It is all too easy to be effusive about a
$180,000 ragtop sportscar that goes like hell, and barks like a baritone but in
the case of the new range-topping Jaguar F-Type 5.0 V8 S, the hype is
warranted. We all knew that the F-Type would be a bit special, didn't we?
After all, this is the car that theoretically reprises the E-Type, a piece of
automotive art that many customers voted the most beautiful offering of the
20th century. Big shoes to fill.
And the F-Type does a pretty decent job of
doing so. Where the E-Type stood for Elegance, the F-Type stands for Ferocious.
No other way to describe it really, though Fantastic also springs to mind. Fuel
efficient? Not quite so much.
The F-Type naturally will be compared with
the E-Type in one critical area; its physical being, though there's no hardtop
coupe available yet. That's a year away. Still, is the convert a traffic
stopper? Oh my word yes. This has to be one of lan Callum's finest efforts.
From any angle, it oozes brute strength, and in no small way it's the
dimensions, the proportions that start off so right. It's just 4,470mm long and
1,308mm tall, but the F-Type is a Hummer-esque 1,923mm wide, the visual aura
enhanced by 20-inch rims.
The
Jaguar F-Type V8 S is a visual standout from every angle, inside and out
We especially like the rear three-quarter
view, with those bulging rear fenders, slimline taillights, and quartet of
exhausts marking out the top-cat F-Type. Even with the hood in situ, the lines
look clean but spectacular, and in the Firesand paint finish with optional
gloss black alloys, this is every bit the head turner. It's sleek too, as any
cat should be, with door pulls that draw in flush to the body on the move and a
pop-up spoiler that reduces lift, essential in a vehicle that has a top speed
limited to 300km/h. It's F for Fast. Up front, there's a splitter that's not
mounted stupid low, a blackened honeycomb grille in an oblong shape, and a
fenestrated bonnet sporting a power bulge. The alloy hood hinges at the front,
but unfortunately there's very little to see beneath, just plastic shrouded in
more black plastic. Pity, because the outpourings from the other end suggest
something pretty interesting under all that sound deadening.
Long,
sweeping headlights carry a signature light graphic
Slip inside, and this is an alluring
cockpit, with an 8-inch touch screen up front and centre, permanent digital
speedo below the central trip data, and a proper shift lever with a manual
sequential gate instead of the XF's rising circular selector knob. Jaguar is
good at surprise and delight items, and in this car central air vents arise out
of the dash at start up. Gold contrasting highlights, like shift paddles, draw
the eye. Pity some of the buttons and wands don't act more positively, but
let's not sweat the small stuff. The F-Type took out the 2013 World Car Design of
the Year Award, ahead of 42 other contenders. We're not the only admirers.
Click
the unlock button on the fat rectangular key fob and the door handles pop out.
Otherwise they remain integrated with the door to aid aero performance
This gets a reasonable fit-out as standard,
though a few items not present raised eyebrows. For example, the sports seats
have no lumbar adjustability, and a reversing camera is a $600 option, though
the screen has 'visual indicators'. Not that visibility isn't better than average.
Rear parking sensors are fitted, as is heating for the sports seats (with
controls cleverly part of the HVAC temperature adjustors), and there's a flash
Meridian sound system. Go-fast bits include sports suspension and exhaust, an
electronic active differential, and performance brakes. Our car additionally
had a switchable active sports exhaust ($750), configurable dynamic mode ($850)
and cosmetic upgrades to the tune of $7,650.
