It’s
been said that the third times a charm and I have to say this statement is very
true. I got the invite to attend the launch
party and unveiling of an all-new vehicle at Century (Jaguar Huntsville, AL). It was time for the F-Type roadster to meet
his older and more powerful big brother…..the 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe. Century had just received two coupes for this
debut event and they were the stars of the evening. You could even say they were like celebrities
because everyone wanted a photo of the cars and then one with each car.
The
showroom was milling with 40-50 guests including several members from the North
Alabama British Motoring Society. The
buzz in the showroom from many of the car enthusiast was how much this car
resembled the classic E-Type from the 1960’s with its long nose and flowing
bubble rear end. (Trust me looks are where the comparisons stopped)
(Jaguars Hydroforming Lightweight Aluminum make this Coupe 80% more rigid than the Convertible)
As
the evening progressed guests were welcomed by General Manger-Century
Automotive Group, George Jones as he mingled with old friends and familiar repeat
customers. They could be overheard
reminiscing about the cars they had driven and current experiences they had
shared. As always the guest were treated
to food and drink as they strolled around the showroom taking in all the sights
and sounds of this new beast that
Jaguar was ready for the world to see.
During each of these events the Jaguar Huntsville salesmen are on hand
to answer any questions you have or sign you up for a test ride in one of the
many new cars on sale.
I've already read many of the early reviews and write-ups of this new car and I've heard words like; fearsome, loud, fast, intense, a turn-on, smooth, powerful, and
even sexy, so I was like a kid on Christmas morning when I was told that I was
going to get to experience driving this finely tuned machine for myself!
The
following week I was invited back down to the dealership to judge for myself if
the car could live up to these lofty terms being used to describe Jaguars new
coupe. Recent ads running on TV and the
internet used the catch phrase “It’s Good
to be Bad” and the villains boast about driving Jaguars……well it was time
for me to be bad and drive like a villain!
As
I pushed the start button on the Ultimate Black 2015 F-Type R Coupe to begin my
test drive I knew something special was about to happen. The exhaust note was even more powerful when
you are sitting behind the wheel……it begs you to blimp the throttle, and I was
ready to oblige!
Seriously this car revs
like a street bike and turns heads at every red-light. I opted to keep the active switchable exhaust
mode in “Sport” for my test spin (or should I call it test flight?). I overheard one of the salesmen talking about
how Ducati engineers had tuned the exhaust on this car which now explains the
powerful and unique sound it produced at will.
It was like music to my ears as it snarled, gurgled and popped as if it
was a ferocious lion waiting to pounce on any victim within striking distance.
(Did I mention that the Super Performance Brakes had 15" rotors?)
As
I hit the road I immediately noticed the comfortable ride this sport coupe
possessed which surprised me due to the fact that this is Jaguars most powerful
model ever. Usually the terms comfort
and most powerful don’t’ go together but Jaguar has seamlessly blended those in
this new car. The steering response was
quicker than any car I've ever driven and it felt as if you were on one of
those slot tracks that you raced your RC cars on as a kid……it ran like as if on
a rail. If you pushed it, the
acceleration and torque was seriously scary
and I loved every minute of it. Just
being in control of this much power and commanding the car to go where you
wanted was almost like flying a jet fighter.
All I needed was my Tom Cruise aviators and some Top Gun theme music playing on the Meridian 12 speaker, 16 channel Class D DSP amplified entertainment system!
Just to make sure I was taking full advantage of the experience, I
quickly adapted to the use of the steering wheels mounted paddle shifters. I felt like a Formula 1 driver blazing down
the streets of Monaco, but I came to my senses and switched on the fly back to
the automatic mode and never missed a beat.
Because
this car has just hit the showrooms, it was turning heads everywhere…..even the
soccer moms in mini vans stopped to see
what and who had just blasted by them.
The Black Bullitt as I coined
it was pure joy to drive and the only negative experience I had was having to
get out of it and turn the key fob back in.
Let
me give the technical crowd all the specs of the two cars on display at
Century;
· Engine: F-Type S Coupe (Super-charged 380hp V6)
F-Type R Coupe
(Super-Charged 550hp V8) with 502 lb-ft torque.
· Transmission: 8-speed
automatic with manual shifting mode
· Performance: S Coupe V6: 0
-60mph (4.8 sec)
R Coupe V8: 0-60mph (4.0 sec), both with a limited top speed
of 186mph!
· Base prices: V6 S Coupe $77,000
V8 R Coupe $99,000
Price as tested (V8 Supercharged 550hp) $104,625
with the following optional features:
· 20” Gyrodyne Alloy Wheels-Black
· Panoramic Glass Roof
· Vision Pack 3: Adaptive & Intelligent Front Lighting
Front
sensors & rear parking camera
Blind spot monitor
Before
the evening came to a close I began to see how this new F-Type R Coupe has ignited
a spark among loyal Jaguar buyers and has piqued a strong interest in new car
buyers who are discovering this brand. I
noticed a poster in the showroom that had the British flag draped behind the
new F-Type R Coupe and the slogan said “Our New Crown Jewel” and it truly is a
jewel to behold. Jaguar is leading the
pack as they charge into a new generation of car enthusiast that want more from
their car than just a nameplate and a means of transportation, they want to
feel something each time they get behind the wheel. You can stand in the showroom all night long
and not get the rush or the experience of what I am referring to unless you
take a test drive.