Is it really back-to-school time already? As teens get ready to climb back into their cars to head to class, or perhaps shop for a new set of wheels, here are five tips for both young drivers and parents to think about before hitting the road.

1) Put down the phone

Distracted driving continues to be a major issue everywhere despite legislation being put in place to discourage the risky behaviour. Did you know those who text and drive are 23 times more likely to involved in a collision or near collision? Fortunately, most vehicles now, even entry level examples like the 2017 Toyota Corolla, come with Bluetooth connectivity. After pairing the system with a smartphone, calls and even texts can be handled hands free.

2) Use the seatbelt

Simple concept, but some people still choose not to buckle up for whatever reason. It is shown that many crashes where teenagers were behind the wheel became fatal due to their not wearing seatbelts.

3) Don’t drive while drowsy

Operating an automobile when sleepy can have the same effects as doing so under the influence of alcohol. Find a safe place to pull over and shut your eyes for a few moments if required to get refreshed. Although certain cars nowadays feature assistance technologies such as the Lane Keeping Assist System in the Honda Accord, which will automatically correct steering should the sedan drift out of a lane without signalling, it is not designed to replace careful driving.

4) Prepare for emergencies

Whether the route from home to school is a short or long one, always bring along emergency supplies in the trunk just in case. Nothing fancy is required — a pre-packaged bundle from any store is fine as long as the essentials such as a first aid kit, flashlight, jumper cables, etc. are included.

5) Choose the right vehicle

As a parent, it can be tempting to pass an old clunker down to the kids as a first car. By no means is purchasing the latest luxury model necessary, however picking something contemporary will mean the product will possess the latest safety equipment from air bags to traction control. Have a look through OpenRoad’s extensive new and used inventory.

For a brand that introduced its first utility vehicle less than two years ago, Jaguar is wasting little time investing in the hottest segment by announcing yet another compact SUV: the E-PACE.

It’s not powered by electricity, as the first letter in the name might have you believe — that’s reserved for yet another new model on the way, the I-PACE. No, this is a gasoline-powered, all-wheel drive crossover injecting sports cars looks and performance into an automobile that can be used comfortably everyday.

“Established Jaguar design principles ensure the E-PACE is immediately recognizable as the sports car of its class. Our new compact SUV combines the interior space, connectivity and security that families expect with the kind of proportions, purity of design and performance not usually associated with such a practical vehicle,” said Jaguar director of design Ian Callum.

Slightly smaller than bigger brother the F-PACE, the E represents a more affordable entry-level option for luxury SUV buyers (the puddle lights even shine an image of a Jaguar cub onto the floor when you unlock the doors). The two share a remarkably similar appearance with the same bold grille, polished side fender cooling ducts and F-TYPE-inspired head and tail lamps as well as flared out bodywork.

To appeal a younger demographic, certain unique touches have been added to the interior giving the cabin a fresh, vibrant feel. Depending on the package, splashes of colour can be found on the seats, dash and door panels. Instead of wood trim typical of the segment, occupants will instead find a Noble Chrome metallic finish on the shifter surrounds, side vents and more.

There is comfortable seating for five adults, and loads of luggage space. With the 60:40 split folding rear seats in the up position, there is a 685-litre capacity. Down, that increases to 1,493 litres.

The two engine options are both turbocharged four cylinders, one outputting 246 horsepower and the other, 296, mated to a ZF nine-speed transmission. The E-PACE will retail at a starting price of $42,700 when it is available in the first half of 2018. 

There is little greater news to performance automobile enthusiasts than when a new Porsche 911 GT3 is announced, as the 2018 model has just been. The juiciest update for the street-legal race car is the powerplant, which has had both its displacement and output bumped up.

The engine is now a 4.0-litre flat-six, producing 500 horsepower and 339 lb of torque, which is an improvement of 25 and 15, respectively compared to the outgoing 3.8 litre. It’s design takes after the other motorsport-purposed 911s such as the GT3 R and RSR. 

Consumers continue to be able to choose between the standard seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) dual-clutch automatic transmission and a six-speed manual gearbox. The latter has the added benefit of being 37 kilograms lighter, yielding a slightly higher top speed of 319 km/h versus 317. Acceleration is slightly slower for this option, however, taking 3.8 seconds to get from 0 to 100 km/h rather than 3.2.

Other components are influenced by the company’s participation in racing endeavours. Active Rear Axle steering allows the rear wheels to turn at the same time as the front to improve vehicle agility and stability, helping the car to whip around corners more efficiently.

The GT3 is visually differentiated from regular road-going variants with lightweight bumpers featuring additional cooling vents, a front splitter, a new rear diffuser and a tall carbon fibre wing. Inside, the 14.1-inch sports steering wheel is similar to the unit in the hybrid 918 Spyder hypercar. The front seats have had extra bolstering added and are fully electric. (rear seats are deleted for weight savings). Available adaptive seating increases maximum adjustment levels to 18 and includes a memory function. Alternatively, full bucket seats are also a choice as well.

A release date of fall 2017 is scheduled.

The XE SV Project 8 makes use of a load of carbon fibre found in the bumpers, hood and cabin trim.

Exciting models like the F-TYPE new F-PACE already more than satisfy most performance junkies. Nevertheless, Jaguar has gone one step further and is about to release its highest output car to date: the 592-horsepower XE SV Project 8.

This super-sports-sedan is the product of Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division based out of England, which manufacturers halo builds and limited-run collectors’ editions. Case in point is the F-TYPE Project 7 from 2014, at the time the fastest offering in the fleet capable of topping out at 300 km/h.

“SVO’s raison d’être is to produce halo vehicles that push the boundaries in terms of luxury, performance and all-terrain capability. Project 8 is a great example of what happens when enthusiastic designers, engineers and manufacturing specialists are given the opportunity to create an extreme performance sports car without compromise,” said John Edwards, managing director at Jaguar Land Rover SVO.

Differences between Project 8 and standard XEs involve a lot of carbon fibre. The bumpers are both made out of the strong and lightweight material, the front featuring a series of cooling ducts punched into the areas underneath the headlamps.  Similarly, the ducted hood is also made of carbon fibre. For increased downforce, a rear diffuser and adjustable spoiler and front splitter are fitted.

Ride height is 15 millimetres lower due to a stiffer suspension system utilizing continuously variable dampers.

The interior also has a lot of carbon fibre trim pieces installed, complemented by Alcantara covering sections of the steering wheel, instrument hood and door panels. The XE receives a Pistolshift lever, a more classic style of transmission selector compared to the rotary knob found in the standard variant.

Interestingly, depending on the market, the cabin seating arrangement is either in a two or four seat setup. North America gets four-passenger occupancy, while elsewhere a racing harness support replaces the rear seating.

The impressive horsepower numbers comes via an uprated version of the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine mated to an eight-speed Quickshift transmission. All-wheel drive is standard.

A first for Jaguar, drivers can activate a dedicated track mode tailoring steering and throttle dynamics for race use.

Only 300 units of Project 8 will be produced, all left-hand drive. Buyers will additionally have the option of customizing their purchase from the factory choosing from 10,000 exterior paint hues and different colours for body accessories.