Just the briefest of glances at the all-new Jaguar F-Type is all you need to confirm the raciest Jaguar so far is also the style leader. And just the briefest of drives is all you need to confirm the F-Type lays-down a serious challenge to rivals wearing badges from ‘AMG’, ‘RS’ and ‘M’.
Jaguar – the British company which built its reputation on sports cars - is back to its best with the all-new F-Type. No surprise then we’ve given it Carshowroom.com.au's rare maximum five-star score.
And if you dare overlook the looks, the performance and sports/luxury to wear your ‘practical’ hat for a moment - at $201,945 for the range-topping V8 S (starting price $138,645 for the V6), the Jaguar F-Type is remarkable value, especially when shopped against its direct rivals from Germany.
Jaguar F-Type Overview
As we know, the hardtop Jaguar F-Type coupe arrives in 2014 and for now, the convertible range is offered in three models. Entry level is the F-Type (250kW/450Nm supercharged V6) at $138,645, next-up is the F-Type S (280kW/460Nm supercharged V6) at $171,045 and the range-topper, as tested by Car Showroom, is the F-Type V8 S (364kW/625Nm supercharged V8) at $201,945.
A front-engined, rear-wheel-drive two-seat coupe, the Jaguar F-Type debuts Jaguar’s new clean-lines sports car design language and is kitted-out inside with hallmark Jaguar style and luxury. Manufacturing is state-of-the-art with ground-breaking new technology used to maximise the effectiveness of Jaguar’s lightweight aluminium architecture.
So while we can romanticise about the E-Type and other famous Jaguar sports cars from bygone eras, the fact is the F-Type is all 2013 with the performance, technology, safety and sophistication demanded by today’s buyers. Jaguar hasn’t missed a trick with the F-Type and the payback comes when you get behind the wheel.
Jaguar F-Type Engine
The F-Type employs a newly-developed version of Jaguar’s acclaimed 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine. Delivering 364Nm/625Nm, the 1665kgs F-Type V8 S provides an astonishing torque-to-weight ratio of 375Nm/tonne.
Drive is via an eight-speed ‘quickshift’ automatic transmission with manual changes via the gear-lever or steering wheel paddle-shifters and zero to 100km/h is achieved in just 4.3 seconds (identical to the range-topping $308,500 BMW M6 convertible). That transmission is a cracker – intuitive through 25 different programs according to your driving style, throttle-blipping on down-changes and featuring ‘Dynamic Launch Mode’ for optimal standing starts plus ‘Corner Recognition’ sensors so it holds gears through corners.
The Jaguar F-Type V8 S comes standard with an active exhaust system which opens valves when accelerating hard past 3000rpm for a brilliant sound. A switch on the centre console can set the exhaust valves open permanently (some call it the ‘bogan button’) to really turn heads when cruising down your local High Street.
Jaguar F-Type The Interior
The F-Type may be a sports car but Jaguar doesn’t short-change inside – all of the hallmark luxury and quality materials are obvious. For example the colour palette is subtle, switches are made from soft-feel matte black and the ‘S’ model as we tested runs darker finishes than the regular variant.
Glorious leather-trimmed Seats are a breakthrough for Jaguar with significant sculpturing and shoulder support plus adjustable side bolstering to hold you secure when cornering. We climbed into the Jaguar F-Type directly from another high-performance two-door and the improvement in seat support was marked to say the least.
Same for the ventilation system. The large centre console vents are hidden and rise electronically on demand – reminiscent of the automatic vents in the luxury Jaguar XJ sedan and equally brilliant in operation.
There’s a centre touchscreen but Jaguar cleverly retained separate physical controls for the air-conditioning – as all good sports car do. And a further sporting touch - the V8 S model we tested runs the engine start/stop button and dynamic driving mode toggle switch highlighted in Ignis orange as used on scuba diving watches.
For the F-Type V8 S Jaguar fits the 12-speaker, 770W audio system made by British specialist Meridian including the proprietary ‘Trifield System’ which places both occupants in the centre of a focused sound field – it’s one of the best we’ve come across.
The downside to all of this is the boot, which houses the spare wheel and folding roof componentry, leaving very little room for anything else. Interestingly Jaguar says the boot in the upcoming F-Type hardtop is massive and can accommodate two golf bags.
Jaguar F-Type Exterior & Styling
Wow! From any angle the Jaguar F-Type (based on the C-X16 concept car) looks stunning and draws attention wherever you go. There’s simply no weak point and even from the rear, with its sharp boot-line, slim tail-lights, active rear spoiler, diffuser and massive quad tailpipes, the F-Type signifies its performance potential.
The front is actually quite soft with abundant curves but that performance intent is obvious with the twin ‘shark gill’ openings, mesh coverings and side vents. The headlights are another departure for Jaguar – vertical projector bi-xenon units which contrast with the ‘J-Blade’ LED DRLs.
And the multi-layer fabric roof (12 seconds to operate) includes a thick ‘Thinsulate’ lining for optimised sound-proofing.
Finally, a word about the door handles which like a jet-fighter are mounted flush when not in use and deploy on instruction from the key fob button.
Jaguar F-Type On The Road
Some high-performance coupe/convertibles can be painful in the city. Restricted visibility, road-hugging spoilers which scrape on gutters and drivelines which crunch and complain at low speeds.
The Jaguar F-type isn’t one of those cars. Sure rear three-quarter visibility with the roof up isn’t great and you do get the occasional scrape going over speed bumps, but compared to some, the F-Type makes light work of the weekday city commute.
But think of your favourite stretch of rural road – the one with the dips and dives, hairpins and flowing corners – and that’s where the Jaguar F-Type V8 returns your $201,845 investment in bucket-loads.
We took a few runs over our high-speed mountain roads test loop using the various settings of the Configurable Dynamics and each one was a blast. Flick the switch to the sports setting (neatly identified by the chequered flag icon) and things firm-up substantially and this ‘Big Cat’ more than purrs…it absolutely screams and crackles (especially with the ‘active exhaust’ in play).
One of our runs was in the wet which certainly got the electronic limited slip differential and other driver aids into the picture but, predictably, Jaguar has them calibrated just right for sporty drivers and, let’s face it, that supercharged V8 does need some harnessing driving the rear wheels in damp conditions.
So then, this is a Jaguar not as we know from the recent past but from the earlier days with cars like the E-Type. Days when Jaguar’s reputation was based on sports cars.
Attention the German brands – you have a new rival, it’s made in England and it’s called the Jaguar F-Type.
Jaguar F-Type Challenges
Our only gripe about the Jaguar F-Type is the steering wheel. Nothing wrong with it, nicely wrapped in leather and very functional. But for a $201,945 sports car, we reckon the optional flat-bottom, alcantara-trimmed unit should actually be standard to match the beauties we know in Mercedes-Benz AMG and Audi RS models.
Jaguar F-Type Verdict
Talk about ‘Rule Brittania’ – this is the Jaguar we’ve been anticipating. Design boss Ian Callum has brought us some crackers in recent times – the large XJ sedan still turns heads – but just talking to him over the years you always got the impression in idle times when he was ‘doodling’ it was a car like the F-Type he had on his mind.
Now the F-Type convertible is here, the hardtop version arrives in 2014 and will it be just as breathtakingly good. Worth the wait? You bet!
This is a car which has you lingering to take just one more look when it’s parked in your garage and which stops traffic when you go to the shops.
This is a car which has the hairs on the back of your neck raised when you flick the drive mode switch to that chequered flag icon and snick down a gear or two with the supercharged V8 howling and crackling as you tackle your favourite road.
This is a car which confirms beyond a shadow of doubt that the British icon is back to its very best.
This is a car about which the Germans should be worried.
Jaguar F-Type The Competition
BMW’s 6 Series Convertible is suddenly looking pricey. The twin-turbo V8 650i ($238,800) compares in grunt (330kW/650Nm for the BMW to the Jag’s 364kW/625Nm) but to match the F-Type V8S you’re really looking at the M6 for which you’ll need $299,500.
And it’s a similar story for the Mercedes-Benz SL. $225,000 buys you the SL350 but the 225kW/370Nm V6 is no match for the F-Type's supercharged V8. The twin-turbocharged V8 SL500 is more like it with 320kW/700Nm - but it comes with a $304,500 sticker.
