2018 Jaguar F-Type P300 Test Drive Review – Cheaper, Yet Fun!

2018 Jaguar F-Type P300 Review

Car Tested: 2018 Jaguar F-Type P300; Road Test No. 1028; Test Location: Mumbai

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 1.08 – 1.24 Crores

The F-Type P300 isn’t extremely powerful but it still offers an engaging drive

Every brand needs a halo model these days to create hype in the market. Among the luxury car makers, Jaguar was the last to bring in its halo model, the F-Type. While it’s more sports car than supercar and can’t really be termed as a halo model, the F-Type has largely been inaccessible due to its high price. However, Jaguar has now made the car a lot more affordable by plonking in a 4-cylinder engine which might sound like the world is coming to an end because a 4-pot motor in a sports car, really? While the F-Type has lot of eye candy, is it now a case of all show and no go?

Exteriors – And show it is because in terms of appearance, the Jaguar F-Type retains all the eye candy that makes it such an attention magnet. However, it’s quite easy to distinguish between the V8 and I4 models, just look at the wheels (smaller ones here) or the exhaust (one single unit in the centre at the rear) or the badging (which states P300). Rest of the car looks the same but being the facelift, gets minor revisions to the bumpers, revised lights which are all LEDs and of course the hidden door handles which are nothing short of drama when they pop out when you unlock the car.

Interiors – The Jaguar F-Type P300 skimps on some features like no heads-up display and it doesn’t get the 12-way memory seats (they are optional), instead it gets 6-way adjustable seats. The dashboard is driver centric and the lack of an all digital instrument cluster is just a heads-up to the age of the car. The seats too have been revised in order to make more room for taller passengers while the new Touch Pro infotainment system is slicker to use. The boot is big enough but not very useful as the spare wheel is placed on the boot floor.

Performance – Powering the entry-level F-Type is the same 2.0-litre Ingenium motor that also does duty in a host of other Jaguar and Land Rover cars. However, in this British sports car, it has the maximum output of 300 horses and 400 Nm, enough to take it from 0-100 km/hr in just 5.7 seconds. Meanwhile the SVR which is the top of the line F-Type employs a V8 engine that belts out 575 PS of power and 700 Nm, it’s 2 seconds faster to the ton in comparison, taking just 3.7 seconds, it also has a higher top speed of 322 km/hr (314 km/hr in the convertible), the P300 tops out at 250 km/hr.

The Ingenium is the smallest petrol engine offered by Jaguar

As the above numbers suggest, the F-Type seems like quite the slouch and when you floor the pedal to the metal, you will be a bit disappointed, it doesn’t seem to move and there is no aural drama either. But wait, this is because of the memories of the V8 engined car, in isolation, this engine is quite a charm as it’s not meant for flat out driving but excels when you experience the good in-gear acceleration, the 8-speed ZF gearbox is quick with shifts and let’s you take manual control of things using the steering mounted paddles or the tiptronic function on the gearlever.

This all-aluminium engine is 52 kgs lighter, being smaller in size and using light-weight material, it’s a turbocharged unit (the V8 uses supercharging) and still there is no lag as such lower down (peak torque comes in at a low 1500 RPM and stays there till 4500 RPM), it feels peppy and accelerates in a linear manner all the way to its near 6500 RPM redline. There is good mid-range punch and it’s in the top-end that it feels exhilarating thanks to the smooth flow to of revs to the redline. Being the R Dynamic, it also gets active exhausts, a touch of a button and the exhaust becomes more vocal (some cracks on downshift too!), excellent for a 4-cylinder engine, no where in the league of the V8 though.

Now if you want to test the acceleration time of the F-Type, left foot on the brake, right foot on the accelerator, build the revs and dynamic launch control will get activated. Once you cross 120 km/hr, the big rear spoiler will deploy, aiding in keeping the car planted although not by much. Jaguar used to offer two V6 engines as well but they seem to be discontinued although the Jaguar India website still lists them. This F-Type’s nearest comparison is the Porsche 718 which produces identical power but lacks 20 Nm of torque in comparison.

Driving Dynamics – Even with the weight reduction due to the smaller engine, the Jaguar F-Type weighs in at 1500 kgs. The reduced weight does bode well in terms of handling and it takes corners like a charm. It’s not tail happy and you can be liberal with the throttle around the bends, heck, you can even turn off traction control and let the rear step out a bit, without having to worry about pointing in the other direction. That’s also because of the front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, lending an understeery character to the car. The ground clearance is good enough too, there is no nose lift button, it doesn’t need one either.

One can never get bored of driving a car like this, it is so good

This F-Type has a softer suspension than the V8 and thus rides quite well for a sports car. It’s still on the stiffer side but compliant enough for most roads. The steering is on the heavier side but offers good feel and the feedback improves significantly as you up the pace. The 50:50 weight distribution works well around the bends as the F-Type feels eager and the chassis is quite communicative too. So while downsizing might have robbed the fun in the straights, it’s still a hoot around the corners.

Verdict -The Jaguar F-Type is a car which looks fast even while standing still and thus a 4-cylinder engine might sound ridiculous here and it is. However, it all starts to make sense when you look at the price, this top-of-the-line variant of the coupe version of the F-Type P300 costs a whopping Rs. 2 crores less than the equivalent V8 model. There are 8 variants on offer – four each for the coupe and convertible (split equally between the P300 and V8 engines). Thus, the F-Type has become a lot more accessible and for those who want to make a statement, there are few cars at this price point which offer you the visual delight of this Jag!

What’s Cool

* Design is sexy, everyone just loves it
* Dashboard is driver-centric, has lots of cool bits
* Handling is brilliant
* Performance from the 2.0 engine is very much usable on a daily basis

What’s Not So Cool

* Feels slightly outdated in some areas
* Exhaust not as eargasmic as the V8’s

Alternatives: – Porsche 718, Audi RS5 Coupe

Testers’ Note:

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