64 EDITION 198 JAGUAR MAGAZINE
'ACCELERATING HARD, THE EIGHT-SPEED GEARBOX IS
IMPRESSIVELY SHARP'TEST EDITOR - BEHIND THE WHEEL
tristan hughesTest driving an F-Type is always a privilege and a pleasure,
especially in an era where the world is increasingly moving
towards mid-sized SUVs and electric vehicles.
Yet while there is real practicality to SUVs, and the
environment is probably better off for electric cars that are
disconcertingly quiet and other models which turn themselves
off and on at traffic lights, there is something so very satisfying
about sitting down into an impractically low sports car to hear
the pop and crackle of the exhaust.
Having driven the six and eight cylinder versions of the
F-Type in the past, even the SVO, I wasn’t entirely sure what
to expect from the four cylinder version. However, I was more
than pleasantly surprised with everything this F-Type delivered.
Being a couple of cylinders down, at 221 kW with 400 Nm of
torque, it doesn’t quite have the some power outage of its bigger
siblings, but what it lacks here it makes up for thanks to its
lighter weight. At a little over 50kg lighter than the V6 engined
variety, and combined with the aluminium frame Jaguar has
become famous for since 2003, it delivers tremendous power-to-weight and feels truly fast.
Accelerating hard, the eight-speed gearbox is impressively
sharp. In ‘paddle mode’, it responds well with crisp gear
changes and doesn’t have any lag. From 0-100 kph its torque
helped make for smooth acceleration through the gears, and
beyond this up to 160 kph it stayed strong.
The other noticeable factor thanks to the lighter weight was
the handling of the car.
The designers and engineers have clearly been able to use
that to the driver's benefit, because the four cylinder version is
beautifully set up. I found it to be wonderfully neutral, with
no signs of push understeer allowing apexes to be hit with
precision and at considerable speed.
Finally, it would be wrong not to mention again the exhaust
note - it is fantastic even with half the cylinders of the V8!
The four cylinders loud growl under acceleration, matched
by the crackle and pop when your foot comes off the pedal,
demonstrates everything we loved in the cars we idolised as
kids while the F-Type remains in 2019 as a clearly refined and
modern Jaguar.
Yes sir, I am a big fan of the four litre F-Type, and can’t wait
for the next test drive!01