Jaguar F-TYPE 2013 Review

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As such, Jaguar says the F-TYPE is its most important model since the E-Type appeared in 1961 because -- in a tacit admission its XK coupe and convertible is not a ‘proper’ sportscar -- it marks the brand’s return to a market segment that accounts for less than one per cent of all vehicles sold globally, but offers an immeasurable trickle-down effect for the car-makers that compete in it.

Highlighting its importance in terms of brand value, full-size models like the F-TYPE comprise just 15 per cent of the global sports car segment, but translate into credibility money can’t buy. Since it doesn’t have one, Jaguar expects no less than 90 per cent of F-TYPE buyers to be first-time Jaguar owners.

“Jaguar without a sports car is like Sydney without the Opera House,” says Jaguar Australia Brand Manager, Mark Eedle.

“We’ve been absent from that segment for way too long and, as a result, our awareness and consideration levels are much lower than our competitors’.”

For now, the three-variant F-TYPE roadster line-up comprises the entry-level V6 ($138,645 plus on-road costs), mid-range V6 S ($171,045 plus ORCs) and range-topping V8 S, priced at $201,945 (plus ORCs), which is slightly lower than announced on May 1 due to the higher Luxury Car Tax threshold from July 1.

All F-TYPEs come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, fuel-saving idle stop-start function, sports suspension, Dynamic mode, bi-function xenon headlights with washers and LED signature lights, LED tail-lights, deployable exterior door-handles, a deployable rear wing, a powered soft-top roof and sports seats with six-way power height and recline adjustment.

Also standard across the range is single-zone climate-control, cruise control, speed-limiter, trip computer, auto-dimming interior mirror, ambient interior lighting, keyless entry/starting, an eight-inch colour touch-screen, satellite-navigation, 380-Watt 10-speaker single-CD Meridian sound system with Bluetooth/USB/AUX connectivity, power windows/mirrors and a space-saver alloy spare wheel.

Key features of the base model include 18-inch ‘Vela’ alloy wheels, twin central exhaust outlets, sliver brake calipers, a mechanical open differential, leather and ‘Suedecloth’ seat facings, ‘Light Hex Aluminium’ console trim, Satin Chrome rollover bars, a three-spoke leather-clad steering wheel with black shifters and ambient interior lighting.

The F-TYPE S rides on 19-inch ‘Propellor’ alloys and sports suspension with Adaptive Dynamics variable damping, and also adds an Active Sports Exhaust, upgraded brakes with red callipers, limited-slip differential, leather seat facings, ‘Ignis’ gearshift paddles, ‘Dark Hex Aluminium’ console trim and dual-colour configurable ambient interior lighting with mixing palette.

Befitting its position at the top of the line-up, the F-TYPE V8 S scores 20-inch ‘Turbine Silver’ alloys, quad exhaust outlets, ‘super-performance’ brakes with red callipers, an electronic active differential, ‘Gloss Black’ rollover hoops and matching two-piece raised bonnet vents.

A host of optional extras are available for all models, including automatic wipers ($510),wind deflector ($550), digital radio ($600), tyre pressure monitoring ($750), reversing camera ($830), automatic high-beam ($865), dual-zone climate-control ($980), heated seats ($1100), front parking sensors ($1200), adaptive headlights with cornering lamps ($1500), blind-spot monitoring ($1500), metallic paint ($2810), premium leather upholstery ($3970), switchable active sports exhaust ($260 for S models, $5200 for the entry variant), a 770-Watt 12-speaker Meridian surround sound system ($6900) and no fewer than 25 different wheel and tyre combinations.

Further options include 14-way power-adjustable seats with memory, illuminated tread plates, bright stainless steel pedals, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, an extended range of exterior colours and premium carpet mats.

Jaguar Australia has already taken more than 40 F-TYPE orders and expects each of the three variants to attract a similar number of customers as they do overseas, but expected demand of up to 200 examples per year could outstrip supplies of around 120 per annum.

Sales of the F-TYPE coupe, which Jaguar will reveal by the end of this year, are expected to be at least double that of the convertible.

Apart from a limited-slip diff, an Active Sports Exhaust, 19-inch alloys, ‘Adaptive Dynamics’ dampers, upgraded brakes, full leather trim, configurable ambient lighting and ‘Dark Hex’ aluminium accents, the V6 S adds a more powerful (280kW/460Nm) V6 to hit 100km/h in a claimed 4.9 seconds, a 275km/h top speed. Fuel consumption is 9.1L/100km and kerb weight 1614kg.

Topping the line-up is the F-TYPE V8 S, powered by Jaguar’s top-shelf 364kW/625Nm 5.0-litre V8. Hitting the scales at 1665kg, it can hit 100km/h in 4.3 seconds on its way to a 300km/h top speed, and consumes 11.1L/100km. The V8 drives through an electronic limited-slip diff, rides on 20-inch alloys and features quad exhaust outlets, upgraded brakes with red callipers and gloss-black rollover hoops.
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The steering wheel and seats offer enough adjustment (both electrically, with the exception of seat travel on the base model) to suit a wide range of body shapes and there’s a large glovebox, centre console bin and door pockets, although the cup-holders are poorly positioned behind the gearshifter.

Boot space is tiny, however, offering just 196 litres or enough for a couple of small soft bags, but shrinking to a puny 148 litres with the space-saver spare sitting in the middle of the load space.

As you’d expect for a two-seat Jag though, the F-TYPE brings a number of firsts for the historic brand.

Using the all-aluminium D7A platform created under Ford ownership for the 2+2 XK as its starting point, the F-TYPE rides on an effectively all-new chassis featuring wheel tracks that are six per cent wider than the 911’s and 38mm wider than the XK’s.

Shorter overall at 4470mm, the F-TYPE body measures a broad 1923mm wide and just 1296mm high. Its all-alloy body (composite boot lid aside) is claimed to deliver 30 per cent more lateral stiffness than any previous Jaguar convertible, while the ratio of the hydraulic power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering system is 10 per cent quicker than any other Jag and there’s 35 per cent more negative wheel camber than any other Jaguar -- including the R cars

All models come with a Dynamic mode offering quicker throttle, transmission, steering and suspension response, while the F-TYPE’s forged aluminium double wishbone suspension comes with variable damping in S models, which also gain a limited-slip diff -- electronic in the V8, mechanical for the V6, which has the highest specific power output of any Jag.

The ZF-sourced Quickshift eight-speed automatic transmission -- fitted as standard with steering wheel shift paddles -- is claimed to shift 50 per cent quicker than any other Jaguar and offers full torque converter lock-up in all gears.

The base F-TYPE is braked by 354mm/325mm front/rear discs, with the V6 S gaining 380mm front rotors and the V8 S adding 376mm rear discs.

Jaguar says the slippery F-TYPE body’s aerodynamics are aided by a flush underbody, concealed door-handles that present themselves at the push of a button, a rear spoiler that rises above 100km/h to cut lift by up to 120kg and a well-shaped Z-folding soft-top that opens/closes in 12 seconds.

Jaguar is offering free scheduled servicing for the first three years or 100,000km.

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Chief among them are electronic stability control with track mode, electronic brake-force distribution, emergency brake assist, anti-lock brakes, twin front and side airbags, an automatic electric parking brake, rear parking sensors, rollover protection bars and an automatic deploying bonnet for pedestrian safety.??However, a surprising number of safety items remain optional, including tyre pressure monitoring ($750), a reversing camera ($830) and blind-spot monitoring ($1500).
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To justify this, it points out the F-TYPE is a full-size sports car with wider wheel tracks than the 911, and that its engines are all more powerful than the entry-level 911 (with the exception of the base model’s V6, which is 7kW less powerful than the base 911’s 257kW 3.4-litre flat six).

However, at 1525kg, the base 911 Cabriolet is also about 75kg lighter than the lightest F-TYPE, which is also almost 300kg heavier than the entry-level Boxster (1310kg), making the cheapest F-TYPE at least two-tenths slower to 100km/h than both Porsches.

And while all three models are rear-wheel drive, the F-TYPE is front-engined, while the Boxster’s engines are mid-mounted and the 911’s are at the rear, and no manual transmission will be available.

But with significantly more weight than the rear-engined Porsche, let alone the mid-engined Boxster, the front-engined F-TYPE is a joy to drive for entirely different reasons.

First there’s the magnificent V6 and V8 engines, all of which deliver fistfuls of torque and a cracking sound track at any revs -- the V8 S flagship most noticeably so with its bi-model exhaust valves offering spine-tingling pops and crackles on the overrun.

Even the base V6 is sonorous, offering an exhaust note akin to the lauded Alfa Romeo GTV6, but the sound of the glorious V8 echoing against the sandstone cuttings that line the Old Pacific Highway north of Sydney will stay with us long after we’ve forgotten the rest of the Australian media launch.

The eight-speed auto is perfectly matched to all engines too, offering upshifts almost as quick as in Porsche’s finest dual-clutch gearboxes, downshifts accompanied by a Schumacher-like throttle blip and the ability to bounce off the rev-limiter in full manual override mode.

Equally satisfying is the F-TYPE’s beautifully designed and crafted interior, which offers plenty of stretching space for a two-seat convertible, even if the cup-holders are in the wrong position and boot space borders on useless.

Living up to the promise of the beautifully proportioned exterior is a chassis that is significantly lighter and more purposeful than the XK’s, its feeling of solidity and agility aided by powerful brakes and responsive steering in all models.

Gentle, progressive understeer arrives at the limit of adhesion in all three F-TYPEs, but all three deliver their power to the rear wheels in subtly different ways.

The base V6’s open diff makes its rear-end less tail-happy and predictable than the LSD in the V6 S we drove on a closed road, while an e-diff gets the V8’s torque to the tarmac even more efficiently, although it’s a little nose-heavier and the extra truckload of performance makes power oversteer just a throttle prod away in almost any gear.

No, the F-TYPE doesn’t offer the poise and on-the-limit adjustability of the mid-engined Boxster, nor the 911’s trademark power-down prowess out of corners, or the feedback of either car’s electric steering.

It always feels heavier and less polished than both Porsches too, even if its glorious engines -- especially the V8 -- always make it feel quicker than the German pair’s relatively dull sounding boxer engines.

But the F-TYPE has a character all of its own and depth of engineering quality that goes beyond its gob-smacking good looks and red-blooded engines, as we discovered after our less than convincing introduction on home soil.

Driving a base V6 with standard 18-inch rubber on a particularly bumpy Hunter Valley backroad, the ride was so sharp and choppy that a skipping rear-end instilled no confidence to go even mildly quickly.

Bigger road lumps and holes even made the A-pillars shake and the rear-vision mirror go blurry as the body struggled to cope with the brittle suspension set-up, which is something the 911’s relatively compliant suspension and impeccable body integrity would never allow.

Back in a V8 S for the trip back to Sydney, the flagship model and its standard variable damping presented no such issues -- despite riding on larger 20-inch alloys and lower-profile Pirelli P Zero rubber.

So if you’re enamoured by the F-TYPE’s sultry looks and cachet value, choose an S model with adaptive damping and no expensive options and we’ll wager you’ll revel in the brilliance of this exclusive new Jaguar for many years to come -- and save at least $27,000.

But the 911 Cabriolet and Boxster S are still the sharpest tools in this shed, and the latter costs at least $12K less without options.

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