
Jaguar Land Rover Rejuvenated With Diesel and Intel 'Infotainment'
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are still made in the UK, just like they've always been. But the similarities between the Jaguar Land Rover of today and the JLR of the past end there.
Management, owners, technology and reliability are all different. A company in India owns it, and many in management come from BMW, including the CEO. And, these days, JLR ranks near the top of quality surveys.
So much has changed at JLR, but what will the company offer over the next year or two? Diesel and new a infotainment system powered by Intel (INTC) - Get Report chips are at the top of the list.
Jaguar has four models today: XJ (large sedan); XF (midsize sedan); XE (small sedan); F-type (two-seat coupe/convertible).
Land Rover / Range Rover offers these six models today: Range Rover (big, classic luxury SUV); Range Rover Sport (smaller version of the flagship SUV); Range Rover Evoque (smallest SUV, more stylish); Land Rover LR4 (old "square" SUV); Land Rover Discovery Sport (new, midsize-value SUV); Land Rover LR2 (old "small" SUV).
Where do these vehicles stand in their life cycles?
Jaguar XJ: A mid-cycle refresh was just announced, and it includes the all-new Intel-based infotainment system.
Jaguar XF: The all-new XF was introduced in March, and will be in production in a couple of months from now.
Jaguar XE: The all-new XE was introduced earlier this year, and it recently entered production.
Jaguar F-type: A mid-cycle refresh was just announced, and these cars are arriving this summer.
On the Land Rover / Range Rover side, the LR Discovery Sport just came out months ago, and a new Evoque is expected within the next year. The future of the LR2 and LR4 models are uncertain. Between the Evoque and Discovery Sport, those old LR2 and LR4 models seem unnecessary.
The large Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport are relatively new. For the U.S. market, they will be getting a new diesel engine for the first time, this fall, to the tune of a $1,500 premium over the base models.
In 2016, diesel engines will spread to the rest of the JLR portfolio, except the two-seater, the F-type. The V6 3-liter diesel that appears this Fall in the heavier SUVs, will yield EPA ratings of 22 miles-per-gallon in the city and 28 on the highway. The four-cylinder diesel for the smaller and less-expensive vehicles that arrive in the U.S. next year, will clearly be more frugal.
What sets the larger JLR engines apart today is that they are supercharged. There are V6 3-liter versions with 340 and 380 horsepower, as well as a 5-liter V8 with 550 horsepower. The supercharged character of these engines is smooth and pleasant, especially when combined with the extroverted exhaust growl that must be heard to be believed. For the spirited enthusiast, the JLR powertrains set themselves apart from the German competitors.
On a couple of recent Jaguar XF and XJ tests, these cars had no problem meeting or even slightly exceeding their EPA fuel economy estimates, which were not bad for their class to begin with, as far as a non-hybrid gasoline engine goes. That said, these are heavy and powerful cars, so you are not going to get MPG into the 30s on the highway, and of course a lot less in the city.
For this reason, the introduction of diesel engines in all but one of the freshest Jaguars and Land Rovers will be a huge positive. You may have noticed that Mercedes dropped the diesel version of the S-class sedan, and BMW dropped the diesel version in the all-new 7-series.
The next revolution that's coming to JLR is in the much-overdue area of infotainment. The current infotainment unit is average in the market today, but rapidly slipping behind. It's a touchscreen, which is better the rotary-dial-mouse solutions from Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus, to mention the worst offenders.
Jaguar debuted a new system in the 2016 XF, which I have only studied for a brief couple of minutes at a trade show. It has a beautiful display and by all accounts is a much modern system, based on Intel semiconductors.
It is unclear, however, whether it will be competitive with the other infotainment systems based on Apple (AAPL) - Get Report CarPlay and Google's (GOOG) - Get Report (GOOGL) - Get Report Android Auto that are now starting to be offered by other automakers such as Hyundai, General Motors (GM) - Get Report, Volvo and Volkswagen. Those systems will cost the user essentially nothing, and be very easy to use.
One more thing: Jaguar is launching a crossover-SUV, the F-Pace, this fall. Production will begin over the winter and reach the U.S. probably in the first half of 2016. The design looks lot like the large Mazda SUV, the CX-9.
For the first time, starting in 2016, Jaguar will have three sedans that are cohesive, equipped with optional frugal diesel engines, and a fresh new infotainment system based on Intel hardware. On the SUV side, the lineup will mimic the powertrain and infotainment evolution, and in addition the Land Rover side has a fresh new entry almost competitive in style and comfort with the Range Rover offerings. Starting at around $40,000 for the diesel, presumably some time in 2016, this looks to be the best SUV value in the JLR portfolio.
Jaguar Land Rover is entering a new era, and it's it is looking very good, with the minor caveat of the new infotainment system, which is yet to be tested.
This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held AAPL.








