2016 Jaguar F-Type Coupe S AWD

For 2016, Jaguar has made a few changes to the F-Type line-up, for both the Coupe and the Convertible. You may be please to know that certain models are now available with a six-speed manual gearbox and others can have the Instinctive-AWD system.

It is not all good news though, as the top of the range V8 models are no longer available in rear-wheel-drive; all-wheel-drive is now standard, leaving the rear-drive option open for the upcoming SVR model. On the bottom end of the lineup, the entry level models can now be manual, but not AWD. So the most interesting model, is the mid-range S model, that can now be bought with a stick or AWD, but not both at the same time.

Our test vehicle, is the automatic F-Typer Coupe S AWD, and it is the one expected to dominate sales in Canada. It is $20k less than the ‘R’ and $20k more than the base one, so at $97,500, it truly sits right in the middle.

The coupe’s shape looks much better than the convertible’s, in my eyes at least. The teardrop shaped side-profile is a direct reference to the past and the legendary E-Type, while the cat faced front end looks so spectacular, it must be one of the best looking cars in the world right now. In white, the side skirts stand out so much they kind of add a fourth dimension to the muscular stance of the vehicle. It is just so damn pretty; I could go on and on.

Inside, things are no less appealing than the exterior; the dash seems very similar to the C7 Corvette, with the arm coming down and around the centre console. Finished in suede, most of the dash is either leather or soft squishy plastics and the quality of the construction is fantastic.

The centre console is home to the updated touch screen infotainment system that responds fairly well to your inputs but lacks voice control. The coolest thing is right underneath, and it is no other than the fighter jet style switches for the climate control. On the top of the dash, the motorized vents only show up when needed and the instrument cluster is very modern and race inspired with asymmetric fonts. The gear lever is very nice to look at and use and it is surrounded by buttons that do really exciting things, like shift faster and make more noise.

Roominess for driver and passenger is good, it does get quite snug as their build gets wider, but for most people, it will be very comfortable. The seats are hard bucket seats with excellent support and they immediately put you in the mood for hard driving. Press the start button, and a very racy engine comes to life producing a high pitched note.

The supercharged 3.0L V6 engine outputs 380 HP and 339 lb-ft of torque and it sounds absolutely breath-taking. It screams right in your ears as it builds up revs, something that happens really quickly as the sprint to 100km/h lasts about 5.1 seconds with the 8-speed ZF gearbox snapping into gear brutally fast. Performance is really good, also thanks to the reasonable weight, it pulls well from down low, but it is much happier flirting with the red line. It feels like a totally different machine when compared to the V8 models, as it feels like a race car instead of a muscle car. Despite the thrilling performance, it is not that thirsty; our week behind the wheel found us averaging 11.8lt/100km combined.

Contradicting our initial predictions, the Instinctive-AWD system does not spoil any of the fun; it is very rear-wheel biased and always seems to favour that axle, no matter what, leading to some spectacular power slides if wanted. The handling is very balanced, you can throw it in turns with a proper racing line and take advantage of the incredible amounts of grip, or you can force it sideways with planting the right pedal to the floor. The F-Type is a very tail happy sports car that also knows how to behave and take turns on a disciplined race line. The steering is crisp and fast and helps you maintain control at all times. The brake pedal feels good and the brakes are strong and barely fade even under very hard use. It took only 41m to come to a complete stop from 100km/h, which proves how well they perform.

All that handling ability does come at a slight expense on ride comfort, but the biggest compromise in terms of shock absorption are the hard seats. You see, this version of the car values sporty driving much more than the V8 models, something that is very evident since this car never shuts up; it is always loud and edgy, always ready to race and that feeling is passed through those hard seats unfiltered.

In a nutshell, the 2016 F-Type Coupe S AWD is loud and proud and likes pushing you to your limits daily. If the V8 models are like Jekyll and Hyde, the V6 S is only Hyde, reminding you that it is Evil, and as Jaguar says “it is good to be Evil”.