Jaguar XKR-S Convertible pics show off powerful drop-top Jag

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Looks like summer has come early for sun-loving Jaguar fans. The legendary British marque has clawed the roof off its XKR-S to create what it promises is its most powerful drop-top ever.

The soft top, we think you'll agree, adds an extra layer of sexiness to a car that was already pretty gorgeous. It opens and folds away in 18 seconds, which is just quick enough to help prevent a soaking during sudden downpours, but just slow enough to attract the jealous ire of passersby. 

Obviously, its open-top design will be more condusive to low-speed cruising than barnstorming track runs, but the XKR-S Convertible uses the same supercharged 5-litre V8 engine as its coupe cousin, so it has access to a stonking 550PS and 502lb/ft of torque. That, Jaguar says, is enough to provide a 0-60mph time of 4.2 seconds and a barnet-destroying, electronically limited top speed of 186mph.

Eagle-eyed petrol heads will have noticed the XKR-S' performance figures are identical to its coupe cousin, which is an impressive achievement. Usually, when companies remove a car's roof, the vehicle goes all wobbly and requires heavy strengthening components that provide much-needed rigidity.

Fortunately, the basic XK, on which this car is based, was designed as a convertible from the outset, meaning very little weight -- just 40kg, in fact -- has been added to the car. Despite the paltry additions, Jaguar reckons the XKR-S Convertible has the highest torsional rigidity in its class, so it shouldn't turn to jelly on bumpy roads.

It shouldn't disgrace itself if you show it a bend or two, either. Jaguar's tweaked the car's suspension for increased agility and beefed up the software controlling its adaptive dynamics stability control system to come to the assistance of inexperienced drivers, who are prone to running out of talent mid-corner.

Needless to say, the XKR-S Convertible will be pretty exclusive. Jaguar has slapped a

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Porsche Panamera GTS promises pure driving kicks

Porsche absolutely loves building new versions of its Panamera. There are now a whopping nine iterations of its bonkers four-door supercar, the latest of which is a new driver-oriented GTS model.

Porsche says the GTS is the 'purest' member of the Panamera family. It has most in common with the mid-range Panamera 4S, but features upgraded brakes, lowered suspension and a V8 engine that delivers more power than any non-turbocharged Panamera.

The modified 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine delivers 430hp and 384lb-ft of torque -- an increase of 30hp and 16lb-ft and over the Panamera S and 4S. This jump in power provides a noticeable increase in performance. The car dispatches 0-60mph in 4.3 seconds and can reach a very respectable 178mph. The 4S, for reference, dawdles behind with a 5-second 0-60mph time and a 175mph top speed.

Straight-line performance is only half the GTS' story. Its naturally aspirated engine should mean the car is a more manageable drive than the uber-fast Turbo and Turbo S models. It should, we expect, deliver its power in a more linear fashion than its stablemates, without the sudden, often distracting spikes in performance typically seen in turbocharged cars.

Though Porsche markets the GTS as a pure Panamera, it hasn't shied away from performance-boosting gadgets. The car will use a fancy dual-clutch Porsche DoppelKupplung (PDK) gearbox that drives all four wheels, and uses an adaptive air suspension system that keeps the car level no matter how hard you corner, or how lardy your passengers.

It'll also feature some funky cabin tech, including a display that shows lateral and longitudinal acceleration. Porsche has yet to announce pricing for the Panamera GTS, but it'll likely cost slightly more than the

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Five electric cars that will change the world in 2012

There are plenty of hugely interesting electric cars on the road today -- our list of the finest 10 we've encountered is testament to that. But come 2012, every single one of them will be made to look like Fred Flintstone's foot-powered rock-mobile by a new generation of electric vehicles (EVs).

Once 2011 crawls its sorry backside to the confines of history, we'll bear witness to a wealth of incredible electric cars that are more efficient, affordable and fun than their predecessors.

To give you a taste of what's to come, we've put together a list of EVs that we think will help banish those smoke-belching petrol and diesel monstrosities for good, starting with the Vauxhall Ampera. 

Vauxhall Ampera

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Six best crime fighting cars from the world of TV

Cracking news, TV cop show fans: a big-screen version of cult British policer The Sweeney is due to roll into cinemas in 2012. Better news: its stars have ditched the rickety old Consul GT, Cortina and Granadas favoured by their 70s counterparts in favour of a spangly new Ford Focus ST.

That's a definite improvement on the pensioner-wagons they drove back in the decade style forgot, but how does the Focus ST stack up against other vehicles favoured by rival TV cop shows? We dusted off our VHS collection, fired up the Teasmade and took a nostalgic meander through yesteryear's finest TV-based crime-fighting vehicles to find out.

Ford Gran Torino -- Starsky and Hutch

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Government to pull plug on electric car grant?

Electric car take-up in Britain is lower than a badger's back passage. It's so low, in fact, there's now mounting speculation the government will scrap the plug-in car grant that was originally intended to boost EV sales.

The scheme, introduced in January 2011, gave buyers a

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Mazda i-ELOOP regenerative braking boosts petrol efficiency

Who said regenerative braking systems were just for electric cars? Certainly not Mazda. The Japanese carmaker's cooked up a new regen system it reckons can improve fuel economy in petrol cars by around 10 per cent.

The system, known as i-ELOOP, works in a similar way to the regenerative braking systems commonly found in cars such as the Nissan Leaf. It converts a car's kinetic energy into electricity as it decelerates before using this electricity to power the climate control, audio system and other electrical components inside the vehicle.

i-ELOOP, which stands for Intelligent Energy Loop, uses a variable voltage alternator, a low-resistance capacitor and a DC/DC convertor to start recovering kinetic energy the moment the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal.

The alternator generates electricity at up to 25V, before sending it to the capacitor for storage. The DC/DC convertor then steps down the voltage from 25V to 12V before it's distributed to the car's electrical gubbins.

One of i-ELOOP's key benefits is the fact it allows Mazda's i-stop stop-start technology to operate more often than it would otherwise be able to (stop-start systems are notorious for only working within a very small window of operation). This allows a car fitted with i-ELOOP to use its engine less, which contributes to an increase in fuel economy.

i-ELOOP will work in conjunction with i-stop, as well as Mazda's SkyActiv platform, which incorporates engine, transmission, body and chassis designs that are intended to make the company's cars more efficient.

i-ELOOP will get its first airing in at the forthcoming Tokyo Motor Show in the Mazda Takeri concept car.

Tweet You might like these... Electronic stability control now compulsory on new EU cars Jaguar XF Sportbrake tries to break curse of the ugly estate Government to pull plug on electric car grant? Samsung Galaxy Nexus won't play in-car USB audio Six best crime fighting cars from the world of TV More articles in Car Tech » Post your comment Make your comment count. Log in or register to skip the 'Are you human?' question and get an avatar

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Jaguar XF Sportbrake tries to break curse of the ugly estate

Earlier this year, we got into an argument after-dinner debate with legendary Jaguar designer Ian Callum. Over a few shandies, we told him we could count the number of good-looking estate cars on the fingers of a sloth -- and that not even he could design one.

Callum, never one to back down, insisted that with his magic touch it was possible to build an attractive wagon. Dubious, we challenged him with a simple, "Go on then," confident in the assumption Callum would never try for fear of failure. We were wrong.

At the time, Callum's response to our challenge was a rather coy, "Watch this space," but new spy shots on Car magazine's website clearly show the man has grasped our gauntlet with both hands and created a Jaguar XF Sportbrake estate.

The car's rear end is heavily disguised (we can't quite see how the rear windows, rear light clusters or the tailgate are going to work on the finished car), but if we squint and imagine the whole thing finished in a menacing black, with some 22-inch rims thrown on, we might be forced to concede the Sportbrake is a beau... gorge... prett... quite an attractive car.

It could be even more attractive if Jaguar decides to roll out a hoon-worthy XFR version complete with muscular bodywork tweaks and Jaguar's mental 5-litre supercharged V8 engine.

Well done, Mr Callum, sir. It appears you may have proved us wrong. We will reserve judgement, however, until we get to see this thing in the flesh.

You can follow

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Electronic stability control now compulsory on new EU cars

All new car models launched from now on will have to be fitted with electronic stability control (ESC) as part of new European safety regulations. The technology, which prevents skidding during sudden manoeuvres, will become mandatory for existing model ranges in Europe from 31 October 2014. You may clap.

We're pretty ecstatic about this news, as electronic stability control, or electronic stability program (ESP) as it's known in some vehicles -- it also goes by other names -- is probably the greatest automotive invention since the cup holder.

Essentially, it's an active safety system that uses a microcomputer to keep an eye on sensors placed strategically around your vehicle. This monitors each sensor 25 times every second to check whether the driver's steering input corresponds to the direction in which the vehicle is moving.

If the two don't match -- the driver's turning left, but the car's going right -- it activates the brakes or accelerates each of the car's wheels individually as necessary to bring the vehicle back into line.

It's so effective, its makers claim it could prevent up to 80 per cent of all skidding accidents. That's a lofty estimate, we'll concede, but according to the Department for Transport statistics, cars fitted with ESC are involved in 25 per cent fewer accidents than those without.

To see stability control in all its anti-skid glory, check out this video we made.

Tweet You might like these... Jaguar XF Sportbrake tries to break curse of the ugly estate Mazda i-ELOOP regenerative braking boosts petrol efficiency Government to pull plug on electric car grant? Samsung Galaxy Nexus won't play in-car USB audio Six best crime fighting cars from the world of TV More articles in Car Tech » Post your comment Make your comment count. Log in or register to skip the 'Are you human?' question and get an avatar

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