Does 4WD or a manual gearbox perfect the Jaguar F-Type?
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Does 4WD or a manual gearbox perfect the Jaguar F-Type?

By DanGoAuto - 09 January 2015

When we drove the Jaguar F-Type Coupe and convertible last year we found it hard to say anything unkind about it at all.

The range of three supercharged engines provide addictive acceleration with a dead-awakening soundtrack in all variants, its looks quiver knees and bottom lips, while perfectly honouring the styling of its E-Type spiritual predecessor, and its pinsharp British sportscar handling paints a strychnine grin on the face of anyone lucky enough to get behind the wheel.

We like it a lot.

But for the 2015 F-Type range, the British car-maker has come up with a brace of transmission enhancements to maintain the appeal of its only two-seater, starting with a feature that debuted in the deserts of South Africa.

The announcement that four-wheel drive would be made available for the F-Type range coincided with confirmation that the Indian-owned company would team-up with the Bloodhound SSC land speed record project, which intends to exceed 1000mph (1609km/h), smashing the current record of 763.035mph (1228km/h).

The new all-paw F-Type might have a whopping 404kW but the Jaguar sponsored Bloodhound has 100,265 more kilowatts thanks to a jet-engine and hybrid rocket power.

With its new all-paw traction, the top-spec F-Type R Coupe has the grip necessary to test the project’s high-speed communications system at speed on the relatively soft surface of the Hakskeen Pan desert in the Northern Cape of South Africa, where the new record attempts will take place.

The 404kW supercharged 5.0-litre V8 Jag drove at its 300km/h top-speed towards an airborne jet traveling at 805km/h with just 15 metres of air separating the two vehicles, to test the radio equipment that will be carried by the Bloodhound rocket-powered car.

With a closing speed of about 1130km/h, the system performed well according to the British team, lead by previous land-speed record holder Richard Noble, who piloted the cat-badged four-wheel drive Jag.

Publicity stunt or necessary technology field-testing? We will let you be the judge.

The Aero L-39 Albatros exceeded its 780km/h maximum speed by more than 20km/h  to test the the Bloodhound communication systems.

When on surfaced roads, the added bite from two extra driven wheels cuts the top-performing R Coupe 0-60mph (97km/h) acceleration by a tenth of a second to a claw-swiping 3.9 seconds compared with its rear-drive sibling.

Jaguar says the four-wheel drive version will not compromise the feel of true rear-drive handling with power exclusively sent to the back-end until those wheels start to run out of grip. That feature will certainly appeal to drivers where slippery snow or rain covered roads are frequent.

Unless you have a habit of ploughing fields in your F-Type, It’s hard to imagine how the added traction could possibly improve on what is already very fine rear-drive handling on Australian tarmac, and if you agree then maybe the second new option will appeal more.

If the rear wheels of the 4WD F-Type loose traction the front end is just as happy to kick up desert dust too.

The updated range will also be available with a purist-pleasing self-serve manual transmission - just like the Jaguar sportscars of yesteryear.

With so many high-powered high-performance cars now opting exclusively for automated transmissions, Jaguar’s move to offer a manual option is an increasingly rare occurrence, and ups the ante against other three-pedalled cars including the Porsche 911.

The enormous F-Type R V8 grunt can only be harnessed by the seven-speed auto transmission so only V6 versions will be available as a six-speed manual, but we doubt that will bother driving enthusiasts who believe the only way to change gear is with your left limbs.

The mighty grunt of the supercharged V8 is too much for the new manual gearbox addition so the self-serve option will be limited to six-pot variants only. Convertible versions are also included.

The four-wheel drive option will be limited to eight-cylinder and mid-range V6 S F-Types but with the addition of the new transmission options, the F-Type range blossoms from six variants to 14 - or 15 if you count the mental Project 7.

Both new kit options are yet to be announced for the Australian market but will Down Under Jaguar fans take to the additions kindly or like a big-cat to water?

Our relatively balmy climate rarely experiences winter weather savage enough to justify four-wheel drive road-cars, and Australia is typically a nation of autophiles so is there any point to a stick-shift?

Extra grip from the two front wheels will appeal to drivers in colder and wetter climates but it will help get the F-Type R through twisty bits even quicker in the dry too.

Given the choice, would you rather the tarmac shredding combination of a supercharged V8, four-wheel drive and an automatic transmission, or the purity of rear-drive, six cylinders and the ultimate in driving involvement - the increasingly rare manual gearbox?

Daniel Gardner goauto.com.au

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