Jaguar F-TYPE British Design Edition Coupe 2017 Review

Jaguar F-TYPE British Design Edition Coupe 2017
Road Test

The Jaguar F-TYPE is already an exercise in elegant engineering but the new British Design Edition aims to up the ante, turning this modern icon into a collectible masterpiece. Like all good grandmasters, however, this update will cost you serious coin, especially if you opt for some of the added extras.

As if we really needed a reminder that Jaguar is, at heart, a British sports car company (regardless of its ownership), the new Jaguar F-TYPE British Design Edition has been introduced to Australia, leaving no doubt as to its heritage.

Based on the Jaguar F-TYPE S, which placed fourth in our 2016 Australia’s Best Driver’s Car Awards, the British Design Edition adds performance, styling and technology upgrades that enhance the Jaguar’s already compelling position as a standout performance car. However, this edition comes at a cost. Be prepared to shell out another $30,000 over the price of the standard F-TYPE AWD S once you factor in the additions and optional extras fitted to this test vehicle.

As you would anticipate with any car bearing the British moniker, there's plenty of clear indicators that point to its origins. For a start, it is only available in red, white or blue (or special-order black) and it flies the Union Jack on the rear badge, an embossed flag on the leather seats and an engraved flag on the unique treadplates.

The F-TYPE British Design Edition is available in a choice of two-door coupe or convertible with either a manual or automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Whichever combination you choose, the powerplant remains the same – it’s the incredibly responsive and grin-inducing 280kW, 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol engine that we drove extensively on the roads and tracks of Tasmania back in March.

We tested the British Design Edition in the swoopy-coupe body style. The 460Nm engine was paired with the excellent eight-speed automatic transmission in an all-wheel drive configuration. Given the drive period saw the car meet snow on more than one occasion, the drive to all four wheels was a welcome feature, delivering confident motoring in relatively sketchy road conditions.

The F-TYPE's sports suspension includes adaptive dynamics, which enhance the sports feel of the car through improved throttle response and greater steering feedback. Delightfully, the suspension is not as sharp as in other European sports-oriented vehicles, so in dynamic mode it doesn't bottom out or jar on bumps. In fact, for a sports car with a low centre of gravity and a low seating position, it's an easy car to cope with on the open road.

The rear-biased all-wheel drive system encourages spirited driving and even on wet and slippery roads there was no need to tiptoe the Jaguar around corners, as it is perfectly balanced thanks in part to its added limited-slip differential that includes torque vectoring.

Included as an added feature to boost the F-TYPE's pipes is an active sports exhaust which has one of the best artificial notes of any sports car, although it does sound like you're giving the car a fair bit more boot than you actually are. Expect disapproving looks from pedestrians, cyclists and fellow motorists as you pass by at the correct speed limit, as your Jaguar will be making noises like it's at full throttle.

Much of the dynamic performance of the British Design Edition reflects the composed road-holding characteristics that we experienced in Tasmania. For more detail on our thoughts there, hit up our Australia’s Best Driver’s Car summary of the AWD F-TYPE S.

With the same composure and similar overall driveability, we're left to pick through the bells and whistles to work out whether the additions are worth the extra expense.

The standard Jaguar F-TYPE S AWD with automatic transmission retails from $173,066 plus on-road costs, yet the British Design Edition will set you back $190,762. With options, some of which you certainly expect to see as standard fitment on a car at this price, our test vehicle weighed in at $204,402 plus on-road costs. So what are we getting for the extra dough?

Let's start with the design features. We already mentioned the Brit-heavy branding but the new details also extend to include a uniquely designed 20-inch alloy wheel finished in satin dark grey, carbon fibre console details on the interior and a sports design pack which adds aerodynamic splitter, side sills and a rear diffuser.

The side sills, while adding an extra dimension to the F-TYPE's styling, do look like they could give cause for concern with regular usage. The driver's side sill had sustained some paint chips from previous use and on entering and exiting the vehicle, it's easy to see how they could be knocked or scraped.

Performance-wise there are some noticeable and appreciated upgrades for the British Design Edition. Super Performance brakes including 380mm front and 376mm rear brake discs are teamed with red calipers to ensure the Jaguar pulls up cleanly and swiftly.

Sports suspension with adaptive dynamics as well as a limited-slip differential are also included on the British Design Edition but the configurable dynamic mode, which is standard on both the F-TYPE R and F-TYPE SVR, is a $3860 option.

If you're intending to take your car on track, which is where you will get the most from your $200,000, then the option is probably worth it as it allows the driver to make their own dynamic choices as well as viewing G forces, lap times and throttle, braking and steering inputs. For a driver's car, this is a definite driver's option.

Technology wise, the Jaguar F-TYPE British Design Edition is lacking somewhat in included features. A parking pack including front park aid and a reversing camera is standard, yet blind spot monitoring and close vehicle sensing are a $1500 option. A convenience pack comprising dual-zone air conditioning and adaptive headlights with intelligent high beam – all features you could argue should be standard inclusions – is an additional $3680.

There's also no standard park assist or surround camera, which would be handy in a car of these dimensions and limited rearward vision. Neither is there adaptive cruise control nor autonomous braking. While it is upgraded for the special edition, the 380W Meridian sound system lacks the clarity of the larger 825W system tested in the Range Rover Vogue SE recently. DAB+ radio, while standard in the cheapest of cheap cars, will set you back $600 in the F-TYPE.

Rounding out the options list is the climate pack, which for $1410 adds heated seats and a heated steering wheel – so welcome in that snowy weather. A $2000 panoramic sunroof is beautiful in the winter sunshine but it doesn't open so it's a pretty expensive sheet of glass, while $590 is a bit sharp for a set of stainless pedals – especially as there's only two on this model.

So we're left asking whether the British Design Edition is really worth the extra money. The styling updates are effective, and the addition of the limited-slip differential will be appreciated on track days, but we think for regular weekend sports car fun, the Jaguar F-TYPE S AWD is all the car you need. Buy that instead of the British Design Edition and you'll be able to afford a trip to the UK with the change.

2017 Jaguar F-TYPE British Design Edition pricing and specifications:
Price as tested: $204,402 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol
Output: 280kW/460Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic transmission with quickshift
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 211g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A

Also consider:
>> Porsche 911 Carrera S (from $252,800 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-AMG GT (from $294,610 plus ORCs)
>> Jaguar F-Type R  (from $242,670 plus ORCs)