PERFORMANTE at Lamborghini, RS at Porsche, NISMO at Nissan, and SVR at Jaguar. All of them legendary monikers, tagged to incredible cars. But in the case of the last one, that’s simply known as R these days, with the 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE R its pinnacle model.
Affectionately dubbed the P575 for the similar horse power it produces (with the letter symbolising its petrol fuel), the 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE R is powered by a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine, producing 423kW of power and 700Nm of torque.
It’s capable of sprinting to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 300km/h. We obviously didn’t get to test out whether it goes that fast, but can assure you, the F-TYPE R is nothing short of lightning quick and delightfully angry.
The soundtrack it offers up, especially under hard acceleration, is operatic. It’s not really of course, but it sure sounds sexy as you feed the power on. Acceleration is ferocious – like an aggressive big cat, or a Jaguar really – so it kind of fits the bill.
Mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, the Jaguar performance coupe has a claimed fuel economy of 11.3-litres/100km. We manged a 12.1 in an attempted economy run and mostly sat at around 14.5-litres/100km.
To be fair, we weren’t exactly driving miss daisy, that’s for sure. The low slung sports car is fairly roomy inside, at least for a two-seater, and spends much of its time just inches from the ground. This means it could be difficult for some to climb in and out of.
The seats are super comfy though, so you may actually not want to get out, and that’s fine too, because except to fill up with fuel and stop for toilet breaks, we didn’t want to get out anyway. We didn’t even want to give the car back.
That’s the joy of driving a vehicle like the F-TYPE R. You simply don’t want to leave it parked in the driveway, or at a park, or anywhere really. You just want to drive, and drive, and drive, and you know, drive. Its performance and acceleration is addictive.
Just to add to the handling goodness it also offers, it’s also all-wheel drive, ensuring it basically sticks to the road like superglue. A little different to the slightly skittish rear-wheel drive supercharged V6 we drove a few years back, but just as much fun, for sure.
It might be a little hefty in the weight department at a little over 1,800kg, and you will feel it in some tight corners, but it’s a genuinely beautiful car to drive. Boot space is an impressive 509-litres, so it’s good for a sneaky weekend away as well.
It’s standard feature list isn’t bad either, with red brake callipers, a switchable active exhaust, multiple dynamic driving modes, pixel LED headlights, rain sensing wipers, flush door handles, LED taillights and quad mounted exhaust pipes.
An electronic active diff and torque vectoring provide the heart of the power feed, with dynamic stability control, ABS, EBD and autonomous emergency braking keeping you safe on the road. There are six airbags, and a driver condition monitor as standard.
It has the coolest front air vents of any car we’ve ever driven too. They’re deployable, as in they pop up when you turn the air on, or disappear when it’s off. There’s twin cup holders, a small cubby hole, and some space in the doors for bottles.
A 10.0-inch Touch Pro infotainment system provides smartphone integration, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (wired), Bluetooth, satellite navigation, online services, and DAB+ digital radio. There’s ambient lighting too.
Push button start, a rear camera, lane keep assist, front and rear parking assist, cruise control, and keyless entry complete the package. There’s even a boot entrapment release lever, in case the body you put in there isn’t actually dead. We’re kidding. Honestly.
Draped in Santorini Black, she’s a sexy thing, the 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE R, but if that colour’s not for you, there’s also Fuji White, Caldera Red, Indus Silver, Firenza Red, British Racing Green, Yulong White, Bluefire Blue, Eiger Grey and Portofino Blue.
And those are just the standard colours. You can also opt for Carpathian Grey, Silicon Silver, and a list of SVO custom options including Sunset Gold, Desire Deep Red, Petrolix Blue, Sanguinello Orange, Constellation, and Tourmaline Brown.
If that’s not enough choice, and lord knows it’s a lot, your R coupe can also be had in Ionian Silver, Ethereal Frost Silver, Flux Silver, Velocity Blue, Amethyst Grey-Purple (our personal favourite), Ligurian Black, Atacama Orange, Sorrento Yellow and Icy White.
Santorini Black adds just under $3,000 to the cost of your 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE R Coupe, but that last option on the paint list, that weighs in at a hefty $14,600. There in lies one of the things that bugs people about Jaguar.
We’re talking about the costs of extras. There are little stings in costs everywhere (like the cost of choosing different 20-inch wheels, including the Gloss Black ones on our test vehicle). For us, most of these are okay, because it’s about customising your ride.
Our car came loaded with things like the Exterior Black Design Pack too, which adds additional cost. Once you get inside, there’s 10 different interior trims, almost all of them in Windsor leather.
What’s nice at this point, is no matter what colour you choose, from the Tan we had, to Mars Red, or simple black, there’s no cost. But you do have to pay for a full leather ugrade (fitted here), and heating and cooling is an optional extra too.
Console trims add costs, and again, we’re okay with that, it’s pimping your ride, right. You have to make it your own. Even the beefed up 770-watt 12 speaker Meridian surround sound system would be on our list of ticked add-ons, because sound is a big thing for us.
We’d add the $21,000 carbon ceramic brake package too, and the climate pack that adds a heated windscreen and steering wheel, and dual zone climate controls (at nearly $3,000). Climate controls were fitted to our test car as a standalone add-on.
If we were buying a 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE R, we’d go crazy (and without those last two options, we’re already at $299,000 drive away). We would spend $325,000 on this thing to make it truly our own, but we draw the line at having to pay for safety.
While it’s only a $900 option, having to fork out for blind spot assist and rear traffic monitoring in a coupe, which by default has poor rear visibility, feels like a face slap, just a little one mind you, but a face slap none-the-less.
The 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE R we drove hits the road at around $302,000 drive away. It comes with a shiny new 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty and 5-years or 130,000km of free scheduled servicing.
Our test vehicle was provided by Jaguar Australia. To find out more about the 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE R, contact your local Jaguar dealer. Some images courtesy of Jessica Jenkin Photography.
