Drive Wire: January 14, 2016

Jaguar’s E-Pace, the BMW M2, Fisker’s Force 1, a zeppelin of sound, and a crazy downhill bike race.

byThe Drive Staff|
Drive Wire: January 14, 2016
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Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire for Thursday, January 14th.

We start the day with Jaguar and what we believe to be the new E-Pace. Expected to slot below the F-Pace crossover, this electric SUV was recently spotted in cold-weather testing, and although the test mule appears to be sporting Land Rover Evoque bodywork, the E-Pace will likely have its own aluminum structure and share styling cues with the F-Pace. In any case, we applaud Jaguar-Land Rover’s attempts to domesticate lightning and look forward to seeing the finished product.

The long-awaited BMW M2 coupe is almost here, and we know because North American pricing has been announced. Sticker will start at $52,695 for the smallest sporty coupe, which gets you a hefty 3-liter turbo 6-cylinder good for 365 horsepower and a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds. That price, by the way, is roughly in line with a base Porsche Cayman, so cross-shop wisely, and keep in mind that any M2 owner will have to engage in discussions about which classic BMW it’s the successor to.

Hendrik Fisker’s VLF Force 1 took its first public bows at the Detroit Auto Show. The Force 1 is a collaboration between designer Henrik Fisker and super-executive Bob Lutz. Based mechanically on the Dodge Viper, it features a 745-horsepower, 8.4 liter version of the Viper’s V-10 and a completely carbon-fiber body. The Force 1 will be capable of hitting a 218 mph top speed and a respectable 3-second 0-60 time. It’s also the subject of a lawsuit between Fisker and Aston Martin, which says it looks like the DB10 coupe from Spectre. We just think it looks insane, right down to the—no kidding—champagne holder.

Turning to gear, get a look at the new Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin Music System. With sound quality comparable to the New York Philharmonic, we wouldn’t mind having one of these bad boys in our living room. B&W are a top audiophile name and have done speaker systems for Volvo, Jaguar, and Maserati, so this five-speaker class-D system, with its built in subwoofer, can certainly handle any playlist you can throw at it.

In today’s ridiculous video we have the Taxco Downhill. An adrenaline-fueled downhill bike race through the streets of Taxco, Mexico. With insane obstacles at every turn, we are confident members of The Drive would fall within the first few seconds. Fortunately, this video is filled with pros who have a knack for defying gravity.  

That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.

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