Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. This week, Jaguar updates the F-Type with a new nose and some new tech, Hyundai confirms initial specs on Sonata N-Line, Bentley celebrates Pikes Peak record with special edition Continental GT, the Buick Regal is dead in America, Acura gets down with Radwood with a special SLX, and your automotive news.
2021 Jaguar F-Type
The Jaguar F-Type Coupe and Convertible will receive a facelift and some new features for the 2021 model year. The fundamental design of the car is unchanged besides a new nose and the performance is all about the same as before, but it’s been further refined and modernized. Even if it’s not a full redesign, I suspect the 2021 F-Type will remain a favorite in the dying breed of sports cars…. or just cars in general.
The only change to the car that you’re likely to notice is the new face it wears. Super-slim LED headlights with their signature “Calligraphy” J-shaped daytime running lights and enlarged air intakes provide a meaner look. The grille is wider, deeper, and has a new hexagonal mesh pattern with each cell being gloss black at the front and satin black on the inner surfaces.
There’s also a new clamshell hood design with softer and more organic surfaces, as if it was “liquid metal”. To help match the headlights a bit more, the taillights are also a tad slimmer but the rest of the rear is mostly unchanged. There are also new wheel designs for each model.
The interior is all the same shape as before as well but with some minor enhancements to materials and details. The only update worth mentioning in the cabin is a new 12-inch HD TFT instrument cluster. It has F-Type-specific graphics and can be reconfigurable to driver preferences with options including a full map display or the standard sports-car theme with a large central tachometer.
The same three engines we’re familiar with carry over pretty much unchanged, but now there’s only one power output option for each of them. A 296-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder is standard with a 380-horsepower supercharged V6 and 575-horsepower supercharged V8 as options for the US market. The “normal” F-Tytpe R essentially receives the same updated V8 from the current F-Type SVR which has an extra 25 horsepower. And yes, it has numerous little suspension enhancements to handle the extra power as well.
Each engine is paired with an active exhaust system that can be configured to quiet things down or unleash enough noise to get the police called on you. Additionally, each engine (even the V8) is equipped with close-coupled particular filters to trap ultrafine particles from the exhaust gases. All engines are coupled with an eight-speed automatic. Four-cylinder models are RWD while V6 and V8 models give an option for AWD as well.
Pricing and its launch date has not been announced yet.
[Source: Jaguar]
2021 Hyundai Sonata N-Line Specs Confirmed
It’ll be like this but more N-Line-ey.
Hyundai has been ramping up their N performance sub-brand with some absolute bangers. Most of their attention thus far has been given to the compact hatches in the lineup, but Hyundai confirmed that the Sonata was next while speaking to Car and Driver. They even confirmed some preliminary specs.
Development is still underway so some numbers may change, but here’s the gist of it. A 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine will provide at least 290 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque. Power will go to the front wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. New springs, dampers, and roll bars will provide more spirited driving characteristics while Continental Premium Contact 6 summer tires keep it all planted. Rounding out the changes will be a host of appearance and interior updates that are inspired by other N models like the Veloster N.
One important distinction that Hyundai made to C&D is that this won’t be a full-fledged N car like the Veloster N. Whereas N cars are designed to track days and heavily spirited drives, N Line cars are meant to be more focused on street manners while also having a fun side to them. It’s like a BMW M vs a BMW M Sport. I guess that was another thing Hyundai got from the BMW M executive they snagged for the head of the N sub brand.
Expect it to go on sale in the fall of 2020. Keep your eyes peeled to Car and Driver for driving impressions coming next week.
[Source: Car and Driver]
Bentley Continental GT Pikes Peak Limited Edition
Meanwhile, at Bentley, they set the production car record at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and are celebrating with another car for bitcoin bros and influencers to buy. It’s the Continental GT Pikes Peak Limited Edition. It’s just like the other W12-powered Continental GTs but with custom paint (black or green) and a carbon fiber bodykit and with a ‘100’ painted on the grille. They also put the mountain on the headrests and a map of the road on the dashboard. Only 15 are being made. Neat.
[Source: Bentley]
Buick Regal is Dead
In news that we all likely saw coming, the Buick Regal is being put out to pasture next year for the North American market. That means the Regal Sportback, Regal GS, and Regal TourX are no more because of the exact reasons we’re all acutely aware of. Yup, it’s that damn market trend again, killing things that aren’t crossovers or 90-foot-long pickups. Buick confirmed in a statement that they will be totally focused on SUVs to try and be ahead of the consumer trend. Less than 10% of their sales YTD have come from their dwindling sedan lineup, which actually does still include the LaCrosse. I had to Google that because I thought that had died years ago. Huh. Anyway, the Regal will live on in China because they’re still buying up all the sedans they have room for. But it unfortunately no longer has a place in the SUV-buying capital of the world.
[Source: GM via Autoweek]
Stop what you’re doing and read about this
Acura restomodded a 1997 SLX with a modern Acura powertrain. For Radwood. That 80’s and 90’s car show that Hooniverse alumni and all around good guy Bradley Brownell co-founded? Yeah, Acura built a car for their Los Angeles show this weekend and it’s rad as hell. Read all about it here and head on over to Radwood SoCal this Saturday to check it out in person. Assuming my planned 12 hours of travel goes as planned today, I’ll even be there.
What’s your automotive news?
That’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.
Have a good weekend. And if you’re at Radwood SoCal this weekend, come say hi and tell me how much I suck.
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