We're not sure what the "R" in our 2016 F-Type R Coupe stands for. "Really fast," maybe, since the British sports car comes with a 550 horsepower supercharged V8. Or "raucous," because it also has what Jaguar calls an "active exhaust" that increases the raspy roar with the flick of a switch. Or maybe "rare," because with a starting price of around $106,000 and about $126,000 as tested, not many people will be taking one home.
Whatever it stands for, the F-Type R is a head tuner. With its long hood, fat rear end and various spoilers, it is a pumped up descendant of the fabled Jaguar E-Type, or XKE as it was sold in America in the 1960s and 1970s. Even though our test version was a subdued dark blue, it attracted attention everywhere we went in part because of the huge, bright yellow calipers that are part of the $12,000 optional Carbon Ceramic Matrix Braking System.
For example, the weekend we had the 2015 Jaguar F-Type R, we brought it out to the All-British Field Meet at Portland International Raceway, an annual gathering of hundreds of owners of English automobiles and those who admire them. We parked in the Jaguar section, which included stunning, fully restored examples of the manufacturer's most famous older sports cars and sedans, along with a few newer ones, like ours.
When we got back from checking out the amazing collection of vehicles, we learned the F-Type was in the running for the People's Choice Award. We demurred, believing such awards should go to those who have invested their time and hard-earned money saving rare cars from the scrap heap. All we did was spray the dust off with a garden hose. But that just shows how impressive it looks sitting still.
Driving it is even better, of course, even though we could not come close to measuring its full potential. You'd need a closed race course for that, and we don't have any track privileges. Because of that, our fastest runs were limited to favorite back roads and occasionally freeway passes when we were pretty sure there weren't any police around. Fortunately, we guessed right, even though we never came close to confirming whether it will hit the top speed of 210 miles per hour on the speedometer. Our guess is, it will.
The F-Type debuted in 2013 as the first genuine sports car Jaguar has produced since the E-Type. That means it's the first two-seater in all those years. Jaguar made several cars that look like sports cars to non-purists, but they had small back seats, disqualifying them as sports cars for those who make such distinctions.
The base engine for the F-Type is a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that makes 340 horsepower. Next up is a tweaked version that produced 40 more horsepower. We previously tested a convertible version with the more powerful V6 and found it to be a lot of fun, but fundamentally different to drive than the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 version. The V6 was very high strung, revving up towards the redline with only a little encouragement. In contract, the V8 produces so much torque 502 foot pounds that you can loaf along in it all day. But when you put the hammer down, all hell breaks loose under the hood and you're thankful for the all-wheel-drive system that helps keep everything under control.
And that's without flipping the switch that turns on the Adaptive Dynamics Suspension and punching the button for the Active Exhaust System, which magnifies all the reactions and greatly increases the decibels, just in case you want to increase the thrills and attract even more attention to yourself.
Because it's a genuine sports car, interior room is limited in the F-Type, although the doors are long enough to make getting in and out relatively easy. The front bucket seats were almost infinitely adjustable, and our were trimmed with Suedecloth as part of a $1000 R option. The interior layout was simple and straightforward, with big gauges visible through the thick steering wheel and controls in the center stack arranged around the big displays screen. Although some of the controls were knobs, some were buttons and some were switches, they were easy to figure out and use without having to resort to the owner's manual. Storage space with limited, however, including under the arms rest at the back of the center console that held the CD player but only had about enough room for a couple of them.
Visibility was good out the front for a sports car but limited out the rear because the small window was integrated into a tapered hatch, just like on the E-Types. Fortunately the rear view camera offered a wide angle for parallel parking and backing out of tight spaces.
This is the Golden Age of performance cars, including luxury sports cars like the 2016 F-Type R. Partisans will argue the merits of those from Mercedes and Porsche and even the surprisingly refined new Chevy Corvette but few have the character of Jaguar's long overdue successor to the E-Type.
2016 Jaguar F-Type R
Base price: $106,600
Price as tested: $128,696
Type: Sports car
Engines: Supercharged 3.0-liter V6 (340 hp, 322 lbs-ft); supercharged 3.0-liter V6 (380 hp, 339 lbs-ft); supercharged 5.0-liter V8 (550 hp, 502 lbs-ft - as tested)
Transmissions: 6-speed manual; 8-speed automated manual with Sport mode and paddle shifters (as tested)
EPA estimated mileage: 15/23 (as tested)
Overall length: 176" inches
Curb weight: 3,455 to 3,847 pounds
Final assembly: Castle Bromwich, United Kingdom
