Team-BHP - Jaguar: The Art Of Performance @ Indore

It was a Hot and Humid Saturday afternoon, but the anticipation of attending the Art Of Performance event had taken over me. So, as I headed towards DLF Garden City, I had butterflies in my stomach. I was having extremely high hopes for this event and boy, I wasn't disappointed.

As soon as I entered the location, I was greeted by this sign.

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So, heading towards the reception desk, I saw something from the corner of my eye, something which caught my attention, something which I felt was calling out to me. Then I saw her,

Jaguar: The Art Of Performance @ Indore-jaguar-ftype.jpg

Yes, a Jaguar F-type 5.0L V8 Coupe. I became like a kid in a candy store and I couldn't get my eyes off her. She was bathing in the sun and she was looking gorgeous. Ohhh, I so wished i could get my hands on her.

So, after drooling all over her, I regained control over myself and headed towards the main canopy to complete the registration formalities. As I headed towards the registration desk, I was greeted by an XE, couple of XF's and a beautiful F-type convertible.

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As soon as I entered, everything looked organized. The registration desk was towards my left, a few feet away from a small soft drink and snacks table and at the end of the canopy were few rows of chair which was going to be used for the driver briefing.

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After submitting my driver license and filling up a few documents, I was given a dark blue color band which determined the group I was going to be in. Soon, I was called over for the briefing and I took my seat for it.

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The briefing of the event was taken by Mr. Rayomand Banajee who is the lead instructor for the Art of Performance Tour. The briefing was short and crisp. He told us all the do's and don't of the cars and what points we should keep in mind. We were then formed into groups according to the bands we were wearing and were given the series of activities we were going to participate it. So, we had three activities altogether.
1. F-type Drag and braking
2. Callabus
3. turning and braking.

So, we headed out to the track which was over a few hundred metes away. But, we did not have to walk there. Jaguar had taken care of that too. There were 2 cars to ferry us, a Jaguar XF and a F-Pace. I quickly took the seat in the F-Pace and we headed out to the track.

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I was extremely excited and was waiting eagerly to drive the F-type. As soon as I got down from the F-pace, I saw her again. The same thing which had caught my attention some time back and I my wish to drive her, was gonna be fulfilled

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Jaguar had arranged two F-type's for the drag. One was the 5.0L red Coupe and the second one was a grey convertible. The track was a long straight road where you could easily do 120-140 kmph.

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So, two drivers took their seats and headed out. First the Red F-type flew across the track and then after it came back, they grey scampered away. The symphony of the Jaguar V8 engine is something that every petrohead should experience once in their life. After the coupe came back, my team instructor told me it's my turn to go. Yessssss, it's the coupe which i got. I sat inside the car and it felt out of this world. I had an instructor to accompany me for the ride. He told me to set up the car at the edge of the track. After reaching the starting point, he told me to set off whenever i felt like. I asked if it's okay to use the sports mode to which he happily agreed. I then put the car in sports mode, lifted my foot of the break and floored the throttle. I heard the tires screeching and a surge of power and torque pushed me back into the seat. i was doing 120 in no time and within seconds i had reached at the end of the track. I had to make a U-turn and head back, but i stopped for a few seconds to get my senses back. I had never felt anything like this ever in my life.

Jaguar: The Art Of Performance @ Indore-drag.jpg

After reaching back to the start point, i was like this :D. After every one completed, we took our seats in the F-pace and the XF for our second activity, which was the callabus. The callabus track was near the main canopy, so we just had to go back. We had to complete the callabus in 3 cars. A 3.0L F-pace Diesel,a 2.0L XF Diesel and a 2.0L XE Petrol.

Jaguar: The Art Of Performance @ Indore-callabus.jpg

I first took my seat in the passenger seat of the XF where the instructor demonstrated us how the activity was to be done. He did it very beautifully and maintained a superb speed while doing it too. Then I took the driver's seat, set the sitting position to my choice and was away. Boy, these Jaguar cars sure can handle well. It was a breeze to go through the cones and the cars are extremely confidence inspiring.

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Then at the other end I took my seat in the XE, which was even better. It's smaller than the XF and is more fun to drive. The petrol engine picks up speed in no time and the maneuverability of this car is extremely good. Then it was the turn of Jaguar's SUV, the F-pace. I did not expect the car to handle that great and with 700nm of torque on tap, I knew it was going to be fast. But, as soon as I started, I was amazed by this car. It was extremely nimble for an SUV and this car had asserted even more confidence in me than the other two did. It never felt out of place, not a single percent of body role, nothing. it was a charm to drive the F-Pace.

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Then it was the turn of the turning and braking event where we had three cars to drive. A Jaguar F-Pace 3.0L Diesel, a Jaguar XE 2.0L Petrol and a Jaguar XJL 3.0L Diesel.

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First I had a go at the F-Pace, where I met Jalsa777 as my instructor. He did manage to calm my nerves and help me get comfortable with the activity. I then took my seat and had a go with the F-pace. With the slightest of throttle input, the car started to surge forward and then as soon as I turned the car between the two cones, it did it with minimum fuss and it never felt out of place. It did calm me down and gave me a lot of confidence in the car

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Then it was the turn of the longest car in the Jaguar range, the XJL. It had the same engine as the F-Pace but was much longer. Still. it did it beautifully and did not feel as if it was out of it's comfort zone. It was comfortable as well as enthusiastic.

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Last on the list was the Jaguar XE. The lightest and the most nimble car in the Jag line up. I did manage to take in more speed as i took the car across the corner and it felt at home doing it. You could corner the XE all day and it won't complain to you one bit.

It took about 45 minutes to complete all the 3 activities and after we completed, we headed back to he main area where we were given a Jaguar certificate and a few snacks. It was an amazing experience and I have to say that the team from Jaguar were extremely friendly, extremely supportive and were always ready to help. I did go back with all smiles. Thank You Jaguar India.

In the end, yours truly with a Jaguar F-Type 5.0L convertible.