Jaguar F-type V8S

To tell you the truth, the F-Type has been around for some time in India but when Jaguar asked us if we wanted to have another go at it, we simply jumped to it and said ‘Yes’. How would you not, for something that looks this gorgeous and made with care and finesse?

At first glance you can see that the designers had a tough time to gain inspiration to get it right, especially when they were following up something as gorgeous as the E-type. You’re expected to deliver the same level to achieve the status the predecessor achieved. Enzo Ferrari said the E-Type was the most beautiful car ever made. So Ian Callum (Director of Design, Jaguar Cars) had his work cut out. He had to make something as gorgeous and make them relevant to the modern world while meeting all the safety regulations and restrictions that weren’t present when Malcom Sayer was designing the E-type. But what Callum and his designers came up with was absolutely breath taking.

The styling included the signature Jaguar grille in the front reminiscent of the E-Type and the D-Type, with perfectly crafted air scoops beside them to cool those giant disc brakes, the perfectly shaped head lamps. The rear of the car is highly nostalgic to someone who knows their “Jags”, especially the way the back flows into the undercarriage of the car resembling the way Jaguar did it in the historic times, the thin strip of red LED tail lights carved similarly into the way it was on the predecessor, etc.  All of these have been laid out in perfect proportions in reference to one another to form the successor to the most beautiful car ever made. But all of this we had predicted. We knew it would have similarities to the past cars that Jaguar made. We were already familiar with Callum’s work with the XK, the Aston Martin DB7 and DB9. 

What we didn’t get right was the insides. We expected it to be calm and composed, while giving a feeling of elation, peace and harmony. But what Jaguar has done is the exact opposite. The most powerful E-type had a 5.3litre V12 that produced 282Bhp. The engine in the F-type is a 5.0 litre supercharged V8 unleashing 543Bhp and 625Nm of torque mated to an 8 speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

If you want to know what an uncivilised monster is, get in the car, turn the traction control off, put it into sport, then into manual to use the paddle shifters and just accelerate. You will get such a dramatic wheel spin when you floor it, the torque could possibly spin the earth out of orbit and when the tyres finally clamp down onto the tarmac, the surge of savage power slingshots you into the future…almost so! The noise from the V8 is so loud you don’t even need a horn; people across the globe can hear you coming. It’s not one of those irritating sounds but a loud monstrous sound that commands respect. Once you floor it and get to second gear you feel the G-forces just shoving you into the seats like the Devil himself has stomped on your entire body trying to hold you in place as you hit 0-100kmph in just 4.2 seconds. 

But when you turn everything back on and put it into eco mode, it’s a docile and civilised monster. But even in eco, normal or dynamic modes if you give it the beans, all hell breaks loose, the throttle is like a play button for the soundtrack of the apocalypse which is there to mask your screams so that no one can hear you in that isolated cabin.

When you take a moment to catch your breath and have a look around the interiors you notice everything is almost perfect. The bronze plating on the start button and the paddle shifters, the climate control knobs and switches, the drive functions, the display screen, the slightly complicated Sat-Nav are all brilliant. But some of the plastics sort of slightly and minutely remind me of a Tata product. For example, the cup holders are in the way of your arm so you will probably knock over your cup when you use the gear lever. So Tata has found a way to trickle into the F-type to remind you who’s the real boss.

The lesson here is that, if you are an atheist and you don’t believe in all that religious mumbo-jumbo and are not afraid of the devil, then the F-type is the car for you. You begin to believe in the Creator.

Jaguar F-type V8S Specifications