Sure does - despite the fact that it always finishes near the back of the pack when it comes to running fast on a road/street course. It is not a car that can be safely pushed to its limit, despite the low weight. A mid-engined Boxter or Cayman should outlap it with much less engine power.

Albert

 

Why so much discussion about weight and track times.

I recently bought a XKR with dynamic pack and performance exhaust. I bought an elegant classy street GT. I also considered the Nissan GT-R which is much more track oriented and would make the XKR look silly on the track. On the other hand the XKR shines on the street. The cars are similar in the sense they are GT's. However, one is a phenomenal performance oriented car and the other is more street friendly. If I wanted a track car I would have bought the GT-R.

The current F-type is a more street friendly version. Jaguar has mentioned in numerous articles the F-type will be improved upon with every iteration. I can see an F-type RS being built for the track oriented while also offering a more street friendly version such as the current F-type. The current F-type is not built for the track; without a dual clutch transmission, weight considerations, beefed up suspension, launch control, AWD with electronic stability control, etc. it has a huge deficit.

 

It is simply a traditionally accepted, objective measure of performance for cars in the "sport car" category. Not much different from comparing the comfort features in luxury sedans.

Albert

 

Frankly, you don't need to be on the track to notice an extra 500-700 lbs in whatever car it is that you're driving.

 

Let's play:

From the list of cars tested in Motor Trend's Best Drivers Cars comparison from previous page 9, indicate the 3 cars you would select in two categories. May give short reasons for choices but, do not thrash other people's choices, please.

Category 1:
Chose your favorite 3 cars if you were given them as a free gift. Money is not an object here. In the order of preference.

Category 2:
Chose your 3 favorite cars that you would spend your actual dollars on. In the order of preference.

To remind you, the cars in the test were:

Lamborghini Aventador
McLaren
Carrera S
XKR-s
Nissan GTR
Mustang Shelby 500GT
Camaro ZL1
Mercedes 6.3
Subaru

I'll start:

Cat 1:
1) Lambo Aventador - I owned two Lambos. They don't handle very well, rough, hard to drive but, "Oh My God", they are the closest you can come to riding a mad, raging bull. People will drop on their knees for a drive.

2) McLaren - Incredible performance and engineering.

3) XKR-s - so what if it finished last. IT IS GORGEOUS!

Cat 2:
1) XKR-s - so what if it finished last. IT IS GORGEOUS!

2) Mustang Shelby - Easy to modify; spend $3500 total for the following: higher rear-end gears, shorter springs, Wilwood front racing brakes, adjustable rear sway bar, tires, racing seats, cut weight and you will stick a heck of a race to the Aventador and the McLaren at Laguna Seca for less than 20 percent of the Lambo's price.

3) Camaro - I find it ugly as hell but, spend the same $3500 to gain several seconds off the listed lap times. Great performance bargain. Those magnetic shocks are tops!

Albert

 

It's track creds, and those of its direct competitors, are key to sales success in this class despite few ever taking them to the track. It's a high performance car, and track performance is how performance is measured and evaluated.

I see only incremental reduction in weight on the horizon for the highest performance iterations of the F if XK Series versions are any indication. Lots of aero mods, seats and cosmetics, and attention to suspension and electronic control of it. The ZF tranny is basically as good as a dual clutch already, launch control is only for 0-60 times, and many of the fastest cars are a well-executed rear wheel drive setups that don't need an AWD system or its weight penalty. GT-R keeps improving each year and is still trying to catch up to the faster rear wheel drive cars on high-speed race tracks. I just think if the F-Type was ever to be a lighter weight car it would have to have been designed along that line from the beginning.

 

Albert,

Bearing in mind that I have an XKR, and it's close enough that I would rule out the R-S for that reason. Since I don't like most of the other cars, I'm going to go with the fun and lightweight Subaru FR-S for Cat 2, and a very well modified FR-S for Cat 1. It fits my definition of a sports car more than the others actually also, and think it could quite possibly be the most fun if it had a big power increase, decent suspension and great tires. Wouldn't get the most looks or be very exclusive, but neither were some of my other favorites from the past.

Bruce

Edit: Re : Cat1 choice. I'd be willing to accept a more expensive car for free...but only if I can sell it and buy one I like better!

 

Cat 1 (money no object)
1. Aventaor
2. Mclaren
3. Xkr-s

Cat 2 (money is a factor-my life)
1. Xkr-s (hey, that's what I chose!)
2. Gtr
3. Carrera s

Cat 2- I actually shopped these cars + 997 turbo S and gt3 (eliminated gt3 due to no back seat)- final result- xkr-s, then 997 turbo s, then gtr

 

Cat 1:
McLaren
XKR-S
GT-R

Cat 2:
XKR-S
GT-R
Stang

 

The vette is one of the best track cars in the world. I would not only expect the vette to out perform the F Type but would be amazed if it stayed within 3 seconds of the new stingray. Who cares, it's still a corvette! I'll take the F Type over the vette any day! Jaguar is not trying to make a track car. They made a beautiful and very capable sports car with the F Type range.

 

Cat 1:
Michael Schumacher's '01 F1 car
Sebastian Vettel's 2012 Red Bull F1 car
Jaguar XKR-S

just joking here...

 

I was lucky enough to be standing next to Lewis Hamilton's 2008 Championship-winning McLaren MP4-23 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed when they fired it up for a brief test prior to its run up the hill. Then they fired up Ayrton Senna's MP4/4 turbo from 1988.

I think I'll have those ones...

 

One of Schumacher's Ferrari V10 F1 cars is on display at a local auto museum near my house. Forget which year it was (seeing how he won so many Championships).

I had a solid 4 days of Powerball dreaming, and my virtual garage was in flux many times. It's quite difficult thinking my 6 car garage, and then there's 2nd house on Lake Geneva...

 

This is a serious forum! No joking allowed! Understood?

Decades back, being a licensed and experienced race-car driver, I offered a friend $2000 for a single lap driving at Sears Point Raceway of a 1980's vintage Ferrari F1 Turbo. The dirty dog turned me down so, end of friendship . (I would have turned anyone down too, if I owned that ultra-classic). That was one of two pristine F1 cars he owned.

Albert

 

Cat 1:

R8 V10
SLS AMG
Vintage XKE

Cat2:
XKRS
BMW M3
Audi RS5

 

No Ferrari 458?

Cat1:
Lamborghini Aventador
McLaren
XKR-s


Cat2:
XKR-S
Nissan GTR
Mercedes 6.3

 

If the XK was upgraded with a new front end to look like the rest of the Jag fleet it would be a much better looking car than the F-Type. The F-Type does have a generic look with a less than inspiring rear end.....and just looks too small. A great performance road car has 95% that of a track car....and better road manners. I'll take the XKR all day long....but please Jag, do something about the front end styling.

 

The F-Type being a sports car is supposed to be small. "Too small" is 100% subjective. I am a very large person and find the cockpit to be tight but not too small and I weren't so darned fat it would be downright roomy. As an XK owner, the previous owner of a newish XKR I think that the F-Type as a sports/race/track car looks lovely. And I am not alone - the F-Type won the World Design Car of the Year Award - Jaguar F-Type takes Design Award | MoneyMaker Magazine

I have the luxury of owning both an F and an XK and I enjoy both of them. I think the XK is the sexiest car on the road. I think the F-Type is (to quote Jeremy Clarkson) "Bite the back of your hand beautiful."

You are going to get your wish on the XK front end. Personally, having seen a hint of where Jag is going with the front end I think it's going to make the car LESS attractive. But that's the thing about beauty. It is in the eye of the checkbook holder

 

I agree with you here. I think right now, the Jaguar lineup is in sort of a good place where each car shares similarities, but the designs don't look like carbon copies of one another with slight adjustments here and there to accommodate the different body styles. However, if the Q-Type gets the F-Type's front end and so does the XK, I don't see it being a good thing!

 

Last night I was at my dealer. They had an F-type and a red XKR side by side in the showroom. The window sticker was nearly a wash between the two. The F-type almost disappeared next to the XKR. Hmmm... which one would I choose...?

Albert