I have not yet had a chance to take a test drive in a new F Type, but watching some of the YouTube videos it sounds like when the auto transmission is in the manual mode, there is a rev matching feature for downshifts. Correct ?

I had what Nissan referred to as "syncho rev matching" on the 6 speed manual in my 370Z and they also had it on their auto transmission. It seemed to work well but I never used it as more than 40 years of driving manual transmissions had developed the muscle memory to heel and toe, double clutch, etc when downshifting under spirited driving conditions. Of course with an auto trans those skills are moot.

Also, why did Jaguar not go with a dual clutch design for their 8AT ?

 

Yes is does rev match on downshifts. I only notice it in dynamic/sport mode.

Don't have a clue why no dual clutch but I would suspect Jaguar got the ZF to shift so well they felt it wasn't needed.

I have not experienced it myself but have read many reports of bad dual clutch implementations that performed poorly in slow driving situations like parking lots with driveline cogging.

 

Cost; the ZF 8-speed is an exceptional unit that comes as an off-the-shelf, ready to go solution and just plain works. Dual clutch transmissions are much more expensive, especially because Jaguar would have to source from a supplier rather than use an in house option, and up until recently, dual clutch technology did not hold up well to big torque numbers.

 

I had the original dual clutch in my '05 TT V6 and found it very much an inprovement over the Porsche tip tronic of the time. I have a version of the zf in both our cars and find no reason to go to a dual clutch.

 

I had a DCT M3 before my R. Frankly, manual hand-wringing aside, the DCT was the right fit for a normally aspirated, high-revving V8 like the M3's (of that era)...it allowed you to keep the revs in the right RPM range. I'm not sure a dual clutch matched against the R's motor would add any meaningful performance advantage given it's lower end torque. Both cars were characterful and fun to drive, But there's a bunch of good reasons why I sold the M and bought the R.