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Since Jaguar changed ownership from Ford to Tata, the company might be forgiven some time spent finding focus, but the new XJ Supersport shows that the company hasn't missed a stride. This car, while showing off a new era of Jaguar design, embodies all we would expect from a sport/luxury sedan. A supercharged V-8 gives it immense power, while road-holding technologies give it good cornering capability.

Cutting-edge tech includes a virtual instrument cluster, providing excellent display flexibility but unfortunate graphics. The stereo is the real luxury element here, a system designed by Bowers and Wilkins with 20 speakers … Read more

We were pretty excited to see the 2011 Explorer, as Ford completely modernized this vehicle. Gone is the frame-based architecture in favor of an independent suspension. And the console gets nifty touch buttons for climate control, while MyFord Touch makes up the new interface. Ford is also boasting its new four-cylinder Ecoboost engine for the Explorer, although that model is not available yet.

But ultimately, the Explorer did not meet our expectations. The current 3.5-liter V-6 is modern enough, but leaves this SUV feeling underpowered. The new navigation system frequently lost its bearings, and had a hard time relocating … Read more

BMW 7-series models often don't live up to their potential. They sit in traffic with 8- and even 12-cylinder engines idling away, never approaching their full horsepower. Even when their owners take them out on highways, the tachometer rarely gets even halfway toward the redline. But the new 740i is a BMW you can really drive.

Sure, it only has a six-cylinder engine. But this engine has twin turbos, and is an updated version of what had previously been used in the 335i. It only produces 326 horsepower, which may sound low for a big sedan. But in 99 … Read more

Reddit has joined an exclusive club on the Internet.

The Conde Nast-owned social news site announced yesterday that, for the first time, its monthly traffic exceeded 1 billion page views in January, according to statistics from Google Analytics that Reddit offered in a blog post. It is now among the 100 sites on the Web with that much traffic, according to Reddit.

"This is an accomplishment that all redditors should take pride in, because people wouldn't keep arriving in droves--and coming back--if not for the community that you've created here," Reddit spokesman Mike Schiraldi said yesterday … Read more

With its new A6 model, Audi intends to thoroughly integrate Internet-delivered traffic, courtesy of Inrix, Google maps, and onboard routing and navigation. Launching with the name Audi Online Services, the system uses a data plan to deliver current road conditions and routing information to the navigation system.

Inrix CEO Bryan Mistele says the company's XD Traffic service will show traffic flow information for each 20 to 30 feet of covered roads, rather than current systems, which generally show mile-by-mile. This specificity makes flow information useful on surface streets with traffic lights. The Audi navigation system will use the traffic … Read more

It looks like automakers will be required by law to add audible alerts to silent-running electric vehicles to keep sight-impaired pedestrians safe.

President Barack Obama this week signed into law the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act (S. 841), which will protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury as a result of silent-vehicle technology, said the National Federation of the Blind.

The new bill, sponsored by Senator John Kerry, and 29 other co-sponsors, allows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) begin crafting standards for an alert sound.

"The National Federation of the Blind is pleased that this critical legislation … Read more

LAS VEGAS--There was once a time when a 4.3-inch screen on a GPS device was considered huge, but now that's just the entry level. These days it takes a retina-searing 5-inch display or larger to stand out among a sea of navigators and GPS-enabled smartphones. Along those lines, Garmin has just pulled the wraps off of its new, supersized Nuvi 2400 series of GPS navigators.

Snarky comments about the ever-enlarging portable navigation device form factor aside, the 2400 series' 5-inch screen can aid in visibility and reduce the amount of time spent scrutinizing a tiny digital map.

More … Read more

LAS VEGAS--TomTom has just expanded its flagship Go series of portable navigation devices with the addition of the new Go 2505 M Live, which adds TomTom's Live connectivity suite and is the first unit in TomTom's lineup to feature the HD Traffic service.

As a Go series device, the Go 2505 M Live features the same hardware as the previously reviewed (and quite similarly named) Go 2505 TM, including a 5-inch, glass, capacitive touch screen with multitouch capabilities, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling, and a metal-backed chassis that attaches to its windshield mount with magnets. The unit also … Read more

Volvo earned its safety reputation by equipping its cars with heavy metal, making them big, boxy tanks able to protect occupants from a nuclear blast. But it's the 21st century, and Volvo has gone high-tech, using electronics to actually prevent accidents. Hence the automatic braking, collision warning, and pedestrian detection on the new Volvo S60.

But this car has more to offer than just not hitting people and other cars. Its engine makes it step lively, while a tight suspension and all-wheel drive deliver impressive handling. It is the kind of car that should have BMW engineers looking over … Read more