The Jaguar’s F-Type It’s been a long wait, but finally it’s here.
JAGUAR’S F-Type has had one of the longest build-ups of any car in recent years, but all the hype now has to stop and the car itself is required to do the talking. Jaguar says the F-Type is it’s
first ‘proper’ sports car in 52 years, and as the name suggests it has to follow in the footsteps of the E-Type. Massive shoes to fill of course, but view one alongside the other and you can see lineage, but not pastiche. The F-Type nods to its great grandparent in the cut-off nose and high rear deck, but it’s a thoroughly modern design. It pulls the neat trick of looking sensational in a range of colours and the option of light or dark wheels gives extra scope for tailoring. Looks wise, it’s a solid- gold hit. It’s clever with it, being
sculpted out of aluminium just like the bigger XJ saloon. That helps to keep the weight down while remaining as strong as a conventional steel structure, and ups the recyclability too. It’s a convertible only of course, but the wise decision to stick with a fabric roof means a 12-second raising or lowering routine and no unsightly design compromises. It’s a strict two- seater and the boot is modest but you could fit a generous weekend’s luggage in there without having to skimp. Approach the door, press a
button to pop out the flush- fitting door handle – a feature that keeps the overall design slick – and drop into the driver’s seat. It’s snug but not cramped, and aside from the button- covered steering wheel the cabin is a lesson in simplicity. A row of straightforward switches, the familiar Jag touch-screen and neat new climate controls complete the job. The joystick-
84 COTSWOLDESSENCE | September - November 2013
like gearlever encourages you to ‘fire’ it when selecting Drive by pushing the trigger-like button; a clever ploy to get you in the mood. The three-model range
comprises of the F-Type V6, F-Type V6S and the top V8S. The only thing telling them apart is a discreet badge front and rear plus quad exhaust pipes on the V8S. But it’s still a Jaguar. It’s unquestionably fast too.
The F-Type starts with 335bhp and if you never sampled the more powerful versions you’d think it was plenty. With eight gears to flick through the supercharged V6 spins up quickly and always has torque to spare. But if you can spare the extra cash the 375bhp of the V6S is welcome. The V8S is a monster; the chassis is more than capable of coping with almost 490bhp, and the resulting acceleration, speed and noise are truly breathtaking – it’s a devilish delight. Jaguar has delivered a truly
superb car. It has the looks and performance beyond what you might hope for, but better than that it also rides superbly, is easy to use and has some smart design too. For sports cars at least, 2013 belongs to Jaguar.
FACTS AT A GLANCE Prices start from: £67,520
Engine: 3.0-litre petrol unit producing 375bhp and 339lb.ft of torque Transmission: Eight-speed automatic driving the rear wheels Performance: Top speed 171mph, 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds Economy: 31mpg combined Emissions: 213g/km of CO2
www.cotswoldessence.co.uk
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