First time post. I'm not an owner but the F-type is at the top of my list. Google and forum search came up short on this question:
I've spoken with two dealers and both salesmen said that in "winter/wet" mode the car can transfer 30% of the torque to the front axle. I know the car has traction control and will start in second gear but thought i was a full rear wheel drive. When I asked for details on the torque transfer they didn't have an explanation.
Can anyone clarify?

 

Perhaps the new ones will have that feature, the actual RWD as you said it is traction only on the rear wheels, so whatever you heard from sales people about traction on the front is bollocks.

 

All F-Types to date ('14 and '15 models) have been RWD only. AWD will be an available option on certain 2016 models, and it will, according to reports, automatically transfer up to (I believe) 50% of the torque to the front axle when the system detects rear wheel slippage. Under normal conditions, it will be 100% RWD.

However, we won't start seeing those until spring/summer, but you should be able to order one now.

 

The 2015 F-Type comes only in RWD, and torque vectoring is available only on the R-coupe (and obviously only to the rear axle since the front is not powered).

The 2016 F-Type R comes in RWD and AWD. The AWD can dynamically shift power between front and rear, in conjunction with torque vectoring (again, for the R version).
In the US, the RWD R will not be available for the 2016 model year....i.e. you have to go with AWD for a '16 R.

So depending on the model year and type you're looking at, the sales guys might be right (if they're talking about a 2016 AWD R) or wrong (if they're talking about anything else).

hope that helps

 

Foosh is right. 0-50% of the power will be shunted to the front wheels on all V8R cars and the AWD V6S cars.(MY2016)

 

Thanks for the confirmation. Both were definitely referring to the current model. Doesn't exactly instill confidence! But in their defense they both said exactly the same thing with our prompting. Wonder if they are getting inaccurate info from Jaguar? Either way, I'll probably end up in the AWD anyway just from a timing perspective. Great forum. I've been getting a ton of useful info.

 

If they were referring to the current model(s), they were both entirely clueless. It's not Jaguar, just sales staff not doing their homework. That's more the norm than the exception. I've purchased dozens of cars over the years, and in 98.9% of those cases, I've known far more about the vehicle than the salesperson I was dealing with.

 

+1

Anytime I look into purchasing a car I get information from the manufacturer first before going to the dealer. 9 times out of 10, the sales folks won't have a clue about certain aspects of the car. I do not and have not considered the dealership as a reliable source on their own products. They are there to sell, it's up to you to educate yourself on the car and based on sfmark's experience you see where depending on them for info can lead you.

 

+2

 

I also had a salesperson try to explain to me that traction is transferred to the front wheels even in the current models. Tried to explain the brake torque vectoring to him which I am certain he was confusing with power distribution. Went right over his head and he continued to insist he knew what he was talking about. No need to pursue that discussion. The ignorance is not limited to the technical aspects of the car. As recently as this last Monday, the sales manager at my dealership had no clue how to find the 2016 configurator on the Jag site.
I'm afraid this problem is not limited to Jag dealership personnel. Every time I've bought a new car (Mustang, Corvette, K1500, and now F-Type) I've known far more about their product than the sales staff. But in their defense, 90+% of car buyers don't care about the technical details. Instead, how many kids fit in the third row, are the infant seat anchors solid, how many air bags, does it come in pink, are the more commonly asked questions.

 

Just to illustrate this point, my sales person (with excitement) forwarded the attached press release to me that he just received from the Jag marketing group yesterday. To those of us really interested in the car, this news is almost 2 months old.