Interesting comments later in the review related to Jaguar's ability to tune a suspension as demonstrated on the XKR-S GT...and the disappointing results here highlight the need for them to get it together now on the F-Type.

 

From what Randy has said he is a fan of the XKRS GT... "The only Jag that can put the power down".....

Oddly enough the R failed to impress him

 

I think there is some confusion on what the F-Type R is supposed to be. LIke the XKR it is not track focused like the XKR-S...which in turn they said is not a track car after tracking it and then came out with the track focused XKR-S GT. I would assume they are waiting to make it less road going and more crazy in the F-Type R-S or F-Type R-S GT variants. Or the maybe they will call it F-Type SVR.

 

From reading a number of reviews, I would think about 90% of journalists love the F type R so personally, I wouldn't put much thought into Motortrend assumptions.
In quarter mile, the R apparently came in third behind the Porsche 911S and the Japanese GT car.
What happened on the laps ? who knows, Laguna is a tight track and neither the XKR or the F type R are meant to be track cars.. they are beautiful cars that are fun to drive.
If someone wants a track car, there are a few good ones out there.. the Jaguars mentioned above are more for touring with the F being faster and more sportier than the K.
My experience in friends AMG gullwing and Turbo 911 is that the F is much better (and way better looking) as a drivers car on speed regulated roads.. the AMG was just too wild and the 911 was pure track ability but not much soul.
Lawrence.

 

Again, at the risks of sounding like a broken record, I will stick to my opinion that Jaguar's suspension team is making a BIG mistake in setting up the present crop of cars. It was even mentioned in this video discussion regarding the XRKS-GT-only, that: "someone at Jaguar knows how to setup suspension". That someone is MIA for the rest of the Jaguar line. The cars are suspended too stiffly, limiting traction, which is the common complaint from all testers.

I know my XKR is suspended too stiffly and as a result I have to be ultra careful coming out of corners so that the car does not jump sideways on me, like it does for all those testers on the track. No such caution is needed in my far softer sprung RX-7 with similar 500 HP which can exit corners at much higher speeds without threatening to lose traction.

I've been trying to figure out the justifications for Jaguar to go down this road and the only thing I can come up with is that Jaguar maybe trying to escape their old reputation as a "soft", "old people's" car and try conveying that message through suspension setup that is hard, bouncy and, at times, uncomfortable. Some people mistakenly associate hard suspensions with "sporty handling".

I absolutely love my XKR, would not trade it for anything.... unless I was super serious about racing it on tracks or even open roads. But, at this stage of my life I am happy with the mix of luxury, the looks, the general GT-style performance and the prestige of the car, a combination that I could not think of any other car in its price range could beat.

 

My thoughts exactly, but you forgot to mention the sound of the exhaust (with fuse 19 removed for us 4.2L owners). And, to paraphrase my favorite movie line, I love the smell of leather in the morning!

 

This wasn't a review of "track" cars, although in this group there are a couple that are set-up to be extremely capable there at the expense of some other aspects. It's a review of cars that most buyers/owners will use primarily on public roads. They tested each car on public roads and also on the track. Track testing is done because it reveals specific aspects of a car's street performance that can be more fully and uniformly tested there. Manufacturer's themselves develop their cars on tracks, and reviewers test them there. This review is about determining real world street performance.

Owners of XKR and R-S models know that rear tire grip is limited in relation to other performance aspects of the car. You have to be gentle applying throttle under acceleration or the rear tires will break loose, and the traction control system will abruptly step in to reduce engine power. While this isn't obvious in conservative driving on dry roads, it's a weakness that can be quickly discovered under emergency and adverse conditions, and spirited driving, and one I quickly discoverd when taking my XKR onto a track. The XKR GT finally offered improved grip.

The F-Type however does not, and tests of the car have revealed its basic handling charactersitic is to quickly lose rear tire grip, and reviewers to marvel over their ability to vaporize the rear tires in clouds of black tire smoke as they're entertained by the engineered exhaust sounds. This is disappointing for a car that Jaguar markets as a high performance sports car, and limits their opportunity to sell the car to more performance oriented buyers. Jaguar could and should do better.