Motoring News
Today, 04 February 2015The 385bhp Porsche Cayman GT4 is here
The most powerful Cayman has landed: fixed-wing, track-biased monster shares bits with 911 GT3
read moreFirst drive: Nissan Juke Nismo RS
Can a proper diff and more power turn the hot SUV-hatch into a proper Fiesta ST fighter? Stephen Dobie reports
read more2015 Jaguar F-Type R AWD Coupé review
Jaguar adds four-wheel-drive and manual gearbox options to its F-Type sports car, expanding - and improving - the range
It’s wet under-tyre. So wet that applying liberal amounts of throttle in a conventional Jaguar F-Type R Coupé would fill the air with a heady mix of steam and vaporised rubber long before you’d reached the throttle stop.But what’s this? The F-Type R goes. No slip, no fuss, no drama. Well, lots of drama, but of the quick and noisy rather than the slow and noisy kind.The 2016 model year F-Type is available with four-wheel-drive, you see. Visual clues? There are subtle badges, and a bonnet reprofile necessitated by a 10mm engine lift, required to accommodate the AWD gubbins. Not that they take up a lot of room: alongside the automatic gearbox sits an electronically controlled clutch, which also pinches an inch or so of left-side footwell; its job is to push as much power to the front wheels as they need. Theoretically, that could be all of it. In reality, it’s only ever up to about 30 per cent. And most of the time it’s precisely none at all.AWD is available on range-topping 5.0-litre R models and mid-point 3.0 V6 S models, but base 3.0 V6 cars remain rear drive only. On all F-Types, the steering becomes electrically rather than hydraulically assisted, but it retains Jaguar’s trademark slickness and smoothness. Also new for the 2016 model year (yes, I realise you still haven’t recycled your 2014 Christmas tree) is a manual gearbox option on rear-drive V6 and V6 S models. Praise be.
read moreJaguar F-Type 4WD and manual: Driven
Sensible pants (relatively) four-wheel drive F-Type tested alongside long-awaited manual - happy days!
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