On this episode of Ignition
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MotorTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:12 This week on "Ignition," we're taking a second look at
00:14 the Jaguar F-Type.
00:16 Kim Reynolds drove all three variants of it earlier this
00:19 year and performed all the necessary mental gymnastics in
00:22 describing how the F-Type works or doesn't need to work
00:25 as a successor to the E-Type.
00:27 Thanks, Kim.
00:28 What we're going to do this week is find out how fast it
00:30 can go and how big it can slide.
00:32 Because when you have 488 horsepower and electronic
00:46 locking diff in the most sporting Jaguar produced in
00:49 recent memory, that's what you do.
00:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:15 The figure eight performance was what you'd expect from a
01:17 modern Jag.
01:20 Gentle understeer on entry and then--
01:22 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:23 --huge, lurid power slides on throttle.
01:26 Get it right, though, and the resulting 24-second figure eight
01:28 lap matches that of the V8 Audi R8 and Mercedes SLS.
01:34 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:36 Stopping distance is impressive, too, given the F-Type's
01:38 portly curb weight.
01:40 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:43 But then there's the acceleration.
01:45 Here, the F-Type is simply stunning.
01:47 With a careful launch, it actually matches the lighter
01:50 and far more powerful Viper S.
01:52 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:54 It's slower to the quarter mile, of course,
01:56 but not by much.
01:57 And the ease of the launch and the ease of shifting means the
02:00 Jag might be faster in the real world, too.
02:02 [TIRES SCREECHING]
02:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:13 The F-Type's straight-line performance was so surprising
02:15 that we visited K&N Engineering's dyno to see how
02:17 much power it was actually making.
02:19 [TIRES SCREECHING]
02:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:24 This engine, being a supercharged V8,
02:26 makes torque quick and early, and it doesn't relent.
02:30 Horsepower doesn't dip significantly
02:32 before redline, either.
02:33 [TIRES SCREECHING]
02:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:40 [TIRES SCREECHING]
02:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:47 More impressive, but not a huge surprise,
02:48 is the shape of the curves.
02:51 There, it put down 447 horsepower and 405 pound-feet
02:55 of torque, indicating that the Jaguar might just
02:57 be slightly underestimated.
02:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:02 If its name provides any indication,
03:15 the F-Type is a very powerful car.
03:17 If it doesn't, it's a very powerful car.
03:19 But if it does give any indication,
03:22 the F-Type is the spiritual successor to the E-Type.
03:25 And talking about the F-Type, it's
03:27 hard to not mention the E-Type, because that, of course,
03:30 is one of the most beautiful cars Jaguar has ever made,
03:33 and it's one of the most iconic cars, too.
03:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:38 Let's talk about the visuals.
03:45 The interior is fun, yet aggressive.
03:48 I love the taillights in particular.
03:50 In fact, the whole rear section, especially the exhaust pipes,
03:53 the way they sort of shoot up vertically.
03:56 Inside, too, this interior is very nicely done.
03:59 Everything has a luxurious feel.
04:02 I love the toggle switches, the gold accents
04:06 on the shift paddles, the start/stop button.
04:08 [ENGINE REVVING]
04:11 So we have, quite possibly, the most ludicrous sounding
04:14 sound in the world.
04:15 And that's great.
04:16 That's great in a sports car, especially a Jaguar sports car,
04:22 which has a very particular way of driving.
04:27 And if you've seen us, our episode on the XFR, the XKR,
04:32 all the different Jaguars we've reviewed so far,
04:34 you know kind of how that goes.
04:38 The chassis likes to understeer.
04:40 And then as soon as you get on the throttle,
04:41 it's more oversteer, as you saw probably from the testing clips
04:45 where we were sliding this thing all day.
04:50 Now, how does that feel on the road?
04:53 Well, we have stability control on, traction control on,
04:57 because let's face it.
04:59 This thing makes so much power that you'd
05:01 have to be an absolute madman to drive this
05:02 on the road with the traction control and stability control
05:05 off.
05:05 You'd either be mad, or you'd end up
05:07 backwards, upside down, in a tree, and on fire, or both.
05:11 You know?
05:12 But when you back off the limits,
05:13 you find that the steering is nicely weighted and precise.
05:18 You find this chassis has a lot of really cool things going
05:21 for it.
05:22 Braking feel is precise.
05:24 But the problem is the throttle.
05:27 When you get on the throttle, you have so much power.
05:34 And the suspension and the diff just
05:36 like to let that power just consume the rear wheels
05:39 that you end up completely crossed up.
05:42 I think the V6, supercharged V6, is probably the better sports
05:47 car.
05:47 But I haven't driven it, so I can't confirm.
05:49 You notice that the F-Type is bigger than it seems,
05:58 which is interesting.
06:00 You sit taller in this car than you do in a Cayman or a Boxster.
06:04 This car is wider than those cars as well.
06:07 This is about the width of a Camaro.
06:09 And you sense that on the road, or when
06:11 you're trying to park it.
06:13 But then you get on the gas, and you think, oh,
06:15 none of that stuff matters.
06:16 This is a brawny, muscle-bound, hell of a roadster.
06:26 I think sports car isn't an appropriate name for this thing
06:29 because this is a muscle, just ripped roadster.
06:34 It's insane.
06:35 I have so much fun listening to the exhaust, listening to
06:40 this crackle and pop and boom, that everything else is just
06:45 sort of secondary.
06:46 And that's unfortunate because the secondary parts, driving
06:49 it quickly, feeling how the suspension loads up, they're
06:52 actually quite nice.
06:54 But the engine just dominates everything.
06:56 And also, the sense of acceleration is just absurd.
07:02 This is a heavy car.
07:03 It's 4,000 pounds, and it has 488 horsepower.
07:07 Yeah, that's a healthy amount.
07:08 But still, the acceleration feels like it's far more
07:12 powerful than that.
07:13 [ENGINE REVVING]
07:16 It also sounds far more powerful than that, too.
07:19 [ENGINE REVVING]
07:23 You set this car up for a corner slow.
07:27 You enter the corner slow.
07:29 But then you--
07:30 [ENGINE REVVING]
07:33 You get on the power, and it's just mad.
07:35 This is just insane.
07:39 Is this car overpowered?
07:41 Yes, unquestionably yes.
07:43 But is it worse because of it?
07:45 [ENGINE REVVING]
07:49 I don't think so.
07:50 [ENGINE REVVING]
07:53 The F-Type is certainly more muscle-bound and rougher
08:02 than a comparable Porsche and less clever.
08:04 But in a weird way, perhaps it's more special because of it.
08:08 [ENGINE REVVING]
08:12 The V8 and that wonderful, ridiculous noise it makes
08:15 gives a sense of occasion to the experience of driving
08:18 the F-Type that matches the edge in the exterior and interior
08:21 design.
08:23 From the driver's seat, it erases
08:24 any perception you might have of lightness and balance,
08:27 instead of rewarding you heartily on the straights
08:29 with thrust and sound.
08:31 [ENGINE REVVING]
08:37 Is the engine too much for this car?
08:40 In every way you could hope.
08:41 [ENGINE REVVING]
08:47 The exhaust just overwhelms you.
08:49 The exhaust, the acceleration overwhelm the rest of the car.
08:53 You don't hear the supercharger at all.
08:55 You just hear, vroom, vroom.
08:58 And it's great.
09:00 And all is good in the world.
09:02 Just a little clunk.
09:03 [ENGINE REVVING]
09:08 Pretty sure small animals are dying somewhere
09:10 because this is happening.
09:11 Oh, I'm sure what's happening is we're--
09:15 I'm sure what's happening is we're depleting the ozone every
09:17 single time, even at low speeds.
09:19 It's like-- it sounds like you're next to a gun range.
09:22 That's what it sounds like.
09:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]