Jaguar F-TYPE SVR 2017 Review

Gearing up for take-off

Fun fact: it takes a Boeing 747-400 jumbo, depending on load, a speed north of 260km/h to leave the ground and drag its low-slung belly into the sky.

Typically, you’d need 4km worth of runway to be safe, along with a team of ground staff and engineers.

Conceptually, the 747 shares very little in common with a convertible, and you may rightfully question the link with Jaguar’s $308,470 (plus on-road costs) F-TYPE SVR. One carts up to 364 passengers and regularly completes transcontinental journeys; the other barely squeezes two passengers and a picnic basket.

But, as the fastest series production Jaguar yet, and second outright only to the limited-edition XJ220 from the ’90s, the new F-TYPE SVR should theoretically be able to do what the 747 cannot: reach optimum take-off speed in a distance well short of the prescribed 4km stretch.

So, we assembled both for a test.

The exercise takes place south of Wollongong, NSW, at the Illawarra Regional Airport. The main 1819m runway is used predominantly for private aircraft, emergency services and charter flights. Its nearby hangar is also the final resting place for former Qantas 747-400 jumbo VH-OJA, the exact plane that completed the world’s longest commercial flight between Sydney and London back in 1989.

For the purposes of this exercise, the 747 rests idle (it has no engines) and the airport has been closed-off for a short but sweet full-tilt blast in the SVR. No braking markers or engineers required here, just some healthy ‘pilot’ discretion.

Sonic Velocity Rating?
With a top rated speed of 314km/h in convertible guise – or 322km/h in the case of the coupe, which costs $289,590 (plus on-road costs) – the SVR badging that adorns the F-TYPE’s well-proportioned rear designates the work of Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations team. Though you could argue it simply reflects some type of Sonic Velocity Rating.

The newly-devised juggernaut is based on the ‘garden-variety’ F-TYPE R, employing the same 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine. Thanks to a series of underbody changes including larger air intakes, beefier charge-air cooler and bolstered cooling system also shared with the F-TYPE Project 7, the SVR joins some elite company from an acceleration standpoint – especially given its front-engine, all-wheel drive underpinnings.

Overall power is ratcheted 19kW from the R to 423kW, while torque is lifted 20Nm to 700Nm. The changes are enough to whittle 0.4sec from the donor car’s official 0-100km/h time; a resulting 3.7sec for the SVR.

Also assisting in forward propulsion is a revised eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission promising faster shifts, 10mm wider rubber (265/35 and 305/30-section front and rear) wrapping lightweight 20-inch alloy and a re-worked all-wheel drive system that conspires with an active electronic rear differential for optimum torque distribution across all four wheels.

From a handling viewpoint the SVR scores a bolstered aluminium double-wishbone suspension comprising a softer (by five per cent) front anti-roll bar and firmer (by five per cent) rear anti-roll bar. Massive 380mm front and 376mm rear steel discs are offered standard, the former wrapped by six-piston calipers and the latter four-piston calipers.

Sound is also a key component of the SVR. Its revised quad exhaust system employs titanium and Inconel (a nickel alloy containing iron and chromium) properties to shed 16kg of weight from the regular steel counterpart, contributing to a total kerb mass of 1860kg.

The exhaust is active, in essence giving the driver a loud button to exploit the car’s delicious bark under acceleration and crackle on over-run. It’s seriously beautiful stuff.

Getting up to speed

Before we get to the high-speed airport run, it is worth remarking on the Jaguar’s ease of use on everyday roads.

In daily conveyance, with the electronic parameters geared to comfort, it is a car your nanna could drive. The engine feels docile, the torque converter transmission isn’t binding or lurchy from a standstill like modern dual-clutch units and the steering is light enough for low-speed chores.

Furthermore, the convertible is quiet and nicely isolated from the outside elements. Press the button to stow the roof – a 10-second process that can be performed at speeds of up to 50km/h – and the cabin remains well insulated from buffeting and road noise; so much so that it’s possible to hold a conversation with the person next to you or on the phone at 100km/h.

While all of this is seemingly at odds with the SVR’s standing, the dual-purpose nature is an important feature of modern sportscars, and there’s no doubting the Jaguar does it better than most.

Sure, the car’s sporty premise isn’t infallible; the suspension feels hunkered down to the road and becomes busy over everyday surface blemishes. It will even thud prominently over cat’s eyes and road joins. But for the most part the SVR manages to resist crashing or jarring over larger imperfections and, importantly for the convertible, is essentially immune to scuttle shake through the windscreen.

Up the tempo and the SVR simply revels in the conditions, serving the driver with incredible ease of use, turn-in response and immense lateral grip.

This is a car that invokes a healthy degree of driver involvement; it bobs and weaves like a prized fighter on twisty bitumen, amounting to a raw and visceral on-the-limit feel.

One of the real hallmarks of Jaguar’s handy work is the car’s all-wheel drive system. On the right piece of road, it doesn’t take long to come to grips with the car’s rear-drive bias, a factor which allows you to get tail-happy out of corners – all in a controlled manner, of course.

If anything, the big V8 slugger residing in the engine bay is a constant consideration; its mass means the F-TYPE doesn’t feel as agile during quick changes in directions as something mid-engined.

What the supercharged V8 does endow is immediate throttle response. At no point do you ever think ‘why aren’t I accelerating faster?’ – instead, the snarling eight is prodigious in summoning its full complement of power and torque from virtually any point. It never feels short of breath.

Conversely, the Jag’s eight-speed auto is a little behind the times. Its smooth shifts and decent spread of ratios are on point, however, the speed of the shifts can sometimes impede progress, even when making use of the steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The car’s electrically-assisted steering feels perhaps a little over-compensated in dynamic driving, too, lacking the weight and feedback of Porsche’s 911. Otherwise, it is precise and accurate.

Interior befitting of a flagship

The F-TYPE doesn’t stray too far from the F-TYPE R donor car inside, which is no bad thing.

There’s no massive door seal to clamber over and the car’s front and rear outlook is surprisingly accommodating for a two-seat convertible. The plastic rear windscreen even features a demister function.

There are some omissions, namely in storage, but at a pinch, this is a venerable ‘supercar’ you could live with day-to-day. The convertible’s 196-litre boot means you’d need to pack judiciously for weekends away, but that’s OK.

An 8.0-inch touchscreen conveys the car’s infotainment functions, which include Bluetooth, digital radio and satellite navigation – each individually controllable by a separate digital screen within the driver instrument cluster. Depending on which media package you select from new, the SVR gets a 380-watt or impressive 770-watt Meridian sound system.

There’s ambient lighting, which changes depending on which driver mode you’ve selected, and while the dashboard isn’t the latest word in design and includes some plastic-feeling trims, it presents clearly and concisely.

The Jag’s well-bolstered quilted leather seats are equally attuned to long-range comfort and support during back-road blasts. Blue stitching to match our car’s Ultra Blue livery is tastefully applied through the cabin.

Cleared for take-off

So, the big test – three runs of the Illawarra Regional Airport strip.

As the clock strikes 6:30am, the message comes over the radio that we are cleared for take-off. Three, two one … POW!

The initial acceleration is insane. There is no squirming from the tyres, no delay; just a brutal sledgehammer-like shove in the back. The sound and theatre from inside the cockpit is mesmerising.

By 100km/h, the SVR is already exploiting the benefits of a wider front bumper, which serves to mask aerodynamic turbulence created in the wheel wells, as well as an extended front valance and under-tray, which reduce lift and drag. Furthermore, a tray concealing the underside of the car further reduces lift, working in unison with the two-stage carbon fibre rear wing, which aids in down-force.

The resulting reassurance at speed prompts me to continue pushing. As we approach the 900-metre halfway point of the runway, the digital speedo already reads north of 220km/h and the cabin feels as though I’m trapped in some kind of high-speed vortex.

It has been smooth sailing to this point. Simply mash the accelerator and stand back. But with the end of the runway fast approaching, it’s time to start gauging when to brake.

On the first run, the speedometer needle nudges 265km/h – enough to appease our 747 take-off simulation. Not knowing the effectiveness of our car’s optioned carbon ceramic stoppers, it would be remiss of me not to leave some wiggle room.

The entire test soon becomes an exercise in curiosity: how fast can I get to before I run out of runway? This is emphatically answered in the third and final run: 276km/h.

From this point, the F-TYPE only just manages to wash off speed in time for the end of the runway (full disclosure: we needed a further 20 metres of grass strip to arrest all of that speed). I can confidently say that I gave it my best shot.

Smashing the F-TYPE ’s brakes from high speed on three occasions reveals an increasingly long pedal action. But importantly the optional carbon ceramics aren’t prone to fade. Equally remarkable is the SVR’s composure under intense braking; there’s no out-of-place squirming or body pitch to speak of.

That the SVR goes really fast in a straight line is something of a moot point. The newly-anointed flagship is equally about pace and pedigree, and in both regards, it lives up to the tag.

Just like the old Qantas bomber in its heyday, you suspect the SVR will remain the flagship of the Jaguar portfolio for several years to come. And deservedly so.

2017 Jaguar F-TYPE SVR convertible pricing and specifications:

Price: $308,470 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.0-litre eight-cylinder supercharged-petrol
Output: 423kW/700Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Fuel: 11.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 269g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A