Forward of the rear bulkhead, the F-type is
as it was, which means satisfying in some ways but underwhelming in others. The
dash and centre console are subtly turned towards the driver, and there’s enough
seat adjustment to feel like you’re piloting it from appropriately close to the
deck. The joystick gear selector and Dynamic mode switch are now established
F-type features, as are the bony, slightly oversized steering wheel and
vanishing air vents. Unfortunately, the same could be said for the cheap
steering column stalks and occasionally patchy trim – idiosyncrasies that don’t
doom the coupé per se but keep it behind Porsche’s attention to detail.
The
interior designers have created a luxurious, spacious cabin that dresses
advanced acoustic and electronic technologies
One criticism Jaguar will cautiously
consider resolved is boot space, where the convertible’s notoriously stingy 196
litres has swollen to a reportedly ample 315 litres. But while the dimensions
have increased considerably in length, the location of the rear axle means that
genuine clutter-swallowing depth remains a problem. The coupé makes for a
better weekend-away companion, but cross-continent holidays, one feels, are
still going to be difficult.
Performance
This particular F-type could almost have an
inferiority complex, so rambunctious are the noises it can make. The twin pipes
of the V6 S’s standard active sports exhaust can be tempered slightly at the
touch of a button, but even when ‘turned down’, the car makes a banshee howl at
full throttle and crackles and spits as you back off from high revs. You’ll
probably cringe at times, but you can’t say it’s not a stirring accompaniment
to a driving experience of real excitement.
In
coupé form, the only real change to the F-type’s centre console is a missing
switch to operate the convertible roof. A tiny cubby occupies its space
Would a good manual gearbox make the F-type
more absorbing? Now and again. But you wouldn’t swap the fast-acting
eight-speed ZF auto for anything most of the time. It’s flexible and smooth and
manages its many ratios very intelligently.
The F’s supercharged 3.0-litre V6 is a
big-chested powerplant with a good balance of power and torque – or flat-out
urgency and real-world tractability, if you prefer. But it doesn’t feel so
spectacular in a lasting sense and it doesn’t hold your attention or buzz with
character like a Porsche flat six or an AMG V8. ‘Loud’ is a slightly poor
substitute for ‘lovely’ in that respect.
And, while the mid-spec F-type is fast,
it’s perhaps not quite as fast as it should be. A launch control mode enabled
the car to produce perfect standing starts for our timing gear, yet, because of
its mass, it still trails a less powerful and considerably less torquey but
300kg lighter 911 3.4 to both 60 and 100mph – in the latter case by more than a
second. Which surely isn’t quite good enough.
Braking performance is great, though, aided
by fine pedal feel and admirable resistance to fade during our track tests.
It’s
hard to make seat controls look elegant, especially when you throw in gloss
black plastic. The Seat Memory Pack clutters the door panel with yet more
buttons
Ride And Handling
The F-type coupé walks a slightly different
path between dynamism and ease of use than a lot of fast Jaguars with which
we’ve become familiar, but it still meets both requirements effectively. It
delivers poise, thrill and interactivity above and beyond the ability of many
rivals, but casts them over a backdrop of refinement, touring comfort and
high-speed stability that fewer still can match. This is a multi-talented car,
in other words, but it isn’t the leggy, laid-back coupé that XK owners might
prefer it to be. Instead, it has a much sharper sporting edge. Too much edge
for some, probably.
