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Jaguar F-Type: Great performance, gorgeous looks!

Last updated on: January 16, 2015 12:46 IST

The Jaguar F-Type not only looks drop-dead gorgeous but also has immense power on tap, writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com 

The Jaguar F-Type made quite a roar when it was launched in 2013, being offered in convertible form only.

Last year, Jaguar brought out the coupe version with the top R variant being the most powerful version of the F-Type. The F-Type needs little introduction, it has been long awaited and is the spiritual successor of the E-Type, a car which Ferrari founder, Enzo Ferrari called the most beautiful car in the world. The Jaguar F-Type Coupe R costs a whooping Rs 2.33 crore (Rs 23.3 million) but doesn't disappoint one bit.

There is little doubt that the Jaguar F-Type is a stunning piece of design.

Its 2-door coupe body style has such striking elements that people ogle at it without a second thought.The major highlights are of course the long hood, big wheels and a sloping roof which meets the rear where the gorgeous tail lights wow you over. In this red shade, the F-Type sports complete visual drama.

The door handles pop out when you unlock the car and once you get in, you are sure to appreciate the attention to detail on the F-Type.

This Jaguar gets a very sporty cabin and the centre AC vents rise out when you start the car.The vehicle has extremely supportive bucket seats which are 14-way adjustable. The buttons on the centre console take inspiration from a fighter jet and the 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system houses a lot of data including view to the multiple parking cameras, G-force meter, stopwatch and acceleration/brake graph.

The Jaguar F-Type Coupe R draws power from a 5.0-litre Supercharged petrol engine, having 8-cylinders and producing 550 PS of peak power.

Torque output is 680 Nm and all this results in a 0-100 km/hr time of just 4.2 seconds, top speed being limited to 300 km/hr.While the F-Type is blisteringly quick, the party piece is the exhaust note, it's pure aural bliss with the quad pipes being extremely loud, cracking and popping when you lift off the gas.

There is good low-end grunt but the mid-range and top-end is where the action really is. It pulls strongly to high speeds and shows urgency all the time, pushing you back into your seat when you accelerate hard.

The motor redlines at 7000 RPM and the 8-speed gearbox is terrific, almost always knowing which gear you would want while changing cogs silently. The F-Type Coupe R returns a mileage of 4 km/l.

Compared to the Convertible model, the F-Type Coupe is a whooping 80 per cent stiffer and the stiffness is felt immediately as the ride quality is hard on bad road surfaces.

It does offer very sharp handling and is eager to turn into corners while carrying good speeds.There are a plethora of systems on board including a limited slip differential, torque vectoring and traction control. The vehicle is stable at high speeds and has good brakes to ensure confident stops.

The Jaguar F-Type isn't a car you would buy with your head because it's expensive to both own and run.

But when you think from your heart, this vehicle is one which you really want, it's so desirable. Offering massive appeal both inside-out, the F-Type is very fast and is quite fun to drive thanks to its sharp handling and responsive steering. This is one Jag which is simply irresistible.

Photographs, courtesy: MotorBeam.com

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