Road Test: Jaguar releases a more eco-friendly F-Type
That shape, that colour. The F-type R-Dynamic with the R12 400 optional Ultra blue is possibly one of the most fetching cars I’ve ever driven. The 19” wheels snugly nestled in those flowing arches, and the optional spoiler that really shouldn’t be an option, but standard fitment on all F-Types. This one comes fully kitted, as it should. It looks as imposing as any V8 F-Type, just don’t expect to impress your friends with a raucous exhaust note from the optional Switchable Active Sports exhaust.
#NoFilter-This is what the car looks like in the flesh…
The R-Dynamic produces a very respectable 221kW and 400NM from just 1997cc’s thanks to an electro-hydraulic valve train. (GTi tuners all over the world are scratching their heads about this one.) The kW figure is just 29kW shy of the V6 and that means 0-100 comes up in a claimed 5.8 seconds, 0.5 seconds off of the 250kw V6.
I spent a week snapping mine and others necks in the F-type. It’s been a while since I’ve parked a car and just stood to stare. It’s a very, very special looking car.
But how does it drive
The chassis feels softer and more pliant and is more suited to daily driving than the bigger engined siblings and fuel consumption is claimed at 7.2l/100. We managed to achieve a best of 10.2l/100 with mixed driving.
Jaguar also claims a 52kg weight saving and more balanced chassis for the R-Dynamic 2.0. The Pirelli P-Zeros certainly do provide neck-snapping grip but the chassis is more biased towards slower, city cruising and not high-speed track or performance driving.
Apples with Apples
http://www.Jaguar.co.za has an incredible website where customers can spec the version of the car they would like to purchase. From the wheels to the colours and a bevvy of optional extras. After spending some time on the site I was left wondering what type of client would opt for the 2.0 with a few options when a base model V6 might cost the same or even less. I thought the conundrum was specific to the South African market but Jaguar.co.uk showed a few thousand-pound variance between the 2.0 and V6 model as well.
The biggest difference is the CO2 emissions which for the R-Dynamic is just 163g/km, compared to 234g/km for the V6.
With manufacturers such as Volvo setting the trend for smaller engines across the range, Jaguar has decided to give customers the option to go for a more eco-friendly engine, whilst still maintaining the existing line-up.
Verdict
Is this the prom queen that lacks personality, the physically gifted individual that can’t catch? If you want to own one of the most beautiful production cars on the planet, this is a slightly easier entry point with a much smaller carbon footprint. But for my money, I’d take the 250kW V6, fork out a little extra on the fuel bill and make sure to use less paper.
Need to know:
- Price – R 1,067,400 (Approximate figure as specced)
- Power – 221kW @7000rpm
- Torque – 400Nm @5200rpm
- 0-100km/h – 5.7 seconds
- Top Speed – 249km/h
- Fuel Consumption – 7.2l/100km
