Automotive

Test drive: 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible

Test drive: 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible
"It’s that awesome" – the 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible's V8 outputs a phenomenal 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque
"It’s that awesome" – the 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible's V8 outputs a phenomenal 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque
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2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible at sunset
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2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible at sunset
Center cap closeup
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Center cap closeup
Beautiful 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible wheel with red center cap and performance brakes
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Beautiful 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible wheel with red center cap and performance brakes
2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible on the open road
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2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible on the open road
2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible rear quarter
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2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible rear quarter
2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible side view
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2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible side view
"It’s that awesome" – the 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible's V8 outputs a phenomenal 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque
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"It’s that awesome" – the 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible's V8 outputs a phenomenal 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque
Get in! 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible.
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Get in! 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible.
Console detail in 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
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Console detail in 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
Front dashboard and console in 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
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Front dashboard and console in 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
Driver's seat back in 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
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Driver's seat back in 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
Driver's side interior of 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
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Driver's side interior of 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
Pouncing Jaguar Logo on F-Type's Spoiler
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Pouncing Jaguar Logo on F-Type's Spoiler
Jaguar emblem
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Jaguar emblem
2016 Jaguar F-TYPE R Convertible at sunset
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2016 Jaguar F-TYPE R Convertible at sunset
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The British are a singularly odd bunch when it comes to things automotive. When they fail to amaze, they do an epic job of it, but when they do hit the mark, they do so with such perfection that it’s awe inspiring. The 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible falls squarely into the latter camp and for us, this particular car is so utterly perfect that all other vehicles are henceforth relegated to the sad "not an F-Type" bin. It’s that awesome.

The exterior of the F-Type is simple, graceful, and beautiful. The simplistic design is a ruse, of course. Close inspection shows that there are a myriad of details in the F-Type’s bodywork that combine into something that every artist and design engineer wishes to accomplish: complex design so well-wrought that it looks easy.

The sharply sloping hood, wide body stance, and rounded rear quarter all denote the Jaguar F-Type’s intention.

2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible on the open road
2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible on the open road

Those intentions are spoken by the Jag’s supercharged engine. There are V6 options at the beginning of the F-Type lineup, but the real goods are behind the red-backed Jaguar emblems on the R models. Available as a coupe or convertible, the F-Type R roars to life with a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 that outputs a phenomenal 550 horsepower (404 kW) and 502 pound-feet (680 Nm) of torque. This turns an eight-speed automatic transmission that powers all four wheels. It does so with a roaring pantherine throat via a quad exhaust.

Jaguar says that a professional on a track can do 3.9-second 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) sprints with the F-Type R. In the hands of most drivers, breaking the 4.5-second pounce to sixty is very doable. Even if your personal times aren’t as good as these, you’ll be guaranteed to have a blast listening to that engine happily try to make it happen for you. The sounds that emit from this Jaguar are like no other car you’ve ever driven. Many muscle cars will shirk in fear at the beautiful tones from the F-Type R’s four trumpets. Especially if the magic button below the shifter is pushed, opening those beauties up completely.

Going fast in a straight line is one thing. Having finesse on the road and track is another. Having both is very unusual and puts the 2016 Jaguar F-Type R in a rare league. The all-wheel drive powertrain is a big part of that. We have a favorite 90-degree curve we test performance cars like this one with. The curve is marked at 15 mph (24 km/h), which is the speed that a large truck or top-heavy van would take it in one lane. Most performance cars can do the curve in one lane at around 45 mph (72 km/h) or so without squealing the tires (much). The F-Type R? 56 mph (90 km/h) on that curve in one lane. 77 mph (124 km/h) on that same curve using both lanes. All without tire chirp or even breaking a sweat. Compare that to a Corvette (74 mph), Mustang GT (66 mph), or a BMW i8 (75 mph). That is a solid indication of the F-Type R’s superb drivetrain and chassis tuning. It’s also a testament to the car’s roughly 1:6 horsepower to weight ratio (in pounds).

Performance driving aside, though, this Jaguar stays true to its make’s reputation for being a lovely open road cruiser. The engine sings gloriously at speed and the chassis and steering are enjoyable corner huggers. The design of the convertible model, in particular, is so well-wrought that with the top down and windows up, a normal conversation can be had inside the car. Even at express lane speeds.

Console detail in 2016 Jaguar F-Type R
Console detail in 2016 Jaguar F-Type R

Much of that road driving experience is thanks to the Jaguar F-Type’s interior. Where the exterior is marked by simple beauty, the interior is finely-wrought old world excellence. Seating is better than any two-seat sports car we’ve ever tried. Bolstering is perfect for the car’s performance capabilities without being over-the-top or uncomfortable. Also unusual for a two-seat sports car is the feeling of spaciousness the Jaguar imparts.

The driver’s controls are very well placed and intuitive. The standard Jag rotary shifter is replaced by a more robust pistol grip-style gear selector. To make up for the signature "rising shift knob" that gives the current-generation Jaguar models their "Good day, Mr. Bond" swank, the F-Type instead has rising air vents at the top of the console.

Infotainment in the 2016 Jaguar F-Type comes with an 8-inch touchscreen and 12-speaker Meridian sound system as standard in all models. The British automaker has been making long strides over the past couple of years, improving its once simplistic in-car consumer electronics interfaces with much more robust offerings. The F-Type includes a smart suite of basic apps for navigation, satellite radio, Bluetooth connectivity, and so forth. Also included is Jaguar’s new InControl Apps integration, which puts the user’s smartphone to work as the brains behind the console’s touchscreen. This gives a plethora of new options, such as access to your contacts list and calendar as well as the use of third-party apps for music streaming, nav enhancement, and a lot more. Useful apps like Parkopedia and EventSeeker do just what you’d think they do.

As a total package, the 2016 Jaguar F-Type R is an expensive, beautiful, top shelf luxury two-seater. Every penny spent is worth it, with this being one of the best cars you’ll ever experience. After a glorious week and a breathtaking 457 miles (735 km) in the F-Type R Convertible, it’s likely ruined us for any other car.

Pricing for the 2016 Jaguar F-Type AWD Convertible starts at US$106,450.

Product page: Jaguar

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5 comments
5 comments
sutski123
I am 45 years old, so I grew up in the "the earth is about to die if we don't all ride pushbikes" era. This era seemed to end in about 2005. In 2004 you used to get eggs thrown at you for driving an SUV in town. Seriously, it was unreal. How did we forget this and move back onto "more pooooweeer & sod the environment" like this car so wonderfully demonstrates?.
In 2005 I gave up my 350Z (15L/100kms) pretty much entirely for green "save the world reasons", I got an electric bike and a diesel sipping (5.8L/100kms) 1.5 turbo small diesel run around van to replace it and do my bit for the world.
It seems Jaguar, Mercedes and all the other main-stream producers are once again just upping the horses, power and engine sizes like the "lets go-green" thing never happened??!!
Ahhhhh, I get it. Being environmentally friendly is only for poor people. Rich people don't have to care?
Monday morning rant over, and I'm off to work for another 50 years to earn enough to buy myself a Tesla!
Cheers!
Chris Goodwin
More fool you, for swallowing the "Green alone is good" myth. Greenpeace Gauleiters, AGW climate "experts" and suchlike crud were always a bit iffy, and are now seen to be deranged, dishonest and dumb. Basically, if the politicians are for it, suspect it: they cannot have your best interests at heart, because they cannot know what they are.
Buzzclick
With the comments below, I am piqued enough to make a statement.
Please consider that I am and have been very eco-friendly for at least 40 years, but along the way, got into cars. I lived and breathed cars. Mostly British sports cars. Repairing and restoring them gave me an enormous satisfaction, and by necessity, inspired me to learn about machining, welding, sculpting (bodywork) and such. The way I could justify my automotive interests as an eco-nut artist was that I drove these rolling sculptures only a few thousand miles a year at most, and even today I use my bicycle far more than my cars.
That being said, the world is a different place now. There is a somewhat uncomfortable juxtaposition between the wonderful green movement and the relentless pursuit of profit, performance and over-consumption. It is frightening because half the world wants to save the planet, and the other half is obsessively hell-bent with the "next big thing". We are running out of time to reverse the decadent trends that permeate mostly western society (that influences other cultures to do the same).
The wish to make things better is being countered by what I call negative growth, and here we are on Gizmag discussing the newest, fastest and most powerful, as well as the best and greenest. Go figure.
OldretiredSFdude
This my dream car. At 68 yrs young, I've always wanted a Jaguar, I mean clean back to my teen yrs. It used to be the XKE, now it's this baby. Almost had the wife convinced to let me get a used one a couple yrs back. A 3 or 4 yr old model. The new ones were going for about $80+K back then. Just a bit out of my range. Now they look and sound from UR review more desireable than ever. But sadly at $102K it will be out of my cost range for good. That is unless someone takes pitty on this ole fool and leaves me one in their will. Still Dream'n.
warren52nz
Wow! 0-60 in 3.9 seconds in the hands of a professional driver? Only 0.7 seconds slower than Tesla's 7 seater SUV in the hands of Mom on her way to the supermarket! Impressive!