► We swap EV for V8
► The final petrol-powered Jag
► How much will we miss it?
I’ve been driving an electric car of one kind or another every day for the last four and a half years, and reporting my largely positive experiences in Our Cars. It’s been more than enough time for their silent pace, cocooning refinement, one-pedal driving, screen-heavy cabins, range limitations and vaguely one-dimensional driving experience to become second nature.
But now, overnight, I’ve stepped into a parallel universe – one filled with vast super- charged eight-cylinder petrol engines, button-laden cabins, machine-gun gearshifts, snarling exhausts, roof-down sensory indulgence, and boundless charm and charisma. I’m driving a Jaguar F-Type.
This is the mid-range F-Type 75 – one above the four-cylinder 296bhp R-Dynamic model, and one below the psychotic R model – and it’s undoubtedly the honey-sweet spot in the line-up. Under that vast bonnet sits Jaguar’s venerable 5000cc supercharged V8 that drives the rear wheels through an eight-speed ZF automatic and electronic limited-slip differential.
There’s 444bhp at 6000rpm and 428lb ft of torque that weighs in at 2500rpm and stays put through to 5000rpm. Enough bicep to peel its way to 62mph in 4.6 seconds and on to a 176mph top speed.
Standard specification is generous, the highlights of which include active LED headlamps, glossy black 20-inch alloys and dechromed detailing, 12-way heated and cooled electric memory seats, and a deep and rich 10-speaker Meridian audio system. Key options are the subtle and sophisticated Giola Green paintwork (£765), full Tan Windsor leather upgrade (£1055) and a range of climate, security and parking packs (£2200) which add £4020 to the £84,125 on-the-road price.
There’s a child-like joy in silently saying Jaaaaaag every time I drop down in to its snug and fragrant cabin, thumb the starter button and feel that big V8 rumble into life. But the delight and privilege of running this roadster for the next six months is tempered by knowing that this iteration of the F-Type will be Jaguar’s last petrol-powered sports car, and as such marks the end of a lineage that stretches back to the XK120 of 1948. Initial impressions show it to be a fine final custodian of that sporting spirit and heritage.
The V8 dominates the driving experience. From rumbling low revs through to serrated redline it possesses a bottomless supply of grunt that makes big speeds ridiculously easy to achieve. Use the paddleshifters and the transmission snaps from one gear to the next, or leave it in Drive and it always seems to be in the right gear at the right time.
It may well be aluminium intensive in its construction, but at 1718kg the F-Type is no lithe lightweight. You can feel that heft in low-speed manoeuvres and under braking, but there’s still a wonderful on-the-move alertness to steering inputs. It bites aggressively into corners and changes direction with a pleasingly crisp precision.
And the not-so-good early impressions? The slick folding roof leaves you with a shallow and oddly shaped boot that’s only good for two soft overnight bags, which makes a nonsense of its claims to be a grand tourer. Cabin storage is minimal, with a central lidded cubby that’s too small to swallow a charging phone, inaccessible door pockets and a tiny map pocket between the seats.
I’d add the engine’s heavy thirst to the list of negatives, but you don’t choose a V8 if you’re going to worry about it averaging 26mpg.
The F-Type was introduced in 2012 and in automotive chronology that makes it an out-of-step car from an era that can be best seen in its mirrors. Swept aside by technology, battery power, deep-pocketed rivals old and new, and changing trends. It wears a badge with a rich and storied heritage but a deeply uncertain future. It’s loud, analogue, brutishly handsome, gargles dinosaur juice and is always just an ankle flex away from becoming a tyre-smoking sideways monster. I bloody love it.
Jaguar F-Type 75 (month 1)
Price £84,125 (£88,145 as tested)
Performance 5000cc petrol V8, 444bhp, 4.6sec 0-62mph, 177mph
Efficiency 27.0mpg (official), 26.1mpg (tested), 238g/km CO2
Energy cost 25.3p per mile
Miles this month 924
Total miles 924