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The color scheme on this XKR S is spot-on: British racing green with a black convertible top and shiny black wheels over saddle brown leather seats with charcoal trim. It's modern yet traditional -- an aesthetic that Jaguar manages to create in every one of its vehicles. And as good as it looks, it sounds even better. The engine produces pure music and the exhaust bark is totally addictive. After I heard it the first time pulling away from a stop, I began timing the lights to experience it as many times as possible. Stop, accelerate, bark, repeat.

We closed our last update wondering how our Four Seasons Volkswagen Passat TDI would fare in colder months. We're still a few weeks away from the official start to Winter, but November's oscillating temperatures did provide a few occasions to see how the Passat performs once the mercury falls.

BMW has gone back and forth on the name several times since our Georg Kacher reported more than three years ago that the 3 Series coupe would be replaced with the 4 Series. How could BMW give up on the M3 name? M4 sounds too much like a British motorway.