Living with the Jaguar F-Type Convertible
Review by Jacob Lerklint.
There’s no mistaking old and new when it comes to the Jaguar F-Type’s mid-life facelift. Compared with its usual standards, Jaguar has gone to significant lengths to make sure this refreshed version of its popular sports car – and established Porsche 911 rival – is a important update from the model that’s been around for the past seven years; and the changes are more than skin deep.That means when you delve beneath the new look – which comprises a totally new front end with a larger grille, more aggressive, slimmer LED headlights, a clamshell bonnet and new tail-lamps – you’ll discover that Jaguar’s engineers have been just as busy as the company’s design department.
The chassis has been updated with new suspension, comprising fresh components, new steering, a new sub-frame and a tweak to the electronic differential. New tech also arrives in the form of a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone connectivity, but the 10-inch central display is still a little outdated.
Jaguar has changed the engine line-up, too, with six-cylinder power now off the menu. That means the revised F-Type only comes with four and eight-cylinder motors. But to compensate, an additional V8 option, badged P450, arrives to bridge the gap between the entry-level 296bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder car, and the range-topping supercharged 567bhp 5.0-litre V8 F-Type R.
Having spent a considerable amount of time with the Jaguar F-Type P450 AWD coupe I was intrigued by the rear wheel drive version. The first generation F-Type V8 with rwd was apparently a handful to drive and was later dropped for a AWD only option. With less horsepower and less torque in this P450 version, is it more civil and therefore more enjoyable?
The answers is yes, the steering feels better than the AWD car, it isn’t perfect but the front end is lighter and more direct. Driving in dynamic mode with the traction control slightly reduced you don’t get a tail happy car as with the previous one, you can enjoy putting more power to the ground and drive faster. Don’t fear, you can still do massive burnouts and get the tail as wide as you want if you turn of traction control completely. Although it is much easer to handle with the reduction in power.
I didn’t think I’d prefer the convertible version of the F-Type, I’d doesn’t look as good as the coupé and with the roof up there’s a considerable amount of wind noise. But, with the roof down you hear so much more of the rumbling supercharged V8. I keep telling myself that I don’t like convertibles but when the sun is out and you just want to cruise around, you get so much more of an experience. Because you are seated low in the car the wind buffeting with the top down isn’t bad at all.
Trunk space is relatively bad with a capacity of only 233 liters and no place to put your bags behind the seats. The interior feels outdated even though it has just been revised. I advice you not to get the black interior, it makes the interior appear extremely dull.
The F-Type has never been a proper sports car, it has always been more of a GT product. And with the roof down you get to enjoy it quite a bit more than the coupe. Whether you should get the RWD or AWD is up to you, both variants are great but i would recommend the rear wheel drive. It is a bit lighter and more fun, yet still very predictable compared to the first generation rear wheel drive F-Type V8.
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