Jaguar F-type SVR
FIRST UK DRIVE Verdict as most potent F-type Coupé ever lands in Britain
First UK drive of storming 567bhp supercharged V8 coupé
JAGUAR’S F-type R doesn’t exactly lack power. Its 5.0-litre supercharged V8 kicks out 542bhp and 680Nm of torque – but that wasn’t enough for the brand’s Special Vehicle Operations division. Think of this like Porsche’s RS department, or what AMG is to Mercedes, and you won’t be far from the facts. And when it comes to the F-type SVR, those facts are astonishing.
The £110,000 Coupé uses the same 5.0-litre force-fed V8 as the standard R, except power has been tweaked to 567bhp. That colossal engine, bolstered by a supercharger, also means 700Nm of torque – so as you’d expect, the most potent F-type ever is certainly no slouch. In fact, the maker’s first Svr-badged product is the fastest roadgoing Jaguar since the XJ220 supercar of the early nineties.
As with the standard F-type, an eightspeed automatic transmission means there’s no launch control – unlike in some of the car’s dual-clutch-equipped rivals – but four-wheel-drive traction means the SVR Coupé rockets off the line and on to 60mph in a mere 3.5 seconds. It’s now a bonafide 200mph supercar, too.
The modifications aren’t limited to extra power, either. The SVR’S talents run deeper than that, because it features a bespoke tune of suspension, too. A new anti-roll bar and a slightly softer set-up for the front springs and dampers help to improve turn-in grip, while the opposite at the back boosts the F-type’s agility even further.
There’s also a new rear-suspension knuckle to give more grip and positivity, but the real trick here is how all these components combine to allow the SVR to ride with a compliance you might not expect from a 200mph super-coupé on lightweight, 20-inch, forged-alloy wheels. It’s still firm, but it doesn’t pummel the road into submission. There’s plenty of tyre roar, which slightly affects refinement, but push the throttle and that’s drowned out by the new titanium and Inconel exhaust that amplifies the V8’s bellow to almost anti-socially loud levels, and ejects ear-splitting cracks and bangs on the overrun. The system brings a 16kg weight saving over the standard V8 F-type’s exhaust, too.
The 5.0-litre V8 will go down in history as one of the world’s great-sounding engines,
and together with the performance on offer it gives the SVR a muscle car vibe in a straight line. It’s so much more than this, though, because revised calibration means it steers more sweetly than the rest of the range, delivering more feedback through the deliciously tactile Alcantara-wrapped wheel. It has nicer weighting, too.
A carbon-fibre roof and optional £8,570 carbon-ceramic brakes contribute towards a total kerbweight saving of 50kg over the standard AWD F-type R. The enhanced brake package also means the car sheds speed with real aggression.
However, the SVR is not perfect. Even though the gearbox’s upshifts are snappier, they’re still not rapid fire like a Porsche’s PDK transmission, and while the chassis is definitely sharper, riding poor surfaces with more composure, even in Dynamic mode the revised adaptive dampers sometimes struggle to tie down the body.
Keep your corner entry speed steady and internal organ-crushing grip is available, but lean on the traction on the way out and the recalibrated four-wheel drive adds a little more of the rear-drive car’s tail-happy flair.
But despite the pumped-up styling – which includes an F1-style DRS rear wing, deeper front bumper and bespoke SVR touches such as the badging and bucket seats – the F-type isn’t as hardcore to drive as it appears. It’s still not as focused as a Porsche 911 GT3, but as a road car it offers even more performance and comfort than any Jaguar F-type that’s come before it.
“First Svr-badged product is fastest roadgoing Jaguar since XJ220 supercar of early nineties”