The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The devil drives the 2018 F-Type SVR
The fastest production model from Jaguar: 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.
Most people who saw the red convertible with the big wheels said, “Nice car.” But when I fired up the Jaguar F-Type SVR and the engine snapped, crackled and popped, their expressions changed. Some were surprised, all were impressed, a few were afraid.
SVR is the fastest and most powerful series production Jaguar. It sounds and feels like it is firing out of the gates of hell right through your chest. We called the 2016 F-Type R a civilized brute of a sports car when we tested it in 2015; the SVR is a brute from hell. It inspires confidence on the track, it’s comfortable on the highway and it got more fun every time behind the wheel.
The SVR is engineered by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division, and like Mercedes-AMG or BMW’s M performance line, is equally ready to tackle the track and your bank account. The F-Type SVR is the next level up from the F-Type R, with the supercharged V-8 engine turning out an extra 25 ponies to yield 575 rumbling, humbling horsepower. Changes to calibration in the engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, as well as lightweighting with carbon fiber inside and titanium on the quad exhaust pipes provide a slight torque boost, from 502 to 516.
What do these numbers mean behind the wheel? A top speed of 195 mph in the convertible (200 mph in the coupe), and a blistering 3.5 second 0-60 time. It’s fast, it’s quick, but most importantly it is adaptive to the driver.
In brief laps in the rain at one track and more in-depth laps at another, the adaptive AWD drive system was a thing of engineering brilliance. The chassis pulls front or rear, and side to side, enabling higher
speeds into and out of corners while still maintaining grip via 20-inch wheels wrapped in wide, supersticky Pirelli P Zero tires. Once it starts skidding laterally, and the rear starts
to drift, the system plants all four wheels and straightens back out. It inspires the confidence to push the SVR more with each lap, and indulge in the overture between open throttle roar and braking into that hellfire pop.
The true charm of the F-Type SVR is that it is comfortable as a cruiser. The 14-way performance seats with quilt stitching are as comfy as they look, firmly bolstered but never stiff and narrow like most track-ready cars. With the top up, road noise is minimal but the cabin can feel tight due to the high belt line and wide center console. The touch screen is narrow, and there was no voice command option in the tester, so the infotainment isn’t as high-end as the rest of the car.
Put the top down in just 11 seconds at speeds up to about 30 mph, though, and be reminded that money can in fact buy happiness. Top down, windows up at night under 60 degrees with no heat on and we felt plum giddy. The screen between the headrests limits wind buffeting, so nearing triple digit speeds is still fun.
The 770W Meridian sound system can blast Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” just fine, so between that and the engine noise it feels as if the SVR is making war just for fun. And that dynamic spoiler on the back that automatically tips or rises up at speed? Satan, laughing, spreads his wings.