Transferring the Jaguar F-Type from Mike Cross's Perspective: A Hands-On Experience

As I step into the Jaguar F-Type, I'm excited to ride alongside Mike Cross, who has been instrumental in deciding whether this car is a good fit for enthusiasts like me. Today, we're not going to drive the car; instead, we'll focus on exploring its capabilities and features on the roads that Mike has developed. The car I'm currently testing is the V6 model, which was portrayed as a "baby Jag" due to its roomy and rigid structure. This design philosophy has allowed Jaguar to create a well-founded sports car with a stiff aluminum structure.

The F-Type's weight distribution, wheelbase, and quick steering ratio make it extremely responsive and agile on the road. The V6 model boasts 380 horsepower, along with active dampers, an active exhaust, and a limited-slip differential. As Mike puts it, "This is my favorite," describing the car as "very sweet" and "balanced to drive." When asked about the steering, Mike emphasizes that a sports car needs both immediacy of response and faithfulness, making this aspect crucial in creating a driving experience.

We're currently on a relatively quick but narrow Welsh Road, where I'm impressed by how easily Mike can place the car. The steering feels very sweet, and it doesn't require too much fiddling to get the desired result. This characteristic is indeed quintessentially Jaguar, as Mike explains that they've optimized the car for real roads, including race tracks, to develop precise and accurate steering. The F-Type also impresses with its relatively low noise levels, allowing you to hear the engine without distraction.

Mike highlights that this car had to deliver on Jaguar's DNA, specifically by providing a sporting impression, making it an ideal choice for enthusiasts. As someone who values agility and accuracy in their driving experience, I'm excited to put the F-Type through its paces. Even for less experienced drivers, Mike believes that the car will be rewarding due to its performance and responsiveness.

As we transition to the V8 model, Mike explains that it's significantly faster than the V6, with 490 horsepower and more torque. Despite this increase in power, Jaguar has aimed to maintain the fundamental agile character of the F-Type. However, the V8 does feel like a serious performer, especially considering its compact size.

One aspect that stands out when driving the V8 is the way it handles corners, particularly how the rear contact patches affect the driver's experience. Mike emphasizes the importance of tuning the car to make it feel as though the driver is at the center, which requires precise adjustments to the suspension and gearing. This process is not just about geometry but also involves understanding how the rear suspension works to optimize performance.

When asked about the V8 model, Mike notes that while some people might prefer this version, others will appreciate the V6's precision and handling. He mentions that he personally prefers the V6, describing it as a "precision instrument." However, the V8 is certainly an impressive performer, especially considering its exceptional acceleration.

In conclusion, our experience with the Jaguar F-Type has been incredibly positive. Whether you're an enthusiast looking for a precise driving experience or someone seeking a more accessible performance car, the F-Type delivers. With both the V6 and V8 models on offer, it's essential to try them out personally to determine which one suits your preferences. As I prepare to get behind the wheel of the F-Type, I'm eager to see if this car can live up to its promise and provide a truly rewarding driving experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is uh my first opportunity to get into a Jaguar F Type although I'm not going to drive a car today I'm going to ride alongside Mike cross who is the guy who uh decides whether a jaguar is really a fit car these are late prototypes and we're going to attack the roads that he developed the cars on these wellsh roads up and down the hillsides just near B so Mike here we are in the U in the V6 this car is a was portrayed by us as as kind of baby Jag it's also roomy and rigid and and a kind of well founded car isn't it yeah it has a very um stiff aluminium structure so you know all the building blocks were in place to do a proper sports car the weight distribution is good the wheelbase is shorter um we've got a very quick steering ratio so the car is very responsive and uh very agile on RADS like this this is the v6s so that's um 380 horsepower active dampers active um exhaust and limited slip differential so it's a sort of the middle of the range and um it's it's actually my favorite it's um it's very sweet very balanced to drive tell us a bit about the steering I think a sports car is probably all about the steering isn't it it needs to um have an immediacy of response but needs to be very faithful and linear as well so you know I'm really pleased with where where the guys have got the to on on F your the thing I'm noticing is cu we're on this rather senous relatively quick but fairly narrow Welsh Road that you're able to place the car very sweetly indeed it doesn't seem to need a lot of fiddling is that that's presumably a a very very much a jagu characteristic you would say yeah we we've spent a lot of time um optimizing the car on on real roads um been to race tracks as well but find these very narrow roads um you know with with stone walls they they force you to develop very precise very accurate steering yeah which which is why we um you know which is why we evaluate the car on these roads yeah it uh it doesn't seem excessively noisy you hear the engine plenty of engine but but um it's also got long legs hasn't it yeah I think this car had to deliver on Jaguar's DNA um but it's the most sporting impression most sport version um so we've tested on race tracks tested on these roads but and I think it does that well I think it wres yeah I get the feeling that even for the for the driver of lesser skill shall we say it's going to be a rewarding car because it'll feel agile and accurate yeah and I think it's um its performance is also very accessible so it's not an intimidating part of Drive so Mike we've transferred to the V8 how is this going to be different the V8 the v8's faster than than the V6 it's uh 490 hor 495 horsepower plays 380 more torque um P TR sound quality is different um but we've tried to give the car the same fundamental agile character um but but it's quite a lot faster great I do love the way your backside is 2/3 or 3/4 of the way back towards the rear wheel so you you are you know the the rear contact patches have a big effect on what you're feeling don't they what we try and do is tune the car so it feels like your at its your Center so the car turns around feels as though the car turn around you turns around where you're s that sounds like subtle stuff how do you do that is it all is it a matter of geometry or yeah and particularly the way the um the rear suspension Works um so about tuning um it's it's about getting the front and rear in Phase um but the way the rear suspension works is particularly important right to get to the top of the performance of of a V8 you you would need to be a pretty serious pedler I think yeah and I think you need um you need some space as well yeah yeah but I mean still that elastic performance and yeah and it's it's the the mid-range performance that's um you know that's just so strong and so I'm interested that it still rides with that um you know without any pitch at all seems very uh yeah we've worked hard to make sure the car is flat cuz I think you can tolerate some vertical movement but pitch is really uncomfortable it's not take your point though earlier that the the V6 is absolutely not a PO poor relation it's just different isn't it cuz some people I think will prefer the V6 I mean I think I might but and I think you know at Works some prefer the V8 and um that's quite an interesting um observation that you the V8 feels as the V6 sorry feels as though you can kind of thrashing yeah whereas this is you know this is a really seriously fast car I mean any 500 horsepower in a fairly compact two seater it's it's just bound to be quick if I had to choose I think I'd probably choose the V6 over the V8 the V8 is an amazingly fast car and so hugely quick consumes The Straits but the V6 is just a little bit more of a Precision instrument but then you shouldn't be deciding before you get behind the wheel so I'm looking forward to doing that too\n"