Jaguar Art Of Performance
The Art Of Performance Tour is a medium to test the capabilities of the wild cats
Jaguar organised the Art of Performance Tour across India for the prospective buyers to experience the entire range of cars including the Jaguar XE, XF, XJ, F-Pace and F-Type. One of the events was organised at the Ambey Valley airstrip in Lonavala where we got to test the dynamic aspects of these British cars.
Jaguar has now expanded its portfolio to SUVs
The Art Of Performance had three activities lined up. The flat out airstrip run was only reserved for the ferocious Jaguar F-Type which we sampled at the end. The other two activities included lane changing with braking test and slalom test in the XE, XF, XJ and F-Pace. We sampled these four cars for both the tests and came out quite surprised with a few of them.
The most fun-to-drive Jaguar is the XE, hands down
The Jaguar XE felt the most composed in the lane change braking and slalom test. The baby Jag is compact, light and an excellent handler and hence negotiated the obstacles precisely without breaking a sweat. Due to the lightweight structure of the XE, lane changing is brisk while the body control on the slalom course is well balanced. The handling is so engaging that we managed to push it sideways between cones.
The family design of Jaguar is consistent across the range
The lightweight architecture of the Jaguar range make them quite dynamic
Next up was the Jaguar XF, which has been recently launched in its new generation avatar. The XF also gets an aluminium body that makes it more dynamically sound than its predecessor. This was evident on the slalom and lane changing course where the mid-size luxury sedan was maintaining its line without a hitch. The XF also loves to change directions on your command but the steering feel is quite average compared to some of its rivals.
The XJ looks elegant but under the skin lies a capable chassis
The most surprising car of the lot was the Jaguar XJ. It is a car which you don’t expect to even participate for such activities. The ultra luxury machine managed to impress us with its surefooted nature. Yes it is quite a huge sedan and the big dimensions aren’t meant to push around the slalom. However, the XJ still provides confidence inspiring dynamics thanks to the lightweight architecture with high usage of aluminium construction.
Imagine getting an empty stretch of airstrip and an F-Type to play with
The latest addition to the Jaguar fleet in India is the F-Pace, the British carmaker’s first SUV. It follows the similar family design language but since it’s an SUV, you expect drastic changes in the dynamics. The F-Pace feels quite stable and poised while changing lanes quickly and braking hard. However, in the slalom test you can naturally feel the body roll with the top heavy nature.
The design detailing of the F-Type is quite satisfying to look at
Finally it was time to push the pedal to the metal in the Jaguar F-Type convertible and Coupe R. Empty stretch of airstrip, smash the throttle and it just goes relentlessly. The loud exhaust of the V8 offers fantastic aural pleasure and we managed to hit a top speed of 220 km/hr in the F-Type before the road ran out. All in all, we got a good experience of the entire Jaguar range with the Art Of Performance Tour.
The F-Type provides menacing power if you throttle it hard