I couldn’t be blamed if I thought I were seeing things. I could easily have been delirious after spending the weekend in a Jaguar F-Type V8 S. Now, I was waiting for the V6 to turn up after dropping back the Supercharged V8. And rolling into the parking lobby was a black car that looked exactly the same as the one that I had just returned.
UPSIDE: Fast and fun in every version, Richly appointed cabin, Better fuel efficiency
FLIPSIDE: Take-off feels limp in comparison with the V8, Less bang and sputter
The Price: 2015 F-Type V6 Convertible AED 309,000; F-Type S V6 AED 349,000
As the differences unveiled themselves, they were far beyond the less lustrous alloy wheels, smaller by only an inch. In the rear, instead of the four firing barrels, two each on either side, there were two dominating exhaust pipes staring right out of the middle of the V6. This wasn’t the supercharged V6, and I soon realised there was much more missing than just the S badge.
SPECS: 3.0 L all-aluminium V6 / 8-speed ZF 8HP automatic gearbox with SportShift / Output: F-Type S 380 hp / F-Type 340 hp – both @ 6500 rpm / Torque: F-Type S 460 Nm / F-Type 450 Nm – both @ 3500 – 5000 rpm / 0-100 km – F-Type S in 4.9 sec / F-Type in 5.3 sec / Differential: F-Type S – Limited Slip Differential/ F-Type – Open Differential / Weight: F-Type S 1614 kg / F-Type 1597 kg
The most conspicuous absence was the button on the console with its goggles-like icon (actually, they were exhaust pipes), which switched on the Active Exhaust System in the V8 S, unleasing the brutish sound to be even more brrrutal. The next thing missing is also to do with sound – instead of the 380 watts 10-speaker Meridian system the base version has a 180 watts 6-speaker factory system, sounding good nevertheless!
The 0 to 100 in the V8 S is pitched at 4.3 sec while the V6 S promises 4.9, while the one without the S badge is a whole second slower. But at 5.3 seconds, it still is a fast car though in the V6, the accelerator feels a bit limp at the start. Naturally, because it trails by 155 horses and 175 Nm of spin. So, with the time lapse of driving in and driving out, I could feel a turbo lag in the beginning but once it picks up, the V6 without the S has no problem exciting the driver, entertaining the onlookers and taking the car quickly where you want it. All for a neat hundred and twenty grand less!
The dynamics across the Jaguar F-Type range remain the same. The V6 base model turned out as interesting to drive for a few gallons less. While the 5.0L V8 S guzzled 16.4 L to take the Jag a 100 kilometres, the 3.0L V6 took only 14.6 litres. That’s a nice difference after all.
Get the complete F-Type driving experience with the V8 Supercharged.
