I wonder if between the V6, V6S, and V8S, the V6S might be the best of all. I had the V6 base model, but after some thought I returned it and got the V8S because I'll have this car a while and so it might as well be the highest end of the three models.

But as I'm driving the V8S, which is certainly Lambo/Ferrari level awesome, I noticed something: you have to be extremely gentle with the gas pedal. If you tap it with your pinky toe you're doing 50mph. It also loses traction, for a millisecond, every time I start from a stop light even though I'm not pressing hard on the gas.

For me, flooring it or at least pushing the gas pedal down more than a tiny bit has always been a fun aspect of driving. And the Jag won't even make its coolest sounds unless you push the gas pedal down, so this V8S can't even growl because I have to baby the gas pedal.

I'm keeping this, but I wonder if the V6S might have been more fun.

 

I'm with Jeremy Clarkson when he drove the V6S - "At no point did I think I wish I was having more fun." The V6S doesn't make the crazy sounds the V8S does, but it's still great. Merged onto a freeway this morning at close to full throttle and went under an overpass - my head just about exploded from the sound. Whee!


But, different strokes, etc. I'm sure the V8S owners love their cars too.

 

I wonder if in daily driving the V6S makes more noise on average, because you get to push the gas pedal down harder.

 

I find that I can't hear its lower-volume burbling, etc. The full-throttle howl and pops on overrun, yes. (Yes!) But the quieter stuff I don't really hear. I suspect the V8S makes enough of a racket even at light throttle that you can hear it.

 

Yes the V8S has a subtle growl at pretty much all times. But to get that cool backfiring sound you need really hit the gas pedal hard, and then take your foot off the pedal.

 

As Chris Harris said, "get the V8 and lay black lines everywhere."
If you want to floor it, do a track day
Or hit the backroads. These days cars with 400+ HP can really be driven hard on normal roads. You're doing 100mph in a blink of an eye and barely feel it, like it's cruising at 75.

 

I know. Imagine you're on an LA road with a 35 or 40mph speed limit. Going 50 on such a road is bad enough, but if you accidentally find yourself going 80 because you hit the accelerator to hear that cool backfire / engine gurgling sound then you're in trouble, and possibly looking at an arrest.

 

But that isn't much different in the V6S - the V8S just gets you there a bit quicker.

 

Quite a bit quicker....

The difference is pretty significant.

 

A few months back I was driving to the car club minding my own business in eco mode and stopped at a stoplight with the engine off. A bike pulls up next to me and then jumps me at the light. I tap to start, then floor and passed him like a bat out of hell (with a roar) in a block or so. The V6S won't do that. The engine sound alone puts a big grin on my face every time I hear it. Don't get me wrong the V6S is fun, but the V8 is amazing.

 

The point has been made a number of times at all levels that today's cars are way overpowered when it comes to fun driving. To fully enjoy a 500+ HP car you have to be doing some insane speeds which could land you in prison and be charged with criminal violations. (A Sheriff friend warned me such after riding in one of my insanely powerful cars at insane speeds)

In that respect a Miata is much more enjoyable. With that amount of power you can wind out the gears and still be reasonably close to the speed limits over winding road sections. Or, even more, something like an Austin Healy kind of power.

Having said all that; I'll take my supercharged V8 any day over lesser engines. (while setting large sums aside for my future bail monies :-))

 

Yes. I haven't tested it, but I don't believe it takes this car 3.7 seconds to go 0-60. Feels faster.

 

magazine tests are a little unreliable as they sometimes apply "corrections" but the fastest tests I've seen for the V8S are 3.4 and 3.5. It's massively quicker than the ludicrously conservative "factory" time.

And with the top down, and the exhaust obnoxiousness turned up to 11, pretty much any speed feels faster than it is!

 

Yes keeping the convertible down and the associated wind noise will help keep speeds under control.

 

The best way I have found to get the best sound out of my F Type R without getting in trouble is to start off in regular sport mode (not dynamic) with exhaust on. In second gear accelerate at 1/4 to 1/2 throttle, at 3500-4000 let off for 1/2 second for overun, shift to third and accelerate again to 3500-4000, let off for overun and then shift to 4th, At that point you are at 50 mph, push shift lever out of sport and hit cruse control. When you come to the next stop just push the lever back to sport mode and repeat process.

This method gives a more than moderate acceleration growl, allows the overun pops, and mimics the sound of a standard transmission.

 

Wind noise is not an issue with the car. It's the exhaust that's much louder with the top down.

 

True, but the V6S can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

 

What are the real 0-60 times for the V6S compared to the factory specs? Same or better?

 

I haven't seen as many tests on the V6S but I think it's pretty safe to assume that it's also quicker than the factory specs. I think Jaguar is reasonably conservative when it comes to factory times. This must hurt it a little, as competitive tests etc in the magazines often use the factory times as the basis for their comparison tables and these tables won't really show the true picture.

 

First thing on the agenda tomorrow then.
Cross fingers please!