And then near the end of the segment he ran through some of the alternatives for two door two seat sports cars under 50,000 GBP and rejected them all. The second one he rejected was the F-Type, and he attempted to justify that rejection by saying "you would need the V8 (ie R), but that costs 90,000 GBP, so it's out". He deliberately ignored the V6 versions of the F-Type, although even the base has more hp and torque than the new 917 Cayman.

 

That comes as little surprise, like many motoring shows they have been BMW or Porsche washed into believing that everybody should have an M3/M5 or a 911. I never plan to have either in my future. On the "Top Gear Aftershow" they also tracked the Audi TTRS and ultimately dismissed it in favour of the "disappointing" 917 Cayman.

It's still fun to watch Clarkson in the V6 F-Type and hear him say "at no time did I feel, this needs more power". He did take the mick out of the trunk/boot size when doing his "grocery shop".... ;-)

 

The Road and Track article I posted a few post back may be a sarcastic support of the Porsche but it well describes why those who know better picked the a jag.

 

New engines are really getting efficient. Alfa has Ferrari derived V6 with over 500hp.

 

As an engineer who developed that car, I will say its not exactly the most efficient thing in the world; just a **** ton of boost. And Ferrari could have been more helpful with that project...

 

My dealer called me today to try and get me to chop in my V6 for a V8. I wasn't interested but while he was on the phone, I asked if he'd sold any of the 4-cyl yet.

He replied with a simple "No".

 

Driving an XE with the 4-cyl. while my F-Type is in the shop for various issues (K405, K410, K433, and JTB00502). It's not a bad engine. The car feels pretty lively, in fact. It looks like it's 247HP and knocking on 3400 lbs. curb weight, but with the ZF 8-speed it's not bad.

If it were in an F-Type at 300HP and the car shed several hundred pounds, it'd be a contender for the folks who don't insist that nothing less than a V8 will do.

 

I dunno man, the turbo lag on that thing... you could write a poem in the time it takes it to boost

 

I'm thinking there are going to be some good deals on the v6 base, now that there's a model that will likely render it redundant in the eyes of the average consumer.

 

The XE? I do not find that to be the case at all. For reference though, turbo lag on anything modern compared to a 70's car is negligible.

Perhaps the funny thing here is that the stock tune on the supercharged V6 gives the impression of turbo lag while it decides to actually give you some power.

 

Ouch!
I've only driven the v6s (and v8 of course). I disagree about the xe though for sure. I've not driven that many turbo cars, and I have a general disdain for em, but the xe was so very obvious. Granted, it was decently quick once it got going, and overall, it was a fun car to drive.

 

I dont want to argue, but we have the 25T XE (for my missus) which is a lot more sprightly than the 20T. It can be "surgey" but that isnt turbo lag, I think it is the gearing. If you put the car in dynamic and sport, it is very direct and behaves more like a NA 6 (or maybe a supercharged 4, I've never driven one).

But in normal transmission mode putting your foot down from launch, there is a bit of a slingshot effect, so I can understand why you would say there is turbo lag.

I agree with Lizzardo about lag in the supercharged V6, which again I think is gearing.

 

Jaguar is cheapening their brand and their cars to appeal to the broader audience. I had a 2012 XF till last year(it turned into a lemon), and loved the V8. I test drove the new XF with SC V6 and hated the car. The interior was cheap and it looked like an oldsmobile on the inside. Test drove the F-pace and didn't like the wind up engine either. Jaguar is ruining their cars, and I see a painful decline in their US market share in the very near future. Hold on to your V8s!!!!!

 

I can only speak to a short time in the 25T, and don't know about the 20T. I'll pay more attention tomorrow looking for lag, but haven't noticed it so far. My Saab Turbo experience was from the "old days" before modern turbo technology and variable valve timing, so my impression of lag was minimal. My Volvo C30 with the 5cyl. turbo and Polestar tune seemed less laggy than the stock V6S F-Type. The perceived lag in the V6S is certainly due to tuning.

Two things highlight that:

1) Steady throttle still showed an abrupt change in power
2) The Velocity AP tune improved that considerably with no change in supercharger or its mechanical drive.

I think most of the perceived lag in the XE 25T is that it has the automatic. As good as it is, it's different than the manual to which I've grown accustomed. When I've decided to shift, I've decided. It may take me more time to accomplish the feat than the auto, but I don't need to anticipate my own decision the same way.

 

Sure. I could be mistaken. I'll pay attention next time I drive it.
And it's not arguing as far as I'm concerned. I only argue with foosh. Whatever happened to that guy?

 

+1 ( and I say that as I consider selling mine &#128514

 

The OEM tune on the V6 has a very notchy throttle response. I recorded a 20+ percent throttle command increase going from ~30 to 31 percent throttle position. With a tune, that design flaw becomes even more apparent and VAP has gone to great effort to successfully address that issue.

 

Not arguing either. This was my first experience with the new engine and although it's not an F-Type I thought I'd note my impressions here.

I was trying different modes yesterday but most of my commute is in traffic these days. I decided that Dynamic in stop and go traffic isn't the great. For that, Eco is just fine. I'd normally skip a mode called Eco, but I don't have that so thought I'd give it a try.

The part that takes the most getting used to is the lack of a gear shift lever, but I am reminded how good that ZF is. My previous thought was that it was an automatic I could live with if no manual transmission were available. Thankfully, one is, although not with this engine.

 

Foosh still drops by occasionally. He traded in his F-type for a Vette.