Jaguar F-type V8 S first drive review

There’s a monumental step up in performance from a V6 F-type when you ensconce yourself in the V8 S. The noise it makes is totally different and the response from its power steering is also meatier. Even its body shell shimmies slightly when you press the throttle, as do those of all the finest hotrods.

But it’s what happens when you put your foot down in the V8 F-type, preferably with a lowish gear engaged, and ideally on a quiet and straight ribbon of road, that distinguishes this car as The Superior Being. The way it accelerates is frankly brutal and maybe even a little bit scary to begin with, to the point where I believe that some customers may find it a touch too much. In which case they’ll need to go away and learn their craft behind the wheel of an entry-level Jaguar F-type V6 instead

For the truly unhinged enthusiast, though, the V8 S is the only F-type to have. Jaguar reckons it’ll do 0-100mph in 8.9sec, which is deeply quick. But the way it thunders towards the horizon at the merest prod of throttle in any of the first five gears makes it feel quicker, even, than such a number would suggest.

The response from its 5.0-litre V8 engine is fantastic. If you didn’t know it was supercharged, you’d never guess. But it’s the way the acceleration keeps on coming at you, keeps on pummeling you in the kidneys as every rev is added, that makes the V8 seem so seductive, so addictive, so much more appealing at its core than either of the merely fast V6s. 

The way the gearbox picks off ratios so efficiently when you short-shift is also delicious, as is the amount of traction on offer with the new E-diff switched to Normal (although having said that, massive tail slides can also be delivered at will if you switch it off). 

And the sound it makes is epic: a deep rumble below 2000rpm that rises through a satanic roar between 2000 and 4500rpm, before finishing in a very loud, very lovely scream between 5000rpm and the redline. 

It’s the sort of car you climb out of after a decent thrash across a good road, glad still to be in one piece, heart thumping, mind fizzing with adrenalin. In many ways it reminds me of the most sorted TVR that there ever was, and I mean that entirely as a compliment.

If you can afford one, the answer is a very big yes.

The fast, loud, expensive and downright raucous Jaguar F-type V8 S won’t appeal to everyone in the market for a sports car (although initial orders suggest that it’s accounting for some 40 per cent of overall interest) but to those who want the biggest bang possible for their buck, the F-type V8 S has few equals virtually at any price. 

Jaguar F-type V8 S

Price £79,950; 0-62mph 4.2sec; Top speed 186mph; Economy 25.5mpg; CO2 259g/km; Kerb weight 1665kg; Engine V8, 5000cc, supercharged; Power 489bhp at 6500rpm; Torque 461lb ft at 2500-5500rpm; Gearbox 8 speed auto