Jaguar F-TYPE 2015 Review

Jaguar F-TYPE (manual coupe)
Road Test

One issue often lamented by fans of Jaguar's F-TYPE was the lack of a manual transmission. Now, for the 2016 model year the F-TYPE comes with a six-speed gearbox in coupe and convertible, but not the V8-engined F-TYPE R or the variants with all-wheel drive. While the automatic variants are likely to remain more popular, the manual at least places the F-TYPE on a level playing field with rivals like the Porsche Cayman.

The six-speed manual now available in the Jaguar F-TYPE has had a profound effect on the sports car's nature. Whereas the automatic variant of the F-TYPE is a car anyone can drive, the more demanding nature of the manual variant changes a driver's whole perception of the car.

According to Jaguar's own figures the automatic F-TYPE charges from standstill to 100km/h in 5.3secs, versus 5.7 for the manual. Yet the manual feels faster and punchier than the auto. Perhaps it's in the nature of slushboxes – even the worthy ZF eight-speed – to round the rough edges off power delivery when the car isn't being driven to the limit. There's more 'talk' between automatic transmission and the engine, no doubt, whereas the manual is very much a slave to the driver's whim.

Perhaps too, the manual is actually quicker in-gear, and the difference in acceleration times is down to the 'lengthy' interval it takes for even the most dexterous driver to change gear. That's certainly how I feel about the manual F-TYPE after driving one for a week.

On first impressions, the V6 seems a little fractious with the manual box, more so than with the automatic transmission. It's hard to get the throttle and clutch right for gentler driving.

With just over 4000km on the clock, the F-TYPE was a bit sticky in the shifting department. While it provided altogether better shifting than Tremec boxes encountered in locally-built Fords and Holdens, it wasn't as easy to use as other manual transmissions tried in recent years – including one diesel SUV with a transverse engine!The short lever was light and the gates were about the right size and distance apart, but the mechanicals seemed to baulk changing into certain gears. Second was a challenge, not helped at all by where it was located.

Others have complained the clutch is too light and there's not enough depth or feel in the take-up band, but I found it was fine.

Forget slow changes and finesse in the Jag though. With only one other seat in the car there's not much point in driving it like a chauffeur anyway. I found the best result was to slam it as fast as possible from one gear to the next. Get it right and the Jaguar would deliver swift gear changes that were about as smooth as you could hope to achieve in even the best of circumstances. Suddenly the F-TYPE seemed transformed. There is a point to this car after all, and not just because it's cheaper than the automatic version.

The epiphany occurred late at night on a stretch of empty road. The Jaguar impressed with its cornering ability and the potent straight-line performance, as expected. Steering response was rapid and the car's combination of roadholding and handling was brilliant. Keeping power applied ultimately overpowers the front wheels, but the car straightens up predictably with a hint of lift-off oversteer (which never becomes an issue, thanks to the passive dynamics and electronic safety nannies). At lower speeds the Jaguar's brakes are a little touchy, but they're very strong and dependable at higher speeds.

The engine's native torque is an out-and-out blessing. Hauling from 3000rpm right up to redline meant one gear could do the job into and out of long, wide-radius turns – facilitating both engine braking and acceleration appropriately. The engine was also snappy enough to build revs for double-declutching to find the right gear.

With so much exploitable torque from the supercharged V6, short shifting or holding higher gears longer eases the chore of shifting manually in traffic. The engine is docile and refined at speeds down to just 1000rpm. But it doesn't mind a full blooded run right up to the redline either. Plant the foot and the V6 delivers performance from almost anywhere in the rev range.

The engine starts with a bark, as do other Jaguars, and with the bi-modal exhaust system operating the F-TYPE bellows more like a bear than a Jaguar, frankly. On the overrun it crackles like a grizzly with a bad case of bronchitis. I can't imagine anyone not loving this engine for its character.

Even without the bi-modal exhaust enabled, the Jaguar's engine – with a subtle supercharger whine present – can be heard at cruising speed. Wind noise is the major source of NVH at speed, although tyre noise matches it on country roads. Fuel consumption of 13.5L/100km for the week was only marginally worse than the Porsche Cayman and Cayman S tested back to back recently.

Other than the debatable gear shift lever location, the F-TYPE's driving position is commendable but not perfect. Like the Jaguar XE recently tested, the speedo increments are rather fine and hard to read at a glance, so you become a bit dependent on the digital speedo in the info display between the speedo and tacho.

The seats are form-fitting and snug, yet comfortable and easy to enter or leave. Style and presentation in the cabin is up to Jaguar's usual standard. Climate control vents above the centre fascia rise out of the dash top to surprise and delight first-time occupants. The infotainment screen, like others, only displays one type of information at a time, so making a phone call while relying on the sat-nav map is a bit hit-and-miss. And on the subject of the sat-nav, it's not as user-friendly as other systems. It took a while to discover how to cancel route guidance, for instance.

Something of a misnomer, the space-saver spare plonked down in the middle of the boot leaves very little room free.

Leaving aside issues of practicality, however, the F-TYPE is a car to flatter the driver in point-to-point motoring. You can run it right up to the last smidgeon of grip and still feel certain about its behaviour and what it will do next – if anything. In this sort of driving the manual box does complement the package. I would be confident the automatic could be similarly good, if not faster in a straight line. There's no doubt, however, that the F-TYPE is a car of markedly enhanced character with the manual transmission.

The upshot of all this? I still love the F-TYPE... but would never order one with the manual transmission. If I were only driving it for track days at the weekend, however, that might be a whole different matter.

2015 Jaguar F-TYPE pricing and specifications:
Price: $138,785 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder supercharged-petrol
Output: 250kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 9.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 234g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

Also consider:
>> BMW Z4 sDrive35is (from $118,685 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 (from $125,400 plus ORCs)
>> Porsche Cayman S (from $139,000 plus ORCs)

Congratulations to Ken Gratton on posting his 500th review