The Jaguar F-Type SVR has arrived, and it's quick
567bhp, 200mph all-wheel-drive F-Type will get you from 0-60mph in 3.5s
Final specifications for the Jaguar F-Type SVR Coupe and Convertible have been revealed, and it’s not really much of a surprise that it’s very, very quick.
With 567bhp and 516b ft from a supercharged 5.0-litre V8, it requires Jag’s all-wheel drive to hit 3.5 seconds to 60mph (roughly 0-62mph in 3.7/8), making it more than just a Coupe/Convertible version of the glorious Project 7 limited-run F-Type - a car that required either a delicate throttle foot or a massive tyre budget. The Coupe also hits a 200mph top speed, making it the fastest of a breed that wasn’t renowned for being particularly tardy in the first place. After all, the stock R managed 186mph…
Highlights - apart from that monster engine - include a bigger, more aerodynamically effective front bumper and splitter, a flat underfloor, carbon fibre active rear wing and rear venturi, plus an exhaust made from lightweight titanium and Inconel, the same stuff they make F1 cars’ exhausts out of. So it sounds even more gravel-gargling than the standard R, with what Jaguar refers to as a ‘harder-edged’ sound, though if the F-Type noise gets much harder-edged, it’ll be scything through motorway bridge supports. It also looks suitably meaner, though its nice to see that Jaguar hasn’t gone mental with the styling - Ian Callum’s superior penmanship still makes this one of the best-looking sportscars on the road, even in full steroid mode.
To keep it all going in the right direction, the chassis has had the usual kind of go-faster upgrades, so we’re looking at a new set of dampers and anti-roll bars, stiffer suspension knuckles, wider tyres and lightweight wheels, standard Adaptive Dynamics, Torque Vectoring and stability control, plus what Jaguar calls ‘bespoke calibrations’ for the 8-speed auto and all-wheel drive.
Don’t fret though: Jaguar’s all-wheel drive is basically an electronically-controlled clutch that sits next to the gearbox - you can tell because it pinches a little of the passenger footwell space - and transfers power to the front wheels when the rears get into a lather. But it’s so rear-biased that you have to be in full rabid attack mode or on a viciously slippery surface to really feel it. This is good.
We’ve also driven a very similar engine and gearbox set up in the Project 7, and it works well - use the paddles and it’s not that much slower than a traditional DSG ‘box, and the torque produced by the motor means you can surf around all day long two gears higher than you imagine. Acceleration is likely to be as brutal as the 7, but with the front axle helping apportion the prodigious torque, not quite as white knuckle if the conditions aren’t perfect. Thankfully there’s a carbon ceramic matrix brake option, should you feel the need to visit the odd trackday.
The damage? Expect to pay from £110,000 for the Coupé and £115,485 for the Convertible, with deliveries starting in summer.
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