The Paris Auto Show is less than a month away and it opens up the 2014-15 auto show season. Often before a major auto show, though, car makers will release details on new products before their official unveiling at the show. These next couple cars were going to be unveiled in Paris, but there brands have let the covers off early.
2016 Jaguar XE: Ever since Jaguar killed the X-type in 2008, they’ve been missing an entry level, luxury compact sedan to slot beneath the XF. The new XE fills this gap. It goes on sale in the United States some time next year, to duke it out with cars like the BMW 3-series, Audi A4, Mercedes C-class and Cadillac ATS.
Jaguar has only confirmed the specs on the currently range topping S trim, which has a 3 liter supercharged V6 out of the F-type sports car with 340 horsepower and 332 foot-pounds of torque. It is mated to an eight speed, automatic transmission to rear or all-wheel drive. Jaguar says, in the XE’s Press Release, it will do 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and top out at a limited 155 mph. There will be a base XE trim with the same 2 liter turbo-four that is in the XF and the Range Rover Evoque. There are also rumors of a high performance R or R-S trim with the 5 liter supercharged V8 with anywhere from 495 to 550 horsepower.
All trims will have an Aluminum body structure, which puts the S trims curb weight a 3249 pounds. This is about 150 pounds lighter than a comparable ATS and 300 pounds less than the 3-series.
On the outside, the XE gets Jaguar’s characteristic design language that they have on their other cars. This makes the XE look like a smaller XF. Inside, the XE also looks similar to all of their other cars. It has a dashboard reminiscent of the XJ with just a few more angles in the details such as the air vents. It also uses the same steering wheel out of the F-type.
The XE goes on sale next year. Pricing hasn’t been announced so stay tuned for more details.
2016 Mercedes AMG GT: The Mercedes SLS AMG has been around since 2009 and has reached the point of being replaced. The old SLS was designed to compete with $200,000+ Grand touring cars, like the Aston Martin Vanquish and DBS, as well as the old Ferrari 599. The new GT competes with cars like the Jaguar F-type, Corvette stingray and the Porsche 911.
Don’t go thinking that all they’ve done is made the SLS cheaper. The GT is an all-new car. The exterior styling, while similar to the SLS, has an all new design similar to the S-class coupe. the inside is also similar to the SLS, but it has an all new dashboard, steering wheel, and Mercedes’s new interior design language.
Mercedes hasn’t skimped under the hood either. The GT uses the Mercedes AMG’s new 4 liter twin turbo V8 out of the yet to be unveiled C63 AMG. In the base GT trim, it makes 456 horsepower and 443 foot-pounds of torque. Opt for the S-trim you get 503 horsepower and 479 foot-pounds of torque. The car accelerates to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, (3.7 with the S), and has a top speed of 189 mph, (193 with the S).
Pricing for the AMG GT hasn’t been announced, but expect the S trim to go on sale in the Spring with the base version following in the summer.
With Paris around the corner, expect to see more unveiling of new cars in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to the Redline on Wednesday’s to see what is coming next.
