SPECIFICATIONS |
| 1. Three engines are offered, a supercharged V6 with 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, an uprated supercharged V6 S model with 380 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque as well as a supercharged V8 S model with 495 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque.
2. 0-60 times are listed at 5.1, 4.8 and 4.2 seconds respectively with a top speed of 186 mph for V8 S models.
3. Both V6 S and V8 S models come standard with a sport exhaust system and Configurable Dynamics which allows for customization of the steering, throttle and transmission response.
4. Starting at $69,000 pricing rises to $81,000 for the V6 S and $92,000 for the V8 S.
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PREVIEW
Somewhere amid sharp elevation changes on the circuitous roads around Mount Rainier in Washington State I approach a tunnel entrance that appears almost like a natural part of the landscape. Cutting through the mountainside, large stones frame the black abyss inside, the fresh asphalt leading to the inevitable.
The sport exhaust, equipped as standard on the mid-level 380 hp supercharged V6 engine, revs up freely with instantaneous reaction from the paddle-shifted 8-speed automatic while simultaneously delivering a flatulent bruuump similar to what you’ll hear in an AMG.
Top down, the glorious and sophisticated exhaust note penetrates my inner ear and goose bumps quickly run up my forearms. Perhaps it’s the sudden chill from inside the mountain. My body tells me it’s something more.
INTERIOR
The car’s interior, however, is a different case and features a long list of design cues to be appreciated. Highlights include the anodized bronze metal for things like the Dynamic Mode switch and paddle shifters. Unfortunately you might confuse these bits with plastic as they’re coated in a grippy rubber surface that cheapens the experience somewhat. A gimmick, but a cool one, are the air vents that sit atop the center stack. Hidden from view when off, they rise up when the car is turned on with a fighter jet feel.
Aeronautical motifs come into play elsewhere with the center stack instrumentation lighting up in sequence from top to bottom like a systems check, while that Dynamic Mode toggle switch, located to the left of the gearshift, is also fighter-jet inspired. As for the shifter, gone is the dial knob from past models that rises from the center console. A cool feature of Jags past, its novelty has long since worn off and its operation was always sub-par, with the movement of selecting a gear as smooth as drinking oatmeal through a straw.
UNDER THE HOOD
An interesting way to distinguish V6 from V8 models is to look at the exhaust. Unique dual center-exit pipes highlight the rear of the standard 340 hp supercharged V6 model and 380 hp V6 S, while the 495 hp supercharged V8 S boasts two pipes on each outboard side.
Some might characterize Jag’s other two door, the XK, as a sports car; but it’s not. And linking a section of high speed corners together at the 16-turn, 2.5-mile Ridge Motorsports Park in the F-Type, it’s easy to see why this is.
It also delivers an excellent level of chassis balance, thanks it part to the relocation of the battery and washer fluid to the trunk. Unfortunately this means there’s precious little room there for anything else.Combining a light weight (starting at just around 3,500 lbs), a short wheelbase, a wide track and a rigid chassis with direct steering the F-Type responds to inputs with haste. You sit 20 mm lower than in even the XKR-S, offering a connected feel to the road.
An oddity amongst models is that V6 versions make use of a mechanical limited slip differential to help lay down the power while V8 models use an electronic setup with dual programs: a less-intrusive version for street use and a more aggressive program for the track.
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