More than just a hot body, Jaguar's all-new F-type is also ferocious on the track. In V8 form especially, it growls and slides through the corners with classic sports car handling.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Jaguar demonstrated how its F-type not only harkens to a great era in design for the company, but also highlights its performance heritage at a driving event across the bay from San Francisco. The company let CNET drive both the F-type S and the F-type V8 S on a fast cone course, testing the acceleration, handling, and braking.
This particular F-type is the V8 S model, meaning it is powered by a direct injection 5-liter V-8 engine topped by a supercharger, making 495 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. The next model down, the S, gets a direct injection 3-liter V-6, also supercharged, good for 380 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. The base model, with a similar engine configuration to the S, makes 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque.
A roadster design, the F-type has a soft top that Jaguar says retracts in about 12 seconds. The power-operated top can be raised or lowered at up to 30 mph. An aluminum body helps keep the total weight down near the 3,500-pound mark.
On the track, the F-type's traction control, in its sport setting, lets the rear end hang out a bit for a more engaging experience. The V8 S version gets quad exhausts, while the base and S versions feature dual pipes.
Jaguar's recent model lineup has shown excellent cabin quality, and the F-type benefits from this emphasis. The seats are covered in a thick leather, while the switchgear has a feeling of quality.
Paddle shifters behind the wheel spokes allow manual gear changes for the eight-speed automatic transmission. The wheel delivers quick turn-in, which proved crucial on the tight turns of the cone course we drove.
The center console features a hand-grip shifter, unlike the dial drive selectors used on other Jaguar models. A switch to the left of the shifter puts the car into its Dynamic mode, which affects throttle, transmission, and steering.
The navigation system comes standard on all F-type versions, along with digital audio source integration and a Meridian audio system. Unfortunately, Jaguar cabin electronics we have tested in other models have been laggy, which does not bode well for the system in the F-type.
