"Victorious Secret" (victorioussecret)
08/19/2013 at 11:55 • Filed to: None
6
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"Victorious Secret" (victorioussecret)
08/19/2013 at 11:55 • Filed to: None | 6
| 17 |
I score this a ?/100. Yes, question mark. Be amazed.
Disclosure: Jaguar wanted me to drive this so badly they made someone else buy it and then bring it out to Cars and Coffee after it had been detailed and then set loose upon the unassuming masses
I doubt I'm still qualified in my opinion of this car enough to start handing out numbers to each category, hence the mysterious question mark. Quite honestly I'm not sure why this car even exists. To me, and remember only to me, it seems like its answering a question no one asked.
Looks? I'll give, the thing does look very good and has excellent proportions. Its almost alarming just how compact it seems in person and thus how toss-able and predictable it is as a car. I'm still a Vantage fanboy but credit where credit is due, it is a looker.
It isn't in your face OH LOOK AT MEEEE but its subtle, all things considered. It would stand out in a line but it would never willingly draw attention to itself.
Power? We got your power.
380hp out of the supercharged V6 in this one. If you say you need more, you are insane. I'd wager that the 340 of the regular F-Type is also way more than what you'd ever need, but the S marks a nice middle ground that I'd wager a majority of sales will go.
Yes, the V8 sounds better but it also burns more gas and in a supercharged V6 engine its not like you've hit a wall for performance. A tune or two and you'd be set, not like you'd ever feel the need to.
All cars these days have hit that rate of diminishing returns. There might not be such a thing as too much power but there is such a thing as too much usable power. This will violate all speed limits and traffic laws without leaving 2nd gear while going sideways through your favourite grey poupon vendor's street cart. What more do you really need out of a car?
The interior is well anointed, I'll give this points above the Vantage simply because AM hasn't bothered truly overhauling the Vantage's interior yet so its getting a tad stale but the F-Type is modern and fresh and very ergonomic. For the driver that is, if you're a passenger expect a barren wasteland of drive-centric controls and displays. Cars that only have one seat are designed like this, the passenger side of things feels like its missing in some of the drama and flair of the design.
Having said that, plant your rear end in the seats and be happy. They are supportive but not overkill, the leather seems as British as it could be and the general fit and finish seemed okay but since its a Jaguar we should account for the entire thing falling apart in 6 months. ( I jest...hopefully...)
Is it still a Jag? I think so. At the same time, its trying to flex its muscle in a territory that with all due respect to the XK, Jaguar has never had tremendous success in; sports cars.
The XK was a grand tourer with power. The XK-R was a grand tourer with more power. The XK-RS was a grand tourer that only went sideways. None of them are what you'd call sharpened katanas with poise. The Vantage and 911 won those areas all the time. The F-Type is trying to change that.
Don't get me wrong, this is still a GT car through and through despite what Jaguar is ever going to say. This is not a 911 competitor. Don't make the F-Type look bad in making that comparison because its one that the F-Type will never win. Same with the Vantage, despite them trying hard its just not something you do in one go. Even though I'd argue the Vantage carries a more agile chassis that is more suited to abusing the track, the 911 is still the defacto sports car for the track and road; these two just happen to be very good at nailing apexes but its not where they feel at home.
Which brings me to this nagging issue...the transmission.
ZF makes a mean box don't get me wrong, its one that if you had to have an automatic that you'd be happy to have. Crisp shifts and no nonsense, its not even ham footed and slow with dropping gears in auto mode. But the Vantage and 911 offer honest to goodness, old manuals.
If you are content with having something row the gears, get the 911 and the PDK. Arguable one of the best transmissions in the world, leaps and bounds above most DCTs and a far comparison to single clutch units like the one in the Vantage.
If you do like rowing your own, 911 and Vantage again. Its a small market sure, but they still have them there for your joy. I don't know if I'd like the car better if it had a manual but it would've fit the character a whole lot better. The bizarre mix of auto only and roadster only to launch is going to alienate a lot of customers who actually do have choices in this segment.
So where does that really leave us? A car that answers a question that no one asked but while answering it makes some mistakes that for me kinda ruin the entire experience.
To borrow a phrase from one of my favourite characters...The F-Type is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal and I wouldn't take it away from anyone but I wouldn't stand in line for it either.
Pictures courtesy of my just above a iPotato camera device, on a uselessly hot and sunny day.
Satish Kondapavulur
> Victorious Secret
08/18/2013 at 12:07 |
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Come on. Once you hear the sound of the exhaust you'll forget everything else about this car. For me, the sound alone is a reason to get this car. V6S or V8S. Though personally I prefer the V8 goodness.
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Victorious Secret
> Satish Kondapavulur
08/18/2013 at 12:13 |
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The sound is alright, especially for a V6, but it's not the best you can get in the segment either.
That's a theme in this car.
Good if not great, but not the best.
PlayerWAN
> Victorious Secret
08/18/2013 at 13:11 |
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So this car is like an iPhone. Beautiful, and brilliant in execution, but it's not the ultimate best, and has a couple fatal flaws that make you look at the competition.
Tom McParland
> Victorious Secret
08/18/2013 at 13:19 |
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VS I'm surprised that you of all folks don't get the "reason" for this car as you are always reminding us that automakers only care about the sales numbers from the masses not the niche market of the enthusiasts. The 911 and Vantage are legit sports cars, but I would say most buyers don't want a legit sports car they want a drop top that looks good and goes fast. The F-type is perfect for those buyers, its a car you show-off to your friends at the golf-course or valet...not the racetrack.
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Tom McParland
> Victorious Secret
08/18/2013 at 13:20 |
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Oh and excellent write-up BTW. :)
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Victorious Secret
> Tom McParland
08/18/2013 at 13:49 |
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Hehe, I do try
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Victorious Secret
> Tom McParland
08/18/2013 at 13:52 |
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True but the gaping problem I have with that is that the Vantage plays the role so much better, with more pomp and flair than any F-Type could have.
I thought of the entire car like this: It is good if not great in almost every area you care about but it isn't the best. It hasn't done enough to become THE defacto choice.
One of the prime arguments in fact, amongst some people there, was that if they had 150k that day as to what they could spend, a majority of them would drive down to Calgary right now and buy a Vantage Roadster.
That is damning. For me its a moot point because any of these cars is well outside the realm of acquiring any time soon, but to the people who actively can and would buy it; it didn't do enough to even convince them that it should be their next car.
Mosqvich
> Victorious Secret
08/18/2013 at 13:55 |
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I'm with you. I think it looks good, but Jaguar has lost its organic goodness we see in its history. Somehow AM has managed to hold on to its heritage, but this car could be a Nissan or Lexus or a Ford for that matter. A really good Nissan with a great engine, but it doesn't have to be a Jaguar per se .
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Victorious Secret
> Mosqvich
08/18/2013 at 13:57 |
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Another area where I gotta give Jaguar engineers credit, the thing sounds very good. V6s have no right to sound like this from the box. If anything, Jag needs to send Nissan some help in the V6 sound department.
I said in a prior comment, this issue kept popping up with the car. Its good if not great, but its not the best. That is a damning issue to have when you have a lot of hype riding on a car.
Saracen
> Victorious Secret
08/18/2013 at 14:00 |
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I ogled and sat in an F-Type. I wants it. With a manual transmission. And whichever turns out to be cheaper..coupe or roadster.
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Tom McParland
> Victorious Secret
08/18/2013 at 14:48 |
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I wish I had more time to debate with you today because I think this is a worthwhile conversation about this car...but I will just maintain that given the Jags base price compared to the competition and its street presence I think it is a very compelling choice for the target market. :)
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> Victorious Secret
08/18/2013 at 18:55 |
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I'd rather have the original F-Type.
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Victorious Secret
> Tom McParland
08/19/2013 at 11:49 |
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I await the epic bout
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Tom McParland
> Victorious Secret
08/19/2013 at 11:51 |
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OK later then... :)
TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> Victorious Secret
08/19/2013 at 12:30 |
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I got to drive the V6 at the Jaaag drive day in Philly, let me tell you I loved it. It was so much fun throwing that thing through the corners. Granted I'm a bit of a Jaaag fanboi and unfortunately I sat in the passenger seat for the V8 going around the course.
Having said that, I don't think that it's the answer to a question nobody asked. I think at this time it's just a bad answer. To your point the reason for this is that it's an automatic, now granted even if it had a manual it still would be a bad answer as it's a first stab. My guess is that it will never be a 911 killer (but really what is?) however I think if Jag really wants to make a push (read manual option) for that market, they'll be able to attract the people who want a 911, but at the same time don't want a 911. Sometimes you want to be that guy out there with the car that nobody else has or thought to have (at least I do).
I probably should have taken more photos but they had Davy Jones as one of the drivers on the F-Type course so I was slightly distracted.
auto anorak
> Victorious Secret
08/20/2013 at 03:04 |
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Classic Winger.
Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
> Victorious Secret
08/20/2013 at 09:06 |
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Curious steering wheel design Jaguar has here, with spokes at 1 and 7 o'clock. Tata has definitely taken the brand in a different direction.