Jaguar F-Type SVR 2017 review

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Light updates for the 2018 model year Jaguar F-Type SVR do little to change the car’s character
Alan Taylor-Jones
by Alan Taylor-Jones
25 March 2017

What is it?

It may not seem it at first glance, but this is the revised 2018-model-year Jaguar F-Type SVR. Up front are new LED headlights with indicators incorporated into the daytime running lights and a new bumper. There are updated LED rear lights, too.

Inside, there's a pair of lightweight magnesium-framed seats that are more than 8kg lighter than those of the current car. There are also new trim pieces and Jaguar’s InControl Touch Pro infotainment system with increased functionality and sharper graphics.

If you fancy yourself as a track day warrior, there’s even an app you can download that overlays your speed, revs, g-force loadings and other information over footage taken with a compatible GoPro camera. Perfect ammunition for bragging to your mates down the pub.

What's it like?

With no mechanical changes, there’s nothing new to the driving experience. Unlike the lairy all-wheel drive F-Type R, the all-paw SVR finds impressive traction despite having a potentially scary 567bhp and 516Ib ft of torque. Even pinning the throttle out of a low-speed hairpin fails to upset its balance.

Don’t think that makes it boring, though: even with the electronic assists still on, you can feel the tail edging wide before the SVR is reined back in again. Interventions are well judged and subtle, helping you carry serious speed around a track. You might trouble the electronic stability control (ESC) a little less if it wasn’t for a throttle response that’s a little too sharp for these feet.

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But despite giant carbon-ceramic brake rotors (£8570 extra, with forged 20in wheels) that are able slow the SVR with ease, the track isn’t the best place for it. Even with everything set to Dynamic mode, you still get a sense of the car’s mass as you fling it into bends. Its hefty kerbweight means an enthusiastically driven track day would be rather expensive, too.

No, it’s on the road where the SVR feels most at home. There, you can appreciate the feedback filtering up from the front wheels as you precisely place the nose of the car and enjoy the more supple suspension settings. While there may be a little too much body roll for the track, Sport mode for the suspension treads a fine line between body control and comfort. Yes, it’s firm, but never enough make you wince.

We also suspect the outrageously loud and theatrical exhaust might break more than a few track day noise limits. With no such trouble on the road, we’d recommend finding the nearest tunnel, switching the exhaust to loud and enjoying the NASCAR-esque noise until your ears bleed.

Inside, the new seats are easy to get comfortable in, but could have a little more bolster support for smaller individuals. The improved interior trim is also welcome, but still some way behind the material richness of German rivals. Likewise, the infotainment is sharper and more responsive but iDrive and other rotary dial-controlled systems remain easier to navigate on the move than this touchscreen. 

Should I buy one?

There’s no doubt that the SVR is by far the most capable F-Type variant. Despite having not far off 600bhp, it’s far more usable in the UK than the F-Type R in less-than-perfect conditions, which if you hadn't noticed, we enjoy quite a lot. 

However, with a price that starts at £110,000 before you’ve even considered options, the competition gets very serious and very specialised. While we can certainly see the thuggish charms of the SVR, it would take a dedicated Jaguar fan to pick one over a Posche 911 Turbo, Audi R8 or McLaren 540C. Ultimately, if an F-Type is an itch you want to scratch, we still see the sweetest point in the range being among the lesser models.

2017 Jaguar F-Type SVR

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Location Northamptonshire Price £110,000; On sale now; Engine V8, 5000cc, supercharged, petrol; Power 567bhp at 6500rpm; Torque 516lb ft at 3500-5000rpm; Gearbox 8-spd automatic; Kerb weight 1705kg; 0-62mph 3.5sec; Top speed 200mph; Economy 25.0mpg (combined); CO2/tax band 269g/km, 37% Rivals Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8 V10

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Comments
7

Tim Oldland

25 March 2017
"Unlike the lairy rear-wheel drive R" - the R is AWD only now too, which is a shame.

jer

25 March 2017
A Porsche Turbo is listed as in C&D @ 1658kgs so assuming you believe them not so much in it. Not sure that anything can be richer than that leather and suede. Seems that to get the mental launch numbers you need a dual clutch box... Still makes the cheaper versions seem better value.

AHYL88

26 March 2017
The end summary does highlight the F-Type's main problem, namely its price, but (while this hasn't been mentioned) there's also the fact that it's pretty heavy and thus it can't seen to use full potential of its engine's power.

What's disappointing about this particular F-Type is that because it is so heavy, it is still barely quicker than a PDK equipped and much less expensive 911 Carrera GTS, despite the massive 127BHP advantage.

I still prefer the styling of the F-Type, but it'd be the much cheaper 3.0 V6 models that are preferable over this one.

Straff

27 March 2017
I wish people would stop saying that these F Types sound like a NASCAR.

I'm lucky enough to own a Sprint car and trust me, this thing sounds nothing like. Fire up the Impala and it caves your chest in.

Cobnapint

27 March 2017
Stood next to a real NASCAR with its bonnet up just ticking over at the FoS. I'm sure the sound from it was moving my internal organs around.

bowsersheepdog

28 March 2017
The interior is nice, albeit a little gloomy and in need of colour. Outside is less appealing. It lacks the class and elegance of a 911, isn't mean and imposing like a GT-R, and while I have some similar reservations about the AMG GT, they are slightly less so in that car. In fact while coupés aren't entirely my thing, if I were to consider indulging I'd prefer a C63 AMG to an AMG GT or this Jag. The GT-R would make second on the list and a 911, GTS probably, would be first choice. It's the nicest inside and out.

That would be my shortlist, but the car that ended up on my drive would be a 612 Scaglietti.

tuskanchik

3 April 2017
!!!!!

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