo and the driving manners of a German autobahn cruiser and is tuned for Buckingham Palace fleet duty. Cultures collide in spectacular ways in this luxury limo.
Arrestingly Beautiful
The XJ is a cab-rearward design and is incredibly riveting to stare at as it sits back on its haunches with as much cool as James Bond lighting a Chesterfield. In black, with the big-dish 20-inch wheels, the car is sinister enough to warrant its own RICO investigation.
Jaguar Cars managing director Mike O’Driscoll, who’s peddled more than his share of schlock over a 35-year career with the company, is smiling more lately. He says the mission was to recapture the uniqueness of the original 1968 XJ but in a modern form. They looked at the class stalwarts—the Mercedes-Benz S-class, the BMW 7-series, and the Audi A8—and the more driver-oriented oddballs, including the Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera, and decided to shoot for a middle ground. Passion—but with typical British reserve.
If you focus on those front three-quarter shots, you’ll wrongly dismiss the 2011 XJ as just an XF with a pituitary run amok. Skip down to the side and rear profiles to capture the XJ’s more exotic stance. The beltline is pulled way up, the side glass is pinched narrow, and the flowing taffy stretch of aluminum sheetmetal ends in a high, short trunk.
…Mostly
The C-pillars are clad in wonky glossy black panels that bridge the side glass with the backlight. Styling head Ian Callum—who gave us all of our current Jaguars and a few Aston Martins—demanded it and got his way. You don’t hear odes to the Jensen Interceptor very often, but Callum is fascinated with the way that car’s rear glass wrapped around the body sides to isolate the roof. He wanted to create an unbroken black band around the car’s cranium, like the Lone Ranger’s mask. On lighter colors the effect is more pronounced—and a little forced, frankly—but it’s definitely not something Jaguar’s competitors would ever do.
Snorting V-8s
On sale now, this XJ arrives stateside with two wheelbases and three engines, the latter shared with the smaller XF. The base short XJ with a direct-injection 385-hp, 5.0-liter V-8 starts at $72,500. The XJ Supercharged uses forced air to attain 470 hp and costs an additional $15,000. Both engines are also available in a size-XL (extra long) version that pulls the wheelbase out another 4.9 inches. The base XJL starts at $79,500 and is expected to be the volume player in the U.S., with about half the sales. The XJL Supercharged is $90,500. Finally, by special order only, there’s the XJ Supersport with 510 hp, thanks to revised engine maps similar to those of the XFR. Price: $112,000 in short form, $115,000 with the stretch. Europe also gets a tugboat-ready 3.0-liter turbo-diesel from Peugeot that is unfortunately considered a bit too, uh, European for America.
Improving on a Familiar Structure
Lately, the market’s air has been pretty thin at the XJ’s price point—the company sold just 1161 of the big cats in the U.S. last year, 2452 in 2008—so you can’t blame Jaguar for leaning on existing components where possible. Unexpectedly, it’s the Jaguar XFR that donates the most gear, including its suspension, steering rack, and, in the Supersports, the active electronic differential with few modifications.
The riveted and glue-bonded aluminum unibody shares DNA with the previous XJ, but thanks to a learning curve and a change in priorities, there are substantial changes. Besides the graceful sheetmetal, there are more cast nodes in the new XJ’s skeleton, helping to drive up torsional rigidity by a claimed 11 percent, and the front subframe is now solidly mounted. In the past, Jaguar used rubber isolation bushings, something it found only negatively affected handling while supplying little isolation benefit.
The curb weights reflect aluminum’s great promise: about 4000 to 4300 pounds, practically a trifle these days, especially for a car casting this big a shadow.
High Tech yet Emotional
If there are shared bits with other Jaguars, you won’t find them without pulling up the carpet. Besides the extravagant exterior, the cabin is a fascinating departure for Jaguar. For one thing, unlike most previous XJs, the space is huge, especially in the stretched models. Resembling a California landslide, the dash seems to have sunk a few inches from the windshield, with a band of the requisite burled wood filling in the gap and reminding one of the prow of a handmade yacht. The dropped dash puts everything lower, making the cabin more intimate and deemphasizing the car’s size.
This is no Mayfair drawing room. In the dash center above the eight-inch touch screen, reminiscent of a Ferrari, large, leather-swathed fairings protrude with the giant eight-balls that serve as air vents. The gauges are digital graphic renderings of analog dials on a 12.3-inch thin-film-transistor (TFT) display. Jaguar has some useful fun with this. For example, the numbers immediately around the “needle” glow brighter in what the engineers call a “torch effect,” as though the needle were shining a spotlight on the dial. And the gauges turn red (red mist?) when you put the car in dynamic mode. However, there’s untapped potential here. Why not give the driver several gauge cluster designs to toggle among?
Refined yet Rapid
Arrestingly Beautiful
The XJ is a cab-rearward design and is incredibly riveting to stare at as it sits back on its haunches with as much cool as James Bond lighting a Chesterfield. In black, with the big-dish 20-inch wheels, the car is sinister enough to warrant its own RICO investigation.
Jaguar Cars managing director Mike O’Driscoll, who’s peddled more than his share of schlock over a 35-year career with the company, is smiling more lately. He says the mission was to recapture the uniqueness of the original 1968 XJ but in a modern form. They looked at the class stalwarts—the Mercedes-Benz S-class, the BMW 7-series, and the Audi A8—and the more driver-oriented oddballs, including the Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera, and decided to shoot for a middle ground. Passion—but with typical British reserve.
If you focus on those front three-quarter shots, you’ll wrongly dismiss the 2011 XJ as just an XF with a pituitary run amok. Skip down to the side and rear profiles to capture the XJ’s more exotic stance. The beltline is pulled way up, the side glass is pinched narrow, and the flowing taffy stretch of aluminum sheetmetal ends in a high, short trunk.
…Mostly
The C-pillars are clad in wonky glossy black panels that bridge the side glass with the backlight. Styling head Ian Callum—who gave us all of our current Jaguars and a few Aston Martins—demanded it and got his way. You don’t hear odes to the Jensen Interceptor very often, but Callum is fascinated with the way that car’s rear glass wrapped around the body sides to isolate the roof. He wanted to create an unbroken black band around the car’s cranium, like the Lone Ranger’s mask. On lighter colors the effect is more pronounced—and a little forced, frankly—but it’s definitely not something Jaguar’s competitors would ever do.
Snorting V-8s
On sale now, this XJ arrives stateside with two wheelbases and three engines, the latter shared with the smaller XF. The base short XJ with a direct-injection 385-hp, 5.0-liter V-8 starts at $72,500. The XJ Supercharged uses forced air to attain 470 hp and costs an additional $15,000. Both engines are also available in a size-XL (extra long) version that pulls the wheelbase out another 4.9 inches. The base XJL starts at $79,500 and is expected to be the volume player in the U.S., with about half the sales. The XJL Supercharged is $90,500. Finally, by special order only, there’s the XJ Supersport with 510 hp, thanks to revised engine maps similar to those of the XFR. Price: $112,000 in short form, $115,000 with the stretch. Europe also gets a tugboat-ready 3.0-liter turbo-diesel from Peugeot that is unfortunately considered a bit too, uh, European for America.
Improving on a Familiar Structure
Lately, the market’s air has been pretty thin at the XJ’s price point—the company sold just 1161 of the big cats in the U.S. last year, 2452 in 2008—so you can’t blame Jaguar for leaning on existing components where possible. Unexpectedly, it’s the Jaguar XFR that donates the most gear, including its suspension, steering rack, and, in the Supersports, the active electronic differential with few modifications.
The riveted and glue-bonded aluminum unibody shares DNA with the previous XJ, but thanks to a learning curve and a change in priorities, there are substantial changes. Besides the graceful sheetmetal, there are more cast nodes in the new XJ’s skeleton, helping to drive up torsional rigidity by a claimed 11 percent, and the front subframe is now solidly mounted. In the past, Jaguar used rubber isolation bushings, something it found only negatively affected handling while supplying little isolation benefit.
The curb weights reflect aluminum’s great promise: about 4000 to 4300 pounds, practically a trifle these days, especially for a car casting this big a shadow.
High Tech yet Emotional
If there are shared bits with other Jaguars, you won’t find them without pulling up the carpet. Besides the extravagant exterior, the cabin is a fascinating departure for Jaguar. For one thing, unlike most previous XJs, the space is huge, especially in the stretched models. Resembling a California landslide, the dash seems to have sunk a few inches from the windshield, with a band of the requisite burled wood filling in the gap and reminding one of the prow of a handmade yacht. The dropped dash puts everything lower, making the cabin more intimate and deemphasizing the car’s size.
This is no Mayfair drawing room. In the dash center above the eight-inch touch screen, reminiscent of a Ferrari, large, leather-swathed fairings protrude with the giant eight-balls that serve as air vents. The gauges are digital graphic renderings of analog dials on a 12.3-inch thin-film-transistor (TFT) display. Jaguar has some useful fun with this. For example, the numbers immediately around the “needle” glow brighter in what the engineers call a “torch effect,” as though the needle were shining a spotlight on the dial. And the gauges turn red (red mist?) when you put the car in dynamic mode. However, there’s untapped potential here. Why not give the driver several gauge cluster designs to toggle among?
Refined yet Rapid
When goosed, the various V-8s make suitably expensive and deep roars. All versions have acoustic devices that plumb intake noise through the firewall. In the supercharged models, blower whine is miraculously filtered out. The six-speed automatic does its business quickly and with undetectable slack. Figure 0-to-60-mph times from the mid-fours to mid-fives, depending on the model.
With the XFR’s pretty-darn-quick steering rack and the electronically self-adjusting shocks (they rely on electromechanical slider valves to vary their reactions), the XJ wants to pound through corners in hot pursuit of cars half its size. It has the power, the grip, and the steering focus for that, but the suspension, especially in the base version, allows enough body roll and bob that you don’t forget you’re at the reins of two tons of British luxury. On pitching pavement it can rock a bit side to side, but it never feels loose or discombobulated.
Some suspension give is a prerequisite in this class, but all XJs have as standard a dynamic setting that firms up the shocks while adjusting the throttle response and shift points (there are also normal and winter settings). The Supersport, with its firmer suspension and Z-rated summer tires, will stroke a driver’s ego even better. Had we been the designers, we might not have been brave enough to put such a quick steering rack into this car, given the stereotypical XJ buyer. As we said, however, Jaguar wants to be different. We’d also bring over those 20-inch big-dish wheels, the ones Jaguar says are for Europe only and that are so unlike the fine-spoke alloy clones on every other car.
Finally, Something Different
Quiet, dynamically composed, gloriously comfortable, and supremely unusual, the 2011 XJ does exactly what Jaguar hopes it will: give buyers an alternative choice and a reason to consider taking a leap with the leaping cat again. this is a very great ride, what do you think post Ur comment below.
With the XFR’s pretty-darn-quick steering rack and the electronically self-adjusting shocks (they rely on electromechanical slider valves to vary their reactions), the XJ wants to pound through corners in hot pursuit of cars half its size. It has the power, the grip, and the steering focus for that, but the suspension, especially in the base version, allows enough body roll and bob that you don’t forget you’re at the reins of two tons of British luxury. On pitching pavement it can rock a bit side to side, but it never feels loose or discombobulated.
Some suspension give is a prerequisite in this class, but all XJs have as standard a dynamic setting that firms up the shocks while adjusting the throttle response and shift points (there are also normal and winter settings). The Supersport, with its firmer suspension and Z-rated summer tires, will stroke a driver’s ego even better. Had we been the designers, we might not have been brave enough to put such a quick steering rack into this car, given the stereotypical XJ buyer. As we said, however, Jaguar wants to be different. We’d also bring over those 20-inch big-dish wheels, the ones Jaguar says are for Europe only and that are so unlike the fine-spoke alloy clones on every other car.
Finally, Something Different
Quiet, dynamically composed, gloriously comfortable, and supremely unusual, the 2011 XJ does exactly what Jaguar hopes it will: give buyers an alternative choice and a reason to consider taking a leap with the leaping cat again. this is a very great ride, what do you think post Ur comment below.
Reaching to the star. 
