Test Car Specifications
Model tested: Jaguar F-Type R AWD
Price: £97,135
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol
Transmission: four-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic
Body style: two-seat cabriolet
CO2 emissions: 269g/km (Band M, £500 per year)
Combined economy: 25.0mpg
Top speed: 186mph
0-62mph: 4.1 seconds
Power: 550hp at 6,500rpm
Torque 680Nm at 3,500rpm
What's this?
A revised F-Type R: buyers of the roadster are no longer denied the full 550hp output once reserved for the coupé. Along with the increase in power, there's new electrically assisted power steering, while drive can now also be diverted to the front wheels via a four-wheel drive system. Those extra driveshafts add around £5,000 to the list price and add a touch of security in less than perfect conditions all without detracting from the lunatic character of Jaguar's most desirable drop-top. The rear-wheel drive car remains on the price list - with the power increase and revised steering, but we expect the majority of buyers to opt for the added traction the AWD F-Type brings.
How does it drive?
After four laps around the fast Estoril track in Portugal the biggest compliment we can give to Jaguar's addition of all-wheel drive to the F-Type is that it's barely noticeable. In all but the most extreme situations the F-Type feels resolutely rear-wheel drive. Push it over its limits and there's the merest hint of the axles juggling traction, power being diverted to the front to help pull it back into line - and the front axle can take as much as 50 per cent of drive. For the most part though it's rear-wheel drive, the front wheels only seeing action when it's required, and even then it's subtle, not robbing the F-Type of anything - it remaining as unhinged as it ever was.
What it does gain is added surefootedness in more difficult conditions, allowing the F-Type to be a useable car for more of the year. If you're located somewhere with poor winters, then you'll appreciate this, as it comes without any detriment to the overall driving experience. There's a small penalty to pay regarding fuel economy and emissions, these increasing from 26.5mpg and 255g/km to 25.0mpg and 269g/km respectively, but correspondingly you shave 0.1 of a second off the 0-62mph time to record 4.1 seconds.
It sounds as fabulous as ever, too, the F-Type R as sonic a feast as it is a visual one, while the steering changes have been incorporated without removing the accuracy and response of the F-Type's nose, though there's a slight decrease in outright feel at the rim. The automatic transmission is as quick as ever, shifting on demand via the paddles, or imperceptibly when left to its own devices. The F-Type R Roadster is an hilariously enjoyable hot-rod with real ability and poise, and that all-wheel drive system does nothing to detract from that.
Verdict
Worries that the addition of all-wheel drive might rob the F-Type R of some of its wild character are completely unfounded. Really, in all but the most extreme circumstances it's all but imperceptible - on a dry smooth track at least. Its advantages are more likely to be felt on real roads, in less than perfect conditions, where the additional security it brings afford greater accessibility to the huge performance on offer. To all intents and purposes it feels rear-driven, which might leave you asking why bother with the premium. Drive a rear-wheel drive V8 S on a wet, greasy road and you'll understand where your money has been spent.
Exterior Design
Interior Ambience
Passenger Space
Luggage Space
Safety
Comfort
Driving Dynamics
Powertrain
