Although we've all sat by the wayside as automakers are cutting the availability of standard transmission vehicles left and right, there are some hold outs. Few and far between, they do exist. Some examples include Audi, BMW, Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge. Typically, manual transmissions these days are reserved for bargain basement economy cars or high-performance machines.
And an all-new entrant has joined the pack. Jaguar.
Jaguar has always built and bred performance autos, but they usually were more for grand touring. Think back to cars like the XK8/XKR/XKRS, XJS and XJR. All were equipped with automatic transmissions in the States. When the F-Type made its debut, however, it became clear that the company was ready to make a change, and get back to a more raw and more pure motoring experience. Although initially the F-Type was offered only with an eight-speed automatic, you can now order one with a third pedal.
Here's the catch though: A manual transmission does not always equal greatness. In the rare occasion that a standard gearbox is ill-conceived, you can actually make a vehicle's driving experience worse. So that's what I set to figure out. Is the addition of an F-Type equipped with do-it-yourself shifting for BETTER or WORSE?
**Please note: The pictures below are of a 2015 MY F-Type R Coupe equipped with a V8.
**Read Agent 00R's review of the Jaguar F-Type R Coupe HERE!
Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
The 2016 model year F-Type Coupe was delivered with a white paint job, black wheels and a red interior. Well, it certainly looked aggressive. If you were hoping that the V8 F-Type would come equipped with a six-speed, think again. Only six-cylinders receive the optional stick.
Sliding behind the familiar three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel, it was refreshing to see the third metal pedal and leather-booted, six-speed shifter. For 2016 it appears the company decided to give the F-Type a bit of an enhanced center console with black gross trim. It certainly dresses up the space a bit more than the rather dull plastic that used to exist here.
My particular test vehicle had a leather headliner and leather just about everywhere you'd see and touch. Aside from some questionable plastics here and there it's a lovely place to be. In fact, after spending my time with this specific F-Type the question rang loudly in my head: Why would anyone consider the Aston Martin Vantage sans V12?
But, let's get down to brass tacks. How is the clutch and shifter?
Simply put, Jaguar clearly spent some time making sure these elements were tuned just right. The clutch pedal's weighting is not too light and not especially heavy — it's pretty optimal. You can easily daily drive this vehicle and sit in traffic without worrying about getting a strained left calf. What is a little disappointing is the rather lacking amount of feedback from the pedal. Personally, I like a more springy pedal feel that lets me know exactly where the engagement point is a la the Porsche 911. With the F-Type the clutch hooks up pretty low but it's not going to bite you back if you get a bit sloppy like a Nissan 370Z.
What's particularly great about the manual F-Type is that transmission shock is easy to eliminate provided you're relatively close with the rev matching once you get it into gear. With some high-performance cars you can get some rather unrefined gear changes because you need to be more precise, but this is not the case in the Jaguar as the company kept its standard transmission easy-to-use.
The six-speed shifter is not notchy or sloppy. The gate isn't irregular with its width or boast particularly short throws. Unlike the Chevrolet Corvette, you do not need to put some muscle into gear changes but you will require more than a pinky to move the shifter into place. All feels pretty standard here and makes driving the F-Type at 10/10ths quite easy to do.
After spending a bit of time with the manual F-Type, I have to say that there's no question that I found the six-speed to only enhance the vehicle's driving experience. Getting on the highway is a blast. Shifting from two to three to four at wide open throttle, you'll feel as though you're driving an old-school Jaguar with that howling six-cylinder exhaust note and long hood out in front of you.
Because the transmission is not hypersensitive and does not require laser-sharp focus to drive it well, you can drive the car quite hard without tremendous effort. This reminds me of the Porsche Boxster and Cayman, which are primarily revered because they're fun cars. They're fun because they're easy to pilot and require minimal effort. The same can be said here with the F-Type.
The Good:
- Excellent clutch pedal and shifter combination — easy to drive and push to the limit
- Makes you want to drive the F-Type MORE, not less
- When paired with the V6 powerplant, it makes you reminisce to Jaguar's of yore with long hoods, three pedals and the soundtrack of a howling six-cylinder engine
The Bad:
- The standard gearbox can only be had with the six-cylinder motor
- Would be nice to have a more communicative clutch pedal so you can get a better feel of its engagement point
- Good luck trying to adjust the radio's volume with this car in third gear — it's nearly impossible
The Lowdown:
To keep this brief — we all know I can ramble — we've all known that the F-Type is a good sports car. It's fun, it's full of character and it's particularly good looking. Adding a standard transmission only makes this vehicle shine brighter, it's just a shame you can't get the V8 variant with a do-it-yourself 'box. Hopping into the F-Type and getting the six-cylinder mill to sing while swapping cogs was a delight. The leaping cat took a product that was already capable and made it a proper driver's car. Considering other sports cars are going in the opposite direction, I welcome it with arms wide open.
**Please note: The pictures below are of a 2015 MY F-Type R Coupe equipped with a V8.
**Read Agent 00R's review of the Jaguar F-Type R Coupe HERE!
Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
