Automotive

Jaguar & Shell’s New In-Car Payment System May Be About Something More

Jaguar and oil giant Shell have teamed up to create a novel, in-car payment system. And while this may be gilding the lily and solving a problem already taken care of, it could point to some interesting advancements ahead.

Okay, briefly, what Jag and Shell have cooked up here is an in-car payment system so you can buy gas easier. Effectively, it’s a software upgrade that’s integrated into the car’s infotainment system, and accessible via the large central touch screen.

I’ll get into the minutia of how all this works (and it actually is rather interesting) but for the moment, let me ask this question: Why?

Data Factors

Why go to all this time and trouble to come up with a gas-buying app when you can already basically do that with Apple Pay or Android Pay or PayPal or someone like that? Why not, if your Jaguar, just partner with one of these tech companies, rather than rolling your own (as the saying goes)?

Near as I can tell, the reasons for taking this harder route are two-fold. One, you can pull that sweet, sweet demographic data that’s driving a lot of our digital economy these days on your own, and the data will be much more pure and need less refinement. Meaning you can slice and dice a certain portion of your customer behavior and drive future decisions off that. Two, you can, potentially, push customers to use given products and services. In this case, you could, hypothetically, impel them into using Shell products more and more.

Essentially what Jaguar and Shell are up to is this: Instead of using a credit card at the pump, or, even more Neanderthal-esque cash, you can simply drive up to the pump at a Shell station and, via the touchscreen, select how much fuel you want and then securely pay using PayPal or Apple Pay. Jaguar will add Android Pay later this year.

Once you’re finished, a receipt will pop up on the touchscreen, and an electronic version is sent from the pump to your email so you can add it to your expense account and things along those lines for business travel. You might think that Jaguar/Shell just cribbed their own version of digital pay software, or coded out their own, but what they ended up doing is actually a little more complex and clever than that.

Convenience Factors

Contrasting against the current phone-based payment methods, Shell and Jaguar have created a simple but secure system that uses geolocation technology and a cloud-based, pre-payment authorization through PayPal or Apple Pay. Basically you transfer a bunch of cash into the account of your choice (PayPal or Apple Pay for the moment) and when you roll into a Shell station, the geolocation tech knows you’re there, the software connects all the dots, and you’re good to go.

“Making a payment directly from a car’s touchscreen will make refueling quicker and easier,” said Peter Virk, Jaguar Land Rover’s Director of Connected Car and Future Technology. “With this new system you can choose any pump at the gas station and pay for the fuel even if you’ve forgotten your wallet or can’t find your credit or debit card.”

Yes, but that still doesn’t give any real reason as to why this is better than using PayPal or Apple Pay or Android Pay via your phone. Sure, there’s the “forgotten your wallet or can’t find your credit or debit card” rational, but to me, it still seems like the real rationales are ones of data control, data mining, and driving product purchase behavior.

At first, this new system be available in the 2018 Jaguar XE, XF, and F-PACE models launching in the U.K., but other markets are expected to follow. Jaguar also plans to have the system included throughout their line up, and also in corporate sibling Range Rover as well. Jaguar hopes to expand the system to include parking and drive-through restaurants, which is both cool and practical.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

Photos & Source: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC

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2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SE TSI 4Motion Review

Americans aren’t particularly fond of wagons, but Volkswagen hopes to change a few people’s minds with their new Golf Alltrack wagon. It comes with all-wheel drive, and it’s a vehicle for adventure seekers. Volkswagen wants to capitalize on young urban-adventurers who will use its off-pavement abilities for weekend excursions to get away from civilization.

We recently took it through the high country of Colorado, the perfect place to test the all-wheel drive wagon. How did the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SE TSI 4Motion model hold up?

What’s New

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is an all-new model that’s based on the pavement-oriented Golf SportWagen. It’s establishing a new identity and comes fitted with lower-body cladding, fog lamps, a honeycomb grille, and unique bumpers to set it apart from its stablemate. It also gets a raised suspension and underbody protection.

Features and Options

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SE TSI 4Motion ($30,530) comes standard with all-wheel drive and body cladding for those weekend adventures. Inside, it comes with heated front seats, leatherette seating surfaces, a rearview camera, a Fender premium sound system, and keyless entry/start. Outside it comes with a power sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, heated washer nozzles, heated side mirrors, and roof rails.

The Driver Assist package ($845) brings adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and even a Park Pilot self-parking system. The 6-speed DSG automatic transmission is offered at no charge. Total MSRP including destination: $32,195.

Interior Highlights

The cabin is airy and spacious up front and there’s good visibility from the driver’s seat. Taller drivers won’t have a problem finding a comfortable position even with the manual adjustments. The black leatherette material is comfortable and the front seats are especially good for longer trips. They didn’t leave us tired after a trip through the mountains this week.

As is typical for Volkswagen, everything seems nicely put together, and the fit and finish is what you’d expect for this price point. There’s some soft-touch material up front, but in the back there’s more hard surfaces which is likely by design. These surfaces make it easier to clean up the sand after a trip to the beach or mud after a mountain bike ride.

Out back, rear occupants won’t have as much room as the front, but getting in and out of the back seat isn’t a chore like some vehicles. Rear seat space is not as good as the Alltrack’s main completion, the Subaru Outback. Cargo space is also less than Outback with 30.4 cubic feet behind the seat, and 66.5 with the seat backs folded. Outback is 35.5 cubic feet (73.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded) by comparison. The Alltrack makes it easy to fold the rear seatbacks flat while you’re loading cargo, however, and it offers up a handy two-position sliding cargo cover.

Engine & Fuel Mileage Specs

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is powered by a turbocharged, 1.8-liter direct-injected four-cylinder engine that develops 170 horsepower and 199 lb-ft. of torque. It comes with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive, and it’s mated to a 6-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission.

EPA fuel-mileage estimates are 22/30 city/highway and 25 combined mpg.

Driving Dynamics

The first thing we noticed after getting underway is the Alltrack’s excellent visibility in all directions due to plentiful glass. On the road, the 1.8-liter turbo engine is peppy enough for most driving situations. The turbo helped in the rarefied air in Colorado’s high country. We pushed the engine hard up I-70 for a good test and it performed well.

In the tight mountain corners, the wagon does tend to lean a bit due to the higher ride height. It’s the price you pay for it’s off-road abilities. Overall, the Alltrack offers solid handling and a fairly engaging driving experience. In the city, the wagon is easy to maneuver in tight spaces due to its compact size.

The 6-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission can feel sluggish from a stop, but after we were underway, the shifts were smooth and quick. The new wagon offers an Off-Road Mode and with 6.7 inches of ground clearance, there is enough for most excursions, but the Subaru Outback still rules the segment with 8.7 inches of clearance. The Alltrack does come with underbody protection to keep you from destroying the oil pan, however.

There’s likely enough off-road capability for the majority of weekend warriors.

Conclusion

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack offers a lot of flexibility for city commuting and weekend adventures. It offers all-wheel drive, a raised suspension, and underbody protection for those wanting to get away from civilization. We thought it was a compelling alternative to the crowded crossover segment.

Denis Flierl has invested over 25 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. Follow his work on Twitter: @CarReviewGuy

2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Gallery

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2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Official Site

Photos: Volkswagen of America, Inc

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Automoblog Book Garage: Shelby Cobra Fifty Years

What now seems like many moons ago, I knew a beautiful girl who loved the Ford Mustang, especially the Shelby. We would often go back and forth, pondering which Mustang models we liked best. Sometimes we would text back and forth during the day, trying to stump each other with Mustang trivia.

She always got the best of me, although I will never admit it.

Fond Memories & Big Dreams

When we launched Book Garage last year with Motorbooks, I wanted the books we feature to bring back fond memories for those who flipped through the pages. Cars are like that, you know. They have an ability to bring our most cherished times to the forefront, and certinately, a Shelby Mustang is no exception.

In the early 1960s, Carroll Shelby was a Texas chicken farmer attending to his daily chores. At first glance, it may not seem like automobiles of any kind were in his future, yet Shelby had a vision; a vision for building cars befitting of only the highest performance crowns. Impossible as it seemed, the landmark Cobra arrived in 1962, establishing a benchmark that holds to this day.

Shelby Cobra Fifty Years is the story of how grand dreams become grand realities, from the prologue about the events that led up to Shelby’s decision to build high performance cars, to the history of the Cobra street and race cars, to the epilogue about the continuation of the Shelby namesake.

If only I had this book during those texting trivia wars with her so long ago. I might have actually won.

Author

Colin Comer, respected authority on collector cars, is Editor-at-Large for Sports Car Market and American Car Collector. He is a Contributing Editor for Road & Track and regularly appears in the New York Times, Business Week, USA Today, and many other respected publications. Comer is also the author of Shelby Mustang Fifty Years. When not writing about cars, he is an avid vintage racer and pilot.

Shelby Cobra Fifty Years is available through Amazon and Motorbooks.

Shelby Cobra Fifty Years Gallery

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2018 Honda Accord Hybrid Heading To Dealerships

2018 Honda Accord Hybrid Heading To Dealerships The 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid arrives in dealerships this week (Friday, March 23rd) as a pinnacle vehicle of sorts for the automaker. With the new Accord Hybrid, Honda is promising a list of class-leading features, including performance, interior room, and cargo space. As the latest in Honda’s growing portfolio of electrified vehicles, the 2018 Accord Hybrid will likely appeal to a wider audience with its five distinct trim levels.
Standard Equipment
At just shy of $26,000 for a starting MSRP, the new Accord Hybrid offers a nice array of standard items: 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and taillights, dual-zone climate control, push-button start, a seven-inch TFT digital driver’s display, multi-angle rearview camera, and the Honda Sensing package of safety technologies. The latter includes things like Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Collision Mitigation Braking, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, and Traffic Sign Recognition.
Power & Performance
The heart of the new Accord Hybrid is a two-motor powertrain system, which pairs a 2.0-liter inline-4 engine (DOHC i-VTEC Atkinson-cycle) with an electric propulsion motor creating 232 lb-ft. of torque. Total system output is 212 horsepower, which Honda says is class-leading. The powertrain operates by shifting between three distinct drive operations: EV Drive (electric motor), Hybrid Drive (electric motor and gasoline engine [driving the generator motor]), and Engine Drive (gasoline engine).
Honda also notes the steering wheel-mounted Deceleration Selectors, which are similar to transmission paddle shifters and help increase efficiency. The Deceleration Selectors allow drivers to toggle between four levels of regenerative braking. The right selector increases regenerative braking and the left selector reduces it. Honda says this minimizes stress on the brakes while increasing battery charge via regeneration.
Photo: Honda North America.
Interior Room & Cargo Space
The 2018 Accord Hybrid rides on a wheelbase 2.16-inches longer when compared to the outgoing model. The car’s intelligent power unit is 32 percent smaller and mounted under the rear floor versus the trunk. These design changes allow for a 60/40-split rear seat for easier people and cargo hauling. Honda says the figures are class-leading with cargo space at 16.7 cubic feet, interior space at 122.3 cubic feet, and rear legroom at 40.4 inches.
Trim Levels & Pricing
The 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid comes in Hybrid, EX (new), EX-L, EX-L Navi (new), and Touring. Starting MSRP is $25,990 for the entry-level Hybrid and $35,600 for the Touring trim. The starting MSRP actually represents a $4,505 drop compared to the previous Accord Hybrid.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan. He studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a loyal Detroit Lions fan.
2018 Honda Accord Hybrid Gallery

Photos & Source: Honda North America.

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Nissan Celebrates Production Milestone In Mississippi

Nissan Celebrates Production Milestone In Mississippi Nissan’s Canton assembly plant has achieved a milestone, recently surpassing 4 million vehicles produced. With an annual capacity of 450,000 vehicles, the plant currently builds the Nissan Altima, Murano, Titan and Titan XD, Frontier, NV Cargo Van, and NV Passenger Van. To commemorate the achievement, Nissan presented the 4 millionth vehicle – a 2018 NV Cargo Van – to Our Daily Bread Ministries, a nonprofit organization that provides hunger relief to the local community.
Second Shift
Nissan also announced the addition of a second shift that promises to create or retain 250 hourly jobs. The second shift will support the increasing demand for Nissan’s commercial vans.
“Adding a second shift for NV Van production underscores our employees’ hard work and dedication to building world class, quality vehicles for our customers,” explained Steve Marsh, Vice President, Manufacturing, Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant.

Photo: Nissan North America.
Continued Growth

Nissan has grown the Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant from a regional manufacturing facility to a global one, investing $3.4 billion in the facility since its opening in 2003. Nissan employs 6,400 at the Canton plant currently, with more than 1,500 jobs added since 2013.
“The City of Canton congratulates Nissan on this outstanding achievement,” said Dr. William Truly, Mayor of the City of Canton. “Milestones like these are not easily achieved, and we applaud the hardworking men and women of this facility who build great vehicles for the citizens of Canton and customers around the world.”
Power & Performance
For 2018, the NV Cargo and NV Passenger vans are available with a 5.6-liter Endurance V8 engine and heavy-duty seven-speed automatic transmission. Both models are also offered with a smaller 4.0-liter V6 and five-speed automatic transmission. The engines create 375 and 261 horsepower respectively.
Photos & Source: Nissan North America.

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Range Rover SV Coupe: The Perfect Fit That’s Way Too Over The Top

Range Rover SV Coupe: The Perfect Fit That’s Way Too Over The Top Range Rover has just released their latest model, the SV Coupe. Yes, indeed it is a coupe version of their full-size luxury SUV. My first thought was, “why on Earth would anyone make a two-door version of an SUV?” And then of course I realized the all-too-obvious answer: Money. If Range Rover went to all this trouble to make it, they must know there’s enough people out there willing to buy it.
Perfect Fit
In a lot of ways, a Range Rover is the Perfect SUV. Since 99.9% of SUV buyers will never take theirs off-road, and since they are mainly used as a way to convince others of their superiority when compared to all other mobility options, what better vehicle choice than a full-zoot Range Rover? Sure, you could go with that Bentley thing, but isn’t that a little on the ostentatious side, old sport? The new Lamborghini what-zit? Come-come now. That’s an Italian car. No, the Range Rover is it.
Range Rover SV Coupe (European Model). Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.
Extensive & Personalized
And sure, you do get a lot, even with this demonstrably lame Range Rover SV Coupe. For one thing, it’s a limited-run piece. They are only making about a thousand of them. And, it’s a two-door, indeed the world’s first full-size luxury SUV Coupe. And since it’s a Rangey, and limited in numbers, they thoroughly went over all the appointments one will find within. Range Rover says there are “beautifully curated interiors” that “set new standards for materials and craftsmanship, with extensive personalization options for SV Coupe clients.” Curated. They really used that word.

Interior Treatments
The whole interior design option palette is right out of a Savile Row tailor. SV Coupe buyers (Range Rover refers to them as “clients” obviously since “buyer” is so nouveau riche and low class) can choose from any of four front-to-rear contrast interior selections. Rover (can I just use the single name?) calls them “colorways,” and I have no idea why. If the front-to-rear fade is a little too avant garde for you sir, there is also a range of single-tone interior colors from which to choose.
Of course, whichever you choose, they will be complemented by your choice of three elegant wood veneers, including a first for Range Rover, the Nautica veneer. Nautica veneer seeks to sensitively balance heritage and craftsmanship with new technology by fusing walnut and sycamore together. Obviously, this Nautica stuff might be too much for some buyers. Best to play it safe.
And if the interior is that dolled up, you can rest assured the exterior is just as affected. There are new optional exterior paint finishes named Liquesence (no, really) that join the “suite” (ugh) of available paint options. And yes, the paint names are as equally conceited and senseless: Constellation, Parallax, and Obsidian, along with Ethereal, Flux, Valloire, and Desire.

Power & Performance
On the upside of the balance sheet we find the engine. The SV Coupe is the fastest-ever, full-size Range Rover, so there’s that. This brick on wheels tops out at 165 mph, which is impressive given its shape. That top speed comes by way of a lovingly overpowered V8 plant: 557 horsepower worth of a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 powertrain lies beneath the big flat-ish hood. And that is, in case you’re wondering, the most powerful engine currently offered on the full-size Range Rover.
So you can blow your own horn about that tidbit too. This means the SV Coupe can hasten from zero to 60 mph in a scant five seconds. Pretty good for a truck that tips the scales at slightly more than the HMS Ark Royal.
Interesting References
And here’s an odd bit that jumped out at me from the company’s press release: “Noble Chrome metal side vents with Brunel Metallic mesh and Satin Indus Silver metal surrounds complement frameless doors with Power Close functionality and Bright Chrome embellished body color door handles.”
Brunel Metallic mesh? Is that a reference to Isambard Kingdom Brunel? They make no mention as to why they call some of the brightwork that, but it is a nice flourish and it’s probably a reference to one of the most interesting and oddest people England produced in the 19th century. And yeah, I’m including Jack The Ripper in that list.
Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.
Pricing & Availability
The SV Coupe will be hand-built at Range Rover’s SVO Technical Center in Warwickshire, UK, their in-house custom department. There will be no more than 999 examples available worldwide and they will start at $295,000 in the United States. $295,000! Cor’ Blimey!!
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Photos & Source: Jaguar Land Rover.

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