It's been several years since +Ford Motor Company sold off Jaguar and Land Rover to India's Tata Motors, but the Dearborn automaker has continued supplying some parts to the British luxury automaker including engines. The diesel engines that are available in European Jags and Land Rovers are built at Ford's Dagenham diesel center in the UK and the base V6 in the XF, XK and XJ is a version of Ford's Duratec 3.0-liter.
At the Beijing Motor Show, Jaguar announced that it will be following the industry-wide trend to engine downsizing by replacing the current V6 engine with the 2.0-liter Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder. The turbocharged and direct injected engine will produce 237 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. This engine is already available in the Ford Edge and Explorer and it's coming to the 2013 Fusion later this year.
Would you go for a small four cylinder engine in a car the size of the XJ? Depending on how you use the car it certainly seems plausible and it will no doubt offer better performance than even V12-powered XJs of the not so distant past.
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Cool shot!
I'm torn on this downsizing trend. On the one hand, I really like the Evo-ization of vehicles (although I certainly hope they get better mileage than an Evo)… on the other hand, it's hard for me to say I wouldn't want an engine in a car that has a major part in the car's heritage. For example, I love that +Porsche merely downscaled their existing engines a little (while somehow increasing both performance and efficiency, probably through witchcraft), and the thought of a 911 with anything but a flat six in it is just anathema to me. I guess they could make a four banger and call it a modern 912, but I'd have serious problems accepting one in a 911.
I don't follow car trends or changes that have taken place in more recent years, but yes, so much is changing and moving away from what made vehicles popular and great to begin with! But then those that weren't acquainted with older models, wouldn't know the difference.