RE: Jaguar F-Type V6 S: Driven

RE: Jaguar F-Type V6 S: Driven

Wednesday 17th April 2013

2013 Jaguar F-Type V6 S | Review

Enough riding shotgun - what's the damned thing actually like to drive? Read on...



Following one of the more drawn-out launch schedules of recent memory, we can at long last deliver a verdict on Jaguar's much-anticipated return to the sports car market. To save you from having to wait any longer, the F-Type is - in a word - brilliant.

Jaguar unveiled the car as a thinly veiled concept 18 months ago before confirming the F-Type moniker this time last year; as anticipation for the new model grew we got the inside story. The wraps were pulled off the final production version in September and we got our first taste of the car from the passenger seat, prompting a bit of soul searching about whether or not we should be complicit in such pre-launch hype building.

After all of that, it was with some relief and no little excitement that we eventually dropped behind the wheel of the F-Type in northern Spain. All three versions were on hand, from the £58,500 V6 entry-level model through to the £67,500 V6 S and up to the range-topping £79,950 V8 S. As would become clear during many hours spent pounding along challenging mountain roads, the mid-range V6 S hits the sweet spot. More of which in a standalone story.


Within the first few yards, the F-Type leaves you in no doubt that it's a new breed of Jaguar. Lumps and bumps in the road surface nibble their way into the cabin, putting you in mind of a serious sports car; the leaping cat on the steering wheel looks a little incongruous right now. It's unexpected rather than harsh or uncomfortable and the ride does begin to settle quite markedly once you breach 40mph.

So now there can be no doubt that the F-Type is squaring up to the eternal class leader, Porsche's 911. The immediate tautness to the F-Type - currently a convertible only - vanquishes concerns that the new model is simply a shrunken XK, or that it's Jaguar's idiosyncratic interpretation of a 911-baiting sports car. On first impressions, there's very little of Jaguar's recent dynamic heritage on display.

The F-Type has been pitched so as to appeal to a new audience rather than existing XK customers (90 per cent of buyers will be new to the marque, apparently), so Jaguar was able to free itself of brand constraints. Only the lightness of the steering is common with the rest of the range, but the speed of the rack and the way the front end responds to inputs is all new. Lean on the outside-front tyre a little harder and the steering wheel begins to chatter; through the familiar steering lightness there is genuine connectivity.


Indeed, it's a word that crops up time and again. The throttle response is razor sharp, but the way the F-Type rides mid-corner bumps and shrugs off even the largest compressions with beautifully compliant damping is remarkable. Only at low speed does the F-Type ride firmly, for at a cruise it rounds off road surface imperfections really well, even on 20-inch rims.

This compliance translates into strong lateral grip even in damp conditions. The balance is neutral for the most part, fading into slight understeer as you push harder. It's a safety net to let you know where its limits lie, but the chassis has been tuned to be adjustable on the throttle. In fact, owing to the strong torque throughout the rev range, traction is easily breached on corner exit in wet or slippery conditions and the transition to oversteer can be rather sudden in the lower gears.

The conventional eight-speed auto is particularly noteworthy. In order to achieve that targeted level of 'connectivity' between car and driver, Jaguar's engineers tuned it to give the fleshy bit behind the steering wheel all of the control. In manual mode it'll hold onto gears on the way out of corners so that you can use the punchy torque to accelerate cleanly away and it'll even hold onto gears on the way up so that the engine sits on the rev limiter. It can take you by surprise the first time it happens, but it's a fine example of the degree of driver control that has been engineered into the gearbox, and the car as a whole, for that matter. The F-Type isn't left wanting for a twin-clutch gearbox; the shifts are clean and fast when you're chasing a good stretch of road, smooth and fuss-free when mooching around town.


There's much more praise to be lavished upon the F-Type; the cabin is bold in its design, luxurious in its fit and finish and youthful in its detail (not least for the ultra-cool toggle switches), while the seating position is very good indeed. The supercharged V6 engine is both strong throughout the rev range and rewarding when wrung out, delivering the most intoxicating firing-squad soundtrack and exhaust crackles with sport mode engaged. With 380hp, the V6 S delivers plenty of performance without leaving a load in reserve in typical fast-road driving conditions; you really can use all of the pace on offer on a regular basis.

Jaguar's Dynamic modes for the various interaction points are very well judged, too, with the steering, throttle, gearbox, suspension and exhaust all sharpening up at the flick of a toggle. Brilliantly, each of these parameters can be selected individually of one another and your preferred configuration can be stored within a single button.


All is not rosy, however. The cabin is a furiously windy place at anything over 70mph with the roof down, even when the windows and wind deflector are in place. Boot space is also very modest due to the admittedly beautiful profile of the bootline, which falls away in a rare nod to the E-Type. While list prices appear favourable when compared to the 911 one does wonder if the entry level model is really £13,000 more car than a similarly powerful Boxster S.

We'll consider the remainder of the range imminently - and explain in depth why the V6 S is the pick of the three specifications - but for now, let's delight in the F-Type having been worth the wait. Not only is it the best driver's car Jaguar currently makes, it is also a very welcome and competitive addition to the class.


SPECIFICATION | 2013 JAGUAR F-TYPE V6
Engine:
2,995cc, V6, supercharged
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 340hp@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 332lb ft@3,500rpm
0-62mph: 5.3sec
Top speed: 161mph (electronically limited)
Weight: 1597kg
MPG: 31.4mpg (claimed)
CO2: 209g/km
Price: £58,500

SPECIFICATION | 2013 JAGUAR F-TYPE V6 S
Engine:
2,995cc, V6, supercharged
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, limited-slip differential, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 380hp@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 339lb ft@3,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.9sec
Top speed: 171mph (electronically limited)
Weight: 1614kg
MPG: 31.0mpg (claimed)
CO2: 213g/km
Price: £67,500

SPECIFICATION | 2013 JAGUAR F-TYPE V8 S
Engine:
5,000cc, V8, supercharged
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, limited-slip differential, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 495hp@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 460lb ft@3,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.3sec
Top speed: 186mph (electronically limited)
Weight: 1665kg
MPG: 25.5mpg (claimed)
CO2: 259g/km
Price: £79,950





Author
Discussion

VinceFox

Original Poster:

20,566 posts

171 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
Manual?

31mph

1,308 posts

134 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
So much want....

cloud9

405dogvan

5,326 posts

264 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
It's interesting, with all the "we can't tell you about how it drives yet" stuff going on that I wasn't really that interested - or surprised - about how it drives.

I think that's because

a - it's really not that pretty to my eyes - and definately not a Jag
b - the price is comedic

Great to know it's a nice drive but the real story here is that JLR had an opportunity to step into a hotly contested market and sell 'sporty' Jags to a whole new demographic but they appear to have decided to avoid that by simply overpricing the car and relying on the same sort of people who already buy Jags anyway!?

I know the X Type was probably a bad thing for them but that's no reason to say "screw it - make the car expensive"?

I'm also interested to see how lease prices pan-out on this because that can make or break any car and a lot of that depends on residuals and maintenance costs. If the market deems this car to be 'expensive' for those things that will ramp-up the lease prices and make the car very undesirable to that sort of customer, which I suspect could be a make-or-break thing for them.

Seriously - was anyone not expecting the car to start £10-15K cheaper tho!? Can they possibly maintain their inflated value or are we expecting a cheap car in 2-3 years time?

p.s. and a diesel and a hybrid? smile

Edited by 405dogvan on Wednesday 17th April 00:25

Wills2

22,669 posts

174 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
Black with cream leather for me, looks lovely.

But I keep on coming back to the price.




MyCC

337 posts

156 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
Good to know that it is worthy of some of the hype! I think a lot of people will buy it on looks alone.

There is always the inevitable question of price and comparison against the Boxster, but from what I have read and understand, you need to think of it as more of a 911/AMV8 even R8 rival and against this competition it is keenly priced. After all look how expensive the new 991 (911) has got!

Jaguar have told me that CAP have predicted best in class residuals too, will wait and see on that one.

Regards,

My CC.

andyps

7,817 posts

281 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
How over-priced is a 911 though? You get most of the same components in a Boxster for a lot less money than a 911 but how often are they accused of being too expensive? The F-Type can be seen as a focused, slightly cut down XK so why should it be much cheaper. Other than the base model it is much more closely aligned to the 911 in terms of size, power and performance so surely should be priced alongside it.

tinkertaylor

566 posts

141 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
Thought the looks of this might grow on me...but I still think it looks vile from nearly every angle. What is up with the messy vents on the front bumper too? Awful. Doesn't look like a Jaguar.

Baryonyx

17,990 posts

158 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
It looks fine from behind, but the side-on angle makes it look huge and bulky. Maybe it is, they say cars are getting bigger!



Compared to say...


Alx323

421 posts

202 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
It definitely looks better in the flesh than in photos, I like this a lot.

dxg

8,124 posts

259 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
The Sutcliffe Autocar review on youtube is absolutely raving about it... He compares it to a Tuscan.

Jayfish

6,795 posts

202 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
First time in a long time I've read a PH review without any buts ifs or maybes, could it be JLR have nailed it? hope so because I love the looks.

Zad

12,695 posts

235 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
I'm not a huge fan of the looks either - as the you say, it doesn't look very Jaguar. But that is no bad thing. The main market for this will probably be North America in the first instance, shortly followed by the Middle East and Far East. Their eyes are already attuned to a slightly different design grammar than are Europeans, and I can see them being sold to people who aren't traditional Jaguar owners. Probably younger than the average accountant, and more likely to be in software engineering.

Would I buy one? No. Do I see it being highly successful? Hell yes.

pthelazyjourno

1,848 posts

168 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
Baryonyx said:
It looks fine from behind, but the side-on angle makes it look huge and bulky. Maybe it is, they say cars are getting bigger!



Compared to say...

Thing is, compare any £80k car with an MX5 and they look massive, for a (relatively) modern car the early MX5 is tiny. Only thing smaller is an Elise, and look at what you get with that!!

More expensive cars are always bigger - they have more of everything. Plusher interiors, vastly improved sound proofing, big engines, huge wheels etc etc. Always results in a car that looks great on its own, but surprisingly large when you compare it to anything else.



ohtari

805 posts

143 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
VinceFox said:
Manual?
I heard this from a Jag test engineer last october (who had one parked in stafford). He said that a manual was on the way next year, along with the HARD TOP version. I wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't from the horses mouth.

The v8 s makes a noise that will make you question things!

MissChief

7,095 posts

167 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
Problem is, despite all Jaguar's attempts, as an Open Top Sports car any buyer is going to look at this. And then look at a Porsche Boxster which is the thick end of £10k cheaper. Now if they made a Coupe version and offered a Soft top along side it, they might get away with it, but as it is it's too expensive. It doesn;t directly compare to a 911. Also a lot fo people 'will always buy a 911' because it's a Porsche 911. It's still some peoples idea of the Ultimate 'affordable' Sports car.

HeMightBeBanned

617 posts

177 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
Porsche blah blah blah. Yawn. Pistonheads is so predictable.

It's clearly a great car. Look on it as an Aston Vantage competitor (in V8S form) and it's stonking value.

Be happy that a British company has built a great car. Lift yourselves above the gloom of austerity and celebrate the fact.

But most of all, stop crapping on about default Porsches.

Looking forward to the manual coupé smile

unrepentant

21,212 posts

255 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
HeMightBeBanned said:
Porsche blah blah blah. Yawn. Pistonheads is so predictable.

It's clearly a great car. Look on it as an Aston Vantage competitor (in V8S form) and it's stonking value.

Be happy that a British company has built a great car. Lift yourselves above the gloom of austerity and celebrate the fact.

But most of all, stop crapping on about default Porsches.

Looking forward to the manual coupé smile
yes

It's a brilliant new car and will sell well. We've been waiting for it since 1975. Well done JLR. What a fantastic few years since TATA took over. Brilliant new XJ, fantastic Evoque, utterly incredible new FFRR, great new Sport and now a truly exceptional new Jaguar sports car. And more to come..

It's British and it's great. Be proud, I am.

minipower

896 posts

218 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
It looks fantastic. I think seeing it in the metal will make it look sleeker than it does in the photo.
The interior looks lovely, but I cannot understand why they chose brown and black to go together.

chickensoup

469 posts

254 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
I am normally a convertible man, but this is a car I want in hardtop

Alex

9,975 posts

283 months

Wednesday 17th April 2013
quotequote all
Top speeds are "electronically limited" to 161mph (V6), 171mph (V6S) and 186mph (V8S).

Is that right? What will the V8S do without the limiter? 187mph?