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-   -   Jaguar F-Type : Driven (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/136782-jaguar-f-type-driven.html)

The Jaguar F-Type has been launched at a price of between Rs. 1.37 - 1.61 Crores.

What you'll like:

• Convertible luxury sports car with oodles of character and heritage to go with it
• Supercharged 3.0L V6 and 5.0L V8 options. 0-100 km/h in 5.3 / 4.9 / 4.3 seconds – take your pick!
• Exceptionally, slick 8-speed gearbox is super responsive and smooth
• Firm, yet compliant ride quality that can do duty as a daily driver. Though track days might become a habit too
• Confident braking and handling behaviour. Near neutral dynamics

What you won't:

• Strictly a 2-seater sports car. If you hope to take your kids in the backseat, look elsewhere
• Limited boot space, will barely manage to fit in a golf bag. Limits touring capability too
• No manual transmission option for the oldschool ‘stick shift’ folk
• Some minor rough edges with regards to build and material used, not expected at this price-point

A refresher on Jaguar's racing cars before we move on to the F-Type:

Jaguar C-Type

Back in 1951 the XK120 was already the 'fastest production car' in the world, that’s when Jaguar came up with the C-Type or the XK120-C (C for competition). With a lightweight tubular frame and aluminum tub stuck to the tuned XK120 engine (205 bhp vs the 180 bhp of the 3.4L stock motor), the C-Type was to create history for Jaguar. It won Le Mans 24 hours in its first year outing of 1951 and then again in 1953. The C-Type was all about Jaguar’s innovation, things like using lighter material like aluminum, serious engine tuning, and introduction of disc brakes all around... Jaguar indeed was rewriting the rules of racing cars at the time.



Jaguar D-Type

The revolutionary D-Type followed next. Thanks to Malcolm Sayer who introduced his aeronautical engineering prowess into the designs, the car had a monocoque tub made of aluminum alloy in a typical aircraft bubble shape. This reduced the drag and the monocoque construction meant more rigidity to the whole car. This design obsession went to the extent that a new dry sump was designed for the engine, to bring down the overall height of the motor. And all this paid off at the end when The D-Types took Le Mans in 1955, 56 and then again in 1957 where the car swept away the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Sixth positions on the podium! Phew.



Jaguar E-Type

Circa 1961 when the E-Type was launched, Enzo Ferrari apparently called it “the most beautiful car ever made”. The E-Type was iconic not only because of its looks, but it had very good performance figures and was priced decently. It’s estimated that more than 70,000 E-Types have been sold, which is quite a number for a sports car model from that time.



The Jaguar factory team had left the racing scene by 1956, though in the hands of private teams Jaguar had continued to rake up a few wins. It’s been almost 40 years since then... since the last purebred sports car came out of the Jaguar factories. And after that really looong break, they are back in 2013 with a bang!

The F-Type: the alphabetical and so-called spiritual successor to the C, D & E-Types.

Now a normal Joe like me can get pretty hyper if given an invite to drive a car with such a rich lineage. And if the drive is through scenic landscapes like that of Spain and with track session thrown in, well you can only imagine what would have ensued behind the scenes. So after a crazy two months of preparations, passports and visas, I finally landed in Spain. There were 15 other media members from India present as well; apparently this is the 23rd rotation Jaguar had from around the world. They had arranged this drive in the very scenic Northern part of Spain. Though we landed in the beautiful city of Bilbao the drive would be around Pamplona and on the new Circuito de Navarra racetrack.

The roads here are just superb and the drive was to be through some truly scenic countryside and mountains. The bad news was that the cops had got more than a whiff of the horsepower, with so many media groups passing through, and were coming down extremely hard on any kind of violation. Oh… and the weather forecast said rain when I left India. What a way to enjoy a two door soft top sports car! Day 1 when we landed was gloomy and even became rainy in Bilbao, but then on we brought sunshine wherever we went.

If you observe the evolution of Jaguar sports cars closely, you'll see the radical shift in design for each iteration. I was a little apprehensive about this transformation from the 'most beautiful car on earth' (E-Type) to the current F-Type, and that too 40 years on. Once we rolled into Pamplona airport where we had to collect our cars, I was a little relieved. In the flesh, this car carries the curves and lines very elegantly. Most often reminding you of its predecessors but not having any tangible resemblance, it's quite surreal. Apart from that nose, spoilers and the trade mark racing crease on the front hood, there are none of those 'in your face' lines or cuts on the car.

Everything is smooth and sensual. It's quite interesting to see the way in which the designers have blended all those intricate curves and lines. To give you an example, the front hood has been extended into the fenders to remove those ugly and uneven bonnet shut lines typically seen running along the sides of the hood. This I understand was an engineering challenge, since the body is made from aluminum and sourcing such large dimension aluminum sheets in itself is a task, so is the pressing process. Overall it's a nice blend of British elegance and sports car aggression, which I personally liked very much.



Thanks to some nifty packaging like retracting door handles that only pop-out when the car is unlocked, there are no ugly projections on those smooth curves:


Once the car is locked the door handles retract flush into the doors:


Can you see the spoiler? It's seamlessly crafted into the tail end:


Here it is, giving up to 120 Kgs of down-force! Yup, you get to see it in your rear view mirror too:


Eye for detail, the bi-function HIDs with Jaguar engraved on the casing:


Eyeliner! LED running lights:


The rear roll-over bar to keep your head safe in case the car turns turtle:


Looks quite simple, but it does a great job of keeping the wind out of the cabin whilst driving with the top down:


The side vents aid in cooling the engine, but more importantly they help integrate the bonnet shut line too:


Each of the 3 models gets a different spec and color of brake calipers, as well as different sized wheels (18", 19" & 20"):


The roof can be deployed up to speeds of 60 Km/h and takes 12 seconds to transform:






Jewelery:


The 'leaping cat' adorns the rear:


The 'S' badging found only on the V6 S and V8 S models:


The V6 models get twin exhaust tips:


Whereas the V8 S gets four barrels at the rear end:

You have to remember that you are crawling into a fairly low-slung sports car, so it's best to avoid those skin tight jeans. Having said that for a two door purebred sports car, the interiors are pretty well appointed. Be it the immaculately stitched leather, the complete climate control package (which ensures even the steering and seats are a pleasant temperature) or be it the meridian sound system with a dozen speakers, almost everything is top notch. The whole cockpit seems to be designed around the driver with a clear distinction of space between him and the passenger.



Individual controls are arranged logically. The exhaust, traction system, drive mode, all have separate switches that can be clicked on or off. Thankfully there's no complicated controller interface or MID screen, the driver gets to concentrate on driving without any distractions. All the switches and controls gave that premium feel and seemed like they would last the test of time. The steering is also perfectly sized (you can choose a flat-bottomed version too), the controls including the gear paddles fell right into my average sized hands. Oh that reminds me, I never used the horn in Spain, so I have no idea how it sounds! The soft top was another interesting piece, the folding operation was quite smooth and silent and one can get it to work till 60 km/h with the flick of a button; just like those window switches on my swift. All it takes is 12 seconds.

Initially it felt a little odd sitting on those sculpted seats, but soon I got familiar with the various adjustments. There's scores of ways to set the seats up, and the powered adjustments in the model I drove made that easy (There are some semi-manual versions if you really want to go for an even 'lighter spec' car). After a bit of fiddling around I found the right spot for a very comfortable drive. So the first gripe, when the seats are fully pushed back they tend to creak a little. I guess the backrest is touching somewhere. The carpeting also had a story to tell, it was exclusively developed for the F-Type, as an attempt to cut down on weight. Apparently 15 kgs of it! It may not be that plush but it's quite soft to the touch, and keeps the road noise at bay to a great extent.



The driver's view of the cabin:


Close up of those meters with the small MID in the middle:


Jaguar has moved away from that pop-up rotary gear-selector for good, and gone back to the more traditional stick. Push the lever to the left to engage the Dynamic Drive mode. The toggle switch placed on the left will let you select the kind of traction mode with just a flick. Upwards for slippery condition, downwards for the race mode :D


You also get a F1 type paddle-shift along with the usual switch gear on the steering column:


Central console overview, it's all logical:


There's plenty of space in the foot-well along with a large dead-pedal. Some exposed wiring and connectors there?!:


But honestly who cares about road noise in such a car! Once you hear the super-charged motor fire to life and rev up, you just want to drive around with the roof down. We did exactly that at the first sign of sun and that’s when the climate control really came into its element. Even at 10 degrees C outside, the cabin temperature was regulated quite well, that too at decent road speeds. The deflectors at back and side windows works well to keep the wind out (and your hat on), as well as keep the warmer air enclosed in the cabin.



The AC vent design is quite nifty, it stays out of sight when you don't need it:


And when its time to cool, out it comes:


The central storage has two compartments. One is between the two seat-backs, whilst the other is under the armrest and has the USB / Aux / 12v Lighter points. The lining material used definitely looked out of place:


Did I say no complicated MID controls? But an MID does exist, in a very pleasant touch screen manner on the central console and a sleeker second display inside the instrument cluster. The MID is left strictly for other functions like Phone, Maps, Reverse camera... yaaaaawn! And, RACE CONTROL <GRINN>. Yes with the adaptive system on the V6 S and V8 S, you get to play around with your car set up. You can check out lap times, G-Forces, and record your accelerator and brake inputs, so you can analyze that track outing. In short the app geek in you won’t be disappointed. The shift lever has a manual mode as well, where you can select gears in an sequential (up/down) manner; the steering-mounted paddles also do the same of course.

Main menu:


Dynamic setup menu where you can individually select what you want:


Stop watch for those lap timings:


So how much can you pull? The G-force mode:


Wanna study the pedal inputs? Well this one records what your feet are up to:


Though the boot space does tunnel forwards (where the backpack has been squeezed in), it's clear that this car is not an ideal shopping companion:


My personal favorite when it comes to the interiors of the F-Type, there are many options of colour combo to choose from:

Jaguar has decided to offer the F-Type with three engine options to suit every need, I was fortunate enough to drive all three of them. On a normal drive all three of them are fun and you will never feel the need for a bigger engine. This is achieved by pushing the specific outputs as high as possible with the aid of forced induction. However, these are all super charged engines, so the lag in throttle response associated with a turbo (ie. turbo lag) is not applicable. Two of these options are based on the 3 Liter V6 motor introduced this year for the XJ / XF cars. The base model F-Type has this 335 BHP / 450 Nm motor, and on the V6 S model it’s been further tweaked for an output of 375 BHP / 460 Nm. It might not look like a huge bump on paper but in reality the specific output is the highest Jaguar has ever gone (125 BHP / Liter). The engine still manages to have a level of refinement which shows right from idle. Especially with the active exhaust off, the engine is rather silent (for a sports car i.e.) and runs with absolutely no evidence of vibration. Now for the real power hungry ones (especially the V8 munching American market), there is this new 5-liter V8 engine, spewing out 488 BHP and 625 Nm! Mind you this engine is plonked on a 1.6 ton car which equates to 293 BHP / ton and 375 Nm / ton. To put all this power onto the tarmac without being bitten back, the final ratio has been changed from 3.xx on the V6 to 2.5x on the V8.

Now all this power was not enough for Jaguar, according to them the senses also play a great part in adding to that 'Sports car feel'. So Jaguar decided to introduce some trick bits, to start with, the “Active Exhaust”. Basically plonk in a few electronically controlled bypass valves at the exhaust box and as soon as Dynamic Mode is selected, it behaves like a free flow exhaust. This comes standard on the V6 S and V8 S models and as an optional extra for the plain F-Type. From a decent purr and muted growl, a snarling biting beast is let loose. You will get to hear all sorts of super-charger hiss, howls at high revs and ear popping back fire noises like those old time rally machines. It’s actually quite insane; one needs to experience it to believe it! Trust me, our local cops would fine the heck out of us if the dynamic mode was set to 'On' even at speeds of 60-80 km/h with a slightly heavy throttle. That’s not all, those Jaguar engineers have created this exhaust system in such a way that all the cacophony reaches the cabin more than anywhere else, by careful design!

Here's a quick video to give you an idea about the start up sequence. Unfortunately the Active Exhaust switch is NOT turned ON in this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXN1baM9QXY

I have had some experience with automatic transmissions, right from the agrarian Santro box to some decent ones that come in the BMWs and Audis of the world. However, nothing could prepare me for the eight-speed “Quick Shift” box that came in F-Type. It's manufactured by "ZF", the same company that put the 8-speed gearbox in the F30 3-Series, and a couple of other vehicles too. As usual, I tried the normal D mode to begin with and was mighty impressed with the refinement of this box. The torque converter gets overridden by a locking clutch as soon as second gear is selected. According to Jaguar this creates a sort of direct locking link between the engine and the wheels, removing the "slush-box" effect. When you kick down; it's like pressing a key on a computer keyboard; you're in a lower gear as quickly as the letter would appear on screen. Yes I'm not kidding, this gear-box is just amazing. The way in which it kicks down, or shifts up even in the normal D mode is just AMAZING. There are about 25 algorithms available to the `box depending on the driving conditions which ensures that there are no jerks or delays, everything just happens like clockwork. The system monitors braking, acceleration, g-forces, pedal actuation, inclination of the road and kick down requests to perform the otherwise simple task of shifting a gear.

Ok, now let’s try the Dynamic Mode, where the car has to listen to another CPU that is not exactly wired into the car itself. First of all the paddles are just right, they have that sweet electronic yet tactile feel to them. Second, the darn thing is so fast that the external CPU (your brains), don’t even stand a chance at keeping up with the gear shifts. I tried fooling around a bit but the `box would not miss a beat. Mated to these super charged engines, this gear-box can pull off some silly slow speeds without caring what rpm the engine is at. Yes, it also blips the throttle to rev match for you whilst shifting gears, and no it won’t shift up for you in Dynamic Mode, even if you hit the rev limit.

The only gripe I had with the whole transmission set up was the engine auto Start / Stop system. This is not as perfectly integrated into the system as one would like. When it stops it’s all fine, but the moment you leave the brake pedal and press the accelerator the car gets a decent jerk, which I felt was quite annoying. I never bothered with it after couple of times, just pressed the deactivate toggle on the central tunnel console and dismissed it off.

The Dynamic Launch mode:

Now a hypothetical situation: you bought an F-Type after reading this review, and after signing up for the local drag event you realized you have no clue on how to get the best launch. Do not fret, Dynamic Launch is already programmed in on the F-Type. This is what you need to do; Press the brake pedal with your left foot, build the revs with your right foot. ‘Dynamic Launch Ready’ appears on the MID. Just release the brakes and keep mashing that A-pedal, you are now a drag king or queen. Traction aid comes in the form of a good old mechanical slip diff in V6 S model and the V8 S gets an electronic one. These actively work with ABS and stability control system to offer the best traction possible at any given point of time.

We started off from Pamplona airport towards Navarra circuit, this was the first stretch that we were to drive the F-Type. Naturally, it is the base model V6 that we would be driving first. GPS is preset with the route and one can blindly follow the instructions. Driver change is also mentioned half way through, and I took over on the second half of this stretch, which was on a country road. It’s been about 7-8 years since I had last driven a LHD car, so the initial kilometers were really careful. The route was through some villages and towns and it can get pretty confusing when you get to intersections and roundabouts. Soon enough I got my pace up and first thing one starts to realize about the car is how easy it is to manage. Yes its wide compared to the cars that we generally have in India and in spite of its really low seating, the front 180 deg view is rather good and you don’t feel constantly at the edge judging each corner or kerb. The rear view is not great, but then these cars come equipped with a reverse camera, which takes care of that. The steering has some aggressive ratios dialed in to help in spirited track drives, but it’s surprisingly road friendly too. Effort wise it’s pretty sorted out, none of that heavy feel that you might expect from a sports car. That doesn’t mean it’s light, just the right amount of assistance dialed in even for the urban drive. The ride is little on the stiffer side as expected for a sports car, but it’s quite easy to live with. We were faced with a no road situation on the mountains due to soil erosion and roadwork for about 50 meters and that’s the only bit, which really reminded me of the stiff chassis, low profile tires and the firm suspension. On the A and B-roads of Spain this car was quite comfortable to commute in, and my back felt no pain at the end of the day. Even in Dynamic Mode, you have the choice of what functions need to be in what setting, this way you can have a terrific response from the car (throttle, exhaust, steering, gearshift) but not compromise on the comfort (suspension) too much.

Circuito de Navarra



I wont go into too many details about the track, but it is close to 4 kms in length, the first half of which is quite fast and the second half tightens into series of corners. At the circuit the group was split as two, one attends the tech briefing about the F-Type, while the other batch hits the track. This was one of the most distracting parts of this trip, sitting in that briefing and listening to engines roaring past in the background. The presentations were really good; but I just wanted to excuse myself and sneak out at that point of time!

Track driving.

We get the V6 S for the track and I am not complaining. Yes, the V8 S would have been more interesting, but I spoke to couple of Jaguar engineers and they all vouched for the V6 S being their personal favorite. My instructor was a track racer from the UK doing part time duties here. The track was lined with marking cones which gave us an idea about the racing line and the braking points that were to be followed. First was the demo lap with the instructor at the wheel, and that’s when you realize why those passenger grab rails are so huge. Pulled into the pits and driver change. The car in front of us sped away from the pit line and first thing my instructor said was “you are NOT doing that”. Fair enough, I start off sedately for my warm-up and instruction lap and soon enough, its time to take things up a notch. It’s nippy, yet we are driving top down so the glorious noise and the elements ensure the best experience. Time to gain some speed and attack those corners, the F-Type shows its true colors. It’s a sports car and this is what it was designed for, power up, hit the brake, shift down, steer in and power up again. Feels so natural in this car and quite forgiving too. I once lost the corner line, but dab that brake and some steering inputs later we are back up to speed. As I mentioned earlier it’s a fast track but has some decent corners too, and this car stays glued to the road all throughout. Do check the video, I am not a seasoned track driver but I managed to get some squeals off and got to overtake too (or I should say that I was allowed to overtake). I wish I had few more laps but it's time to do a cool down lap for the brakes, and time to pull into the pits. I was told the road tires do hold up really well, though they are changed at the end of the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-or7UDVqMWU

After the track experience I went around checking out the engineering exhibits, then stood by the track just to get a first hand experience of how a real race would feel like, with these V6 engines screaming by:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRBO3qKB_oQ

Engineering exhibits

The different alloy options for the car:


A bare bone chassis with some cross sections to understand the complexity involved and the kind of reinforcements, aluminium arms et al:


The exhaust box revealed!


Look at that hood, single sheet of metal is used to give it that flawless wrap-around shape:


Engine all blinged for the showcase :


The electronic differential that ensures the rear wheels stay put in V8 S:


While driving back from Navarra circuit (oh we are in the V6 S now), I went into full dynamic mode and on those winding mountain roads the F-Type is up and ready to snarl; you can hold that gear, make that rev-counter dance and occasionally step that tail out. Well the electronics do take over beyond a limit, but it's still good fun when you manage to get the tail out whilst exiting a hairpin. The brakes are fairly sharp, yet they are very progressive and have a feel that is spot on.

Brakes

All cars are fitted as standard with ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist.
• The F-TYPE has 354 mm front and 325 mm rear brake discs with silver colored calipers.
• The F-TYPE V6 S gets larger 380mm brake discs at the front with black or red painted calipers.
• The F-TYPE V8 S has the largest standard brake discs on any Jaguar production car – 380mm front, 376mm rear – with black or red painted calipers.

Still, the best part is that trick exhaust, it just growls, pops and hisses all throughout and it can be quite addictive. So addictive, that you tend to loose track of the speed limits. These are super charged engines, going past 130 km/h is a matter of seconds and then you are in trouble if you are in Spain. The car feels like it's at 60 km/h whilst you are actually doing 130 Km/h and it’s a challenge to keep it within limits. The cops were lined up all throughout the route, including 1 Km before Navarra circuit, which is almost like a private road closed to traffic. I managed Spain without any speeding tickets. :)

The final treat was the V8 S. We only had time till the afternoon on the final day and about 132 Km of driving to do. Most of us were comfortable driving the LHD cars by now and were equally comfortable with the roads.

So this cold morning, we fire up the V8 S and after the usual hell-let-loose sequence of start up, we potter around Pamplona and soon exit the city into the country roads. One of the most scenic routes I must admit. A soft right foot will make the car feel like yet another F-Type, but try going aggressive and then chaos ensues. The sound track also got sexier; the growl is now a vicious barking. With the slightest of provocation the car lurches forward, pushing your body into the leather. 4.3 seconds to 100 km/h is quite serious business, but thanks to all the electronic differential bits, the V8 S does it with minimal fuss. Before you turn and show your grin to your passenger, the car has already reached some silly 3-digit figures. This one is a true hooligan and cares two hoots! Driving through the mountain roads was indeed a great feeling; just like in those ad films with wind in your hair and not a care in the world. The final leg comprised of narrow country roads, sometimes just a car wide but with some silly curves and camber thrown in. I was at the wheel then and it was a superb memory to end the trip with; living my rally dreams on a sports car weighing 1.6 tons and pushing out close to 500 bhp.

The burble of a V8 S at idle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrbPrQzIeQc

Top down at Senorio De Otazu vineyards, where we ended the F-Type drive:

Other points:

• The F-Type has some stiff competition, from the likes of the Porsche Boxster, 911 Carrera, Audi R8 4.2, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, BMW Z4, Mercedes SLK and more; depending on which model of F-Type you're comparing to.

• F-Type core body weighs just 261 Kgs thanks to the aluminum manufacturing process

• In the pursuit of perfect weight balance the battery and wiper wash tank have been moved to the rear. Hope one doesn't wet the boot trying to fill up the washer tank

• The acoustics for the active exhaust were finalized after 85 iterations of sound check!

• The 'corner recognition' feature holds the current gear ratio to avoid unsettling mid-corner shifts, and ensure the correct gear for the exit of the corner

• Has the quickest steering rack ever on a Jaguar (ie. less steering rotation needed to turn the wheels as much)

• This car was extensively tested and developed at the Nürburgring Nordschleife facility

• By pushing the left or right temp control knob, the seat temp can be set (in cars with heated seats)

• The pop up central vent comes up only when the cabin is in need of rapid cooling

• The reverse lamps and rear fog lights were moved out of the tail-light assembly and placed lower on the rear bumper in order to achieve that tight feel at the rear

• V6 runs on 18 inch, V6 S on 19" and V8 S on 20" wheels

• The front bumper has additional wings on the V8 S model for additional stability

• For quick reference of additional features and options: 121023 F_TYPE_Pocket Guide_Global.pdf

• For those who aren't fans of the rag-top, a F-Type Coupe is on the cards too. Read more here


Detailed product specifications




Price


Power output comparison between the 3 engine options


Positioning within the family


Disclaimer : Jaguar invited Team-BHP for the F-Type drive. They covered all the expenses for this driving event.

A special thanks to JLR PR team for providing most of the imagery.

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line!

JLR is really going from strength to strength now. That Jag looks both beautiful and menacing simultaneously. Jaguar have really worked hard on getting the design absolutely on. Its much better effort than the new RRS which was recently launched.

Epic review Jaggu!
The F-Type is one of the best looking cars in the world right now, and also one of the best sounding cars.
Even the interiors are absolutely beautiful!
Leaving a 5***** rating. :)

Amazing review!! Those photos are a treat for the eyes.:Cheering: I envy you now. A combination of spain and sports car? who can beat that combi ! :thumbs up

Cheers

I type team-bhp.com in the browser and a world class pic of the F-Type is what I am invited by with the divine word "Driven".

Read it from start to end. I had been waiting for this since quite some time.
Brilliant as always. The Videos are the icing on the cake.
Thank You.
Also, this is one of the few supercars whose interiors I just loved and found very good.

The car is just beautiful. I thought the red was the most beautiful color on the car until I saw the Black :D.. And it will also look spectacular in white (not with the rag-top version, but in the coupe)

-Bhargav

Awesome review Jaggu !!
and the pics are absolutely gorgeous....beautiful car !!

Great job! That is one detailed review. It gets a well deserved 5 Star rating from me!
Cheers!

Fantastic review- The all black Jaguar looks like a dream. Now, waiting for someone on Team-BHP to buy it and give us an ownership review! :)