Photo: Guido ten Brink / SB-Medien
The potential lying in the new Jaguar F-Type was apparent from the moment of its launch, but the car was not perfect. It took it a couple of years to reveal its best version (yet?), but, by God, was it not worth it?
Like most British sports cars, the first F-Type versions were full of character, but flawed. It was just as easy to fall in love with them as it was to hate their guts. Mostly, the hate stemmed from the missed opportunity, from the fact that the F-Type could have been great, and yet it wasn't.
It's not clear whether the Jaguar engineers paid attention to what the media and the customers said, or this was their plan all along, but the thing that matters is that they've solved the car's most important problem, and it has nothing to do with the 200 mph (320 km/h) top speed limit.
No, F-Type's saving grace is its all-wheel-drive system that suddenly transformed the speedster into a car that could actually put all that power it got from its 5.0-liter supercharged engine to good use. And in a safe way. Where previously the F-Type was renowned for its tail-happy attitude, the SVR will turn it into a proper sports car that can actually give some headaches to the likes of Mercedes-AMG GT and, dare we say it, Porsche 911.
The beautiful design is still there, more aggressive than ever, but without trumping the car's innate elegance. The sporty bits are there, and they are perfectly dosed to convey the right message, and yet they don't make you expect to see someone wearing a baseball cap coming from the driver's seat. No, you can wear tweed while driving this car just fine.
Performance-wise, the Jaguar F-Type SVR reaches 60 mph (97 km/h) in just 3.5 seconds for the coupe, and 3.9 seconds for the convertible. The top speed also differs depending on the body style, with the 200 mph one dropping to 186 mph for the open-top version. On the other hand, with the roof down, you'll be able to enjoy the new titanium exhaust system better, so it all evens out in the end.
All this British greatness comes at a cost, but it's nothing more than what you'd expect from a car with this kind of performance: $126,945 for the coupe and $129,795 for the roadster. However, if your bank account reads this much, all it takes is to hear this kitty roar once, and your money won't be safe anymore.
It's not clear whether the Jaguar engineers paid attention to what the media and the customers said, or this was their plan all along, but the thing that matters is that they've solved the car's most important problem, and it has nothing to do with the 200 mph (320 km/h) top speed limit.
No, F-Type's saving grace is its all-wheel-drive system that suddenly transformed the speedster into a car that could actually put all that power it got from its 5.0-liter supercharged engine to good use. And in a safe way. Where previously the F-Type was renowned for its tail-happy attitude, the SVR will turn it into a proper sports car that can actually give some headaches to the likes of Mercedes-AMG GT and, dare we say it, Porsche 911.
The beautiful design is still there, more aggressive than ever, but without trumping the car's innate elegance. The sporty bits are there, and they are perfectly dosed to convey the right message, and yet they don't make you expect to see someone wearing a baseball cap coming from the driver's seat. No, you can wear tweed while driving this car just fine.
Performance-wise, the Jaguar F-Type SVR reaches 60 mph (97 km/h) in just 3.5 seconds for the coupe, and 3.9 seconds for the convertible. The top speed also differs depending on the body style, with the 200 mph one dropping to 186 mph for the open-top version. On the other hand, with the roof down, you'll be able to enjoy the new titanium exhaust system better, so it all evens out in the end.
All this British greatness comes at a cost, but it's nothing more than what you'd expect from a car with this kind of performance: $126,945 for the coupe and $129,795 for the roadster. However, if your bank account reads this much, all it takes is to hear this kitty roar once, and your money won't be safe anymore.
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