Still pretty in pre-facelift form, the F-Type sports grand tourer is getting on a bit. Penned by Ian Callum, the XK-replacing model rolled out in 2013 with underpinnings derived from the XK before it.
Previously available with a supercharged V6, the good ol’ Jag currently rocks a supercharged V8 or – in certain markets – a turbocharged I4 shared with the Land Rover Defender. Facelifted in late 2019, the British sports tourer will go the day of the dodo in 2024 due to a number of reasons, including age.
Jaguar is also trying to cut back on its fleet average carbon emissions, with the British marque currently pivoting to an electric-only lineup. More importantly, the F-Type was a poor seller from the outset. A meager 1,366 units were delivered stateside in 2022, down from a high of 4,659 in 2015. By comparison, the Porsche 911 clocked 10,172 units last year and 12,904 eight years ago.
Even so, it will be sad to see this majestic feline get discontinued together with Jaguar’s AJ-V8 engine family. The F-Type R in the video below sports the 5.0-liter supercharged lump, a gloriously loud engine that traces its roots back to the AJ26 from the Jaguar XK8.
Connected to a ZF-supplied automatic with eight forward gears, the boosted mill puts down 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) of torque for the North American market. Be that as it may, Jaguar lists the F-Type R with 575 ponies in this part of the world, gingerly passing metric horsepower as being the very same thing as mechanical ponies. Misleading much?
Photo: Sam CarLegion on YouTube
What is Jaguar trying to compensate for? 575 ps or 567 hp is more than adequate for a grand touring-oriented sports car in this day and age, albeit we should also remember that segment rivals have gotten more powerful still. Pictured in 63 flavor, the Mercedes-AMG SL features a smaller V8 that packs a bigger punch due to a twin-turbo arrangement.
The Super Leicht may be the very opposite of that due to its 4,305 pounds (1,953 kilograms) in this configuration, yet belts out 577 horsepower and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) at full song. Despite its old bones, the F-Type in R specification tips the scales at 3,945 pounds (1,789 kilograms). For some reason or another, Sam CarLegion lists 4,100 (1,860).
With Sam behind the wheel, the green-painted convertible from Castle Bromwich Assembly tends to spin its rear wheels on a rather damp track. More specifically, the Dunnville Autodrome in Ontario. The guy in the Merc also finds it hard to launch the car properly at first. However, when both drivers get accustomed to the vehicles and conditions, the SL 63 obviously makes easy work of the F-Type R.
Be it a dig race or a rolling start race from 50 or 70 kilometers per hour (make that 31 or 43 miles per hour), the R232 asserts dominance over the better-sounding old guard. Then again, the Merc has a few tricks up its sleeve, beginning with the Mercedes-AMG Speedshift MCT 9G multi-clutch tranny.
On the other hand, you’re paying more for the 63 than the R. At press time, you can get a 63-series SL at $183,000 – before taxes and options – in the United States. By comparison, the R75 special edition retails at $115,000 in this part of the world.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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