Meet the latest British...
Meet the latest British hero, the MMI Avocet. The sports car has a light body and a chassis developed by Ray Mallock – the man who prepares Chevrolet’s World Touring race cars. It features a 2.0-litre Ford engine, delivering either 150bhp or 225bhp, with the latter good for a 0-60mph time under five seconds. The models cost ÷£25,000 and ÷£28,000, and MMI plans to build 50 cars a year at its Essex factory.
The price is right!...
The price is right! And so is everything else with Jaguar’s make-or-break XF premium saloon – if its predicted best-in-class residuals hold true.
Available to order now, the XF will be in UK showrooms from January, and deliveries start in time for the 08-registration change in March. The range kicks off with the 2.7-litre V6 Diesel Luxury model, at ÷£33,900, and prices rise to ÷£54,900 for the flagship supercharged SV8.
But amid all the hype from diehard Jaguar fans, it’s the newcomer’s class-leading predicted residual values which will have private and com÷pany car drivers alike seriously considering a change from their Audi or BMW.
Jason King, head of market intelligence at trade bible Glass’s Guide, said: “The bold, elegant design is sure to help the XF appeal to a much wider audience than the S-Type it replaces, and the car is bound to turn as many heads as the XK has since its arrival.” As a result, Glass’s estimates that the 2.7 diesel will retain 50 per cent of its original list price after three years and 36,000 miles. That compares favourably with its main riv÷als from BMW and Mercedes; a 525d SE holds on to 48 per cent of its value, and an E280 CDI Avantgarde 46 per cent.
Glass’s experts weren’t alone in making optimistic pre÷dictions for the new Jaguar. CAP Motor Research, which publishes the Black Book, estimates the entry-level XF 2.7-litre V6 Diesel Luxury will be worth 50.7 per cent of its original price after the same period. A spokesman said: “The new Jaguar XF has not only caught up with competitors, but now overtaken them, too.”