FIRST DRIVE: JAG F- TYPE GETS A HARDTOP
Unleashing the unmitigated fury that lurks beneath the hood, all- new coupe is a demon on four wheels
ALCANIZ, Spain — Crank the new Jaguar F- Type Coupe to life and its bassy burble resonates as it shouts to the world, “I mean business.” Blip the gas pedal and the ensuing crescendo might have been inspired by Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture — it’s a siren so purposeful it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. It also speaks to the unmitigated fury that sits beneath the Coupe’s hood.
As with the convertible, the F- Type Coupe will be offered in three flavours, albeit without the V8- powered S. The base car delivers a tangy 340 horsepower from its 3.0- litre, supercharged V6 engine. The jalapeno is found in the mid- range V6 S model. It uses the same engine, but it has been tweaked to produce 380 hp and 339 pound- feet of torque. The F- Type R is the habanero. Its 5.0L supercharged V8 chili pepper puts 550 hp and 502 lb- ft of torque at the driver’s right foot.
The F- Type S proved to be wickedly fast, accelerating from rest to 100 kilometres an hour in 4.9 seconds. It also turned the important 80 to 120 km/ h passing move in 3.3 seconds. The credit for this is down to the aluminum chassis and the fact the Coupe is 20 kilograms lighter than the droptop. As such, each of the S’s stallions only have to motivate 4.2 kilograms of car.
The R’s extra horsepower — remember we’re talking an additional 170 here — drops the power- to- weight ratio to a staggering three kilograms per horsepower. Needless to say, it slashes those times, speeding to 100 km/ h in 4.2 seconds. It also proved to be so fast in the passing move it was all but impossible to get an accurate time. For the record, I will peg it at 2.5 seconds. It’s so outrageous, an adrenalin junkie would get high every time the gas pedal is mashed to the floor.
The bonus in all of this is that both the S and R models produce the right sort of sound. The blown V6 sings a delightfully throaty song that backfires and burbles during wide- open upshifts; the R’s supercharged V8 has a more invigorating tone altogether. It reached its delightful crescendo as the tach needle swept toward redline. The R’s quad tailpipes and active exhaust, accessed through a button by the shifter, gives the gas a more direct route to atmosphere, which pumps up the sound ( the active exhaust is an available option on the other models). In both cases, the exhaust tone was so sweet it actively persuaded me to hammer up and down the eightspeed manumatic to enjoy the revmatching burble on a downshift and then the riotous run back to redline and the blat that came with the ensuing upshift. Yes, it was a wanton waste of fuel, but oh what fun!
Putting the power to pavement is accomplished seamlessly, almost as though the F- Type Coupe was blessed with street smarts. First, the roofed model brings a much stiffer body ( up 80 per cent) that gives the suspension a rock- solid base of operations. Second, the adaptive suspension that’s standard on both the S and R models measures body motion and adjusts the dampers 500 times every second to ensure they are doing exactly what is required.
When wafting along, the ride is compliantly comfortable. Drop the hammer and it dials out practically all unwanted body roll. Understeer and oversteer do enter the fray when the Coupe is pushed to the limit around a track, but both traits are remarkably benign. Even when the R does flick its tail out, it is a graceful affair and not one of those awful hand- juggling, white- knuckled types of corrections. The steering’s turn- in response is also razor- sharp without feeling twitchy. In other words, the F- Type has everything needed to underpin a world- class sports car.
In terms of outright ability, the F- Type R takes things to a higher plane — the larger P255/ 35R20 front and P295/ 30R20 rear tires deliver gobs of traction. It also brakes the inside wheels heading into a corner if needed. This torque vectoring action helps to turn the car in with more authority. It also works in conjunction with the rear electronic locking differential. Around the handling track at the Motorland Aragon racetrack it worked to perfection, dragging the nose of the car into the corner in spite of the wet and slippery surface.
Adding the carbon ceramic brake option ($ 12,500 on the R) brings mind- numbing stopping power. At the track it was possible to leave the braking to what seemed an impossibly late point and scruff off enough speed to clip the apex — it was pulling 270 kilometres an hour down the 1.7 km back straight.
The Dynamic Mode sharpens throttle response, puts more weight in the steering, stretches out the shift points, firms the damping and puts the exhaust in loud mode ( all of which can be tailored individually). In this setting, the R was a true demon — it devoured corners as though equipped with its namesake’s claws.
The new Coupe is a very different animal from the convertible thanks to its hardtop, fixed panoramic glass roof and large roof- hinged liftgate — the cargo capacity also jumps from the convertible’s 200 litres to a much more usable 324 litres.
It is also different in that the view through the interior mirror is letter-box-like, and that’s before the spoiler, which adds some needed downforce, rises up from the liftgate. It cuts the view in half again. Frankly, it matters not.
That aside, the cabin is all about the experience. The materials are exquisite, the leather comes from the finest cows and there are some tasteful accents. Then there are the seats. They hug the riders without confining and the flared shoulder area adds enormous support.
While Jaguar lost its stylistic way back in the 1980s, it has more than found the right road with the F- Type. Fitting, as the F- Type arrives 50 years after its spiritual predecessor, the E- Type.
The Coupe is as sassy and seductive as the convertible, but it has a personality it can call its very own. The F- Type Coupe starts at $ 72,900 and tops out at $ 109,900 for the R model.