What cars do you test the new
Jaguar F-Type against? The great debate seems to center
around whether it's a Boxster or a 911 rival. Luckily for us, this is the V8
S model, which as tested here is 91,695 pounds. So that fixes one problem-- it's a 911 rival. Or is it? It only has two seats. And it's way more powerful. It's also much more aggressive
looking, perhaps more of an occasional car than a 911. In fact, its closest rival
on paper is the Aston Martin V8 Volante. The Aston is less powerful, but
offers similar packaging and a heap of beauty. So that's how we came to bring
a Jaguar, a Porsche, and a slightly older Aston
Martin together. The Jaguar's numbers
are emphatic. The supercharged V8 has
495 horsepower. But somehow, the aluminum
structure weighs 1,665 kilograms. I know. I don't understand, either. The V8 S gets an active
electronic rear diff and 380 millimeter front disks. It also has 460 foot-pounds
of torque, and that genius eight-speed automatic
ZF gearbox. When I first saw the
F-Type pricing, I thought they'd gone mad. But digest that little lot,
the price doesn't look too bad at all. The Aston is an old car now. But it's still so pretty. It only has 420 horsepower and
346 foot-pounds of torque. And it's another
chubby aluminum chappy at 1,710 kilograms. Is British aluminum just
lead in disguise? Still, you get a lovely proper
six-speed manual gearbox here, and possibly the best
badge of the lot. German aluminum must
be lighter. The 911 is the only car here
with four-ish seats, and yet it weighs just 1,465
kilograms. Its 400 horsepower is way down
on the Jag, but its power to weight ratio is kind of up
there, as is the price, a crazy 97,816 pounds
for this car. I'm not a fan of the strange
seven-speed manual in the 911. This car has one. Let's hope it doesn't
spoil things. Oh, and the test car has the
normal steering and the standard S chassis. So which is better to drive on
road, on track, or perhaps more importantly for cars of
this type, to be seen in? I think we need to stop getting
too caught up in this Jaguar F-Type hype and remember
that if you wanted a very cute, quite compact,
two-door, British-built roadster, there's been
one available for the best part of six years. And it's called the Aston Martin
V8 Vantage Roadster. No one else seems to
care about it. Everyone seems to
be obsessed with comparing this car to Porsches. I thought we'd get a V8 Vantage
out and try to remind ourselves why it's a rather
lovely little car. This car does have quite a bit
in common with the Jaguar. It, too, has a kind of bolted, welded-cum-glued aluminum structure. And yet, despite being aluminum,
it's quite heavy. It's 1,690 kilograms. Electric top, quite compact,
two-seat cabin with no space behind the seats, quite a long
bonnet, quite a stumpy bum. Yeah, it takes less space
up on the road than the Jaguar, though. And I have to say, despite not
being the new kid on the block, it still does some things
that can really teach the Porsche and the Jaguar
a few lessons. To start with, we have hydraulic
power steering. I've got a lovely manual gear
change with three pedals. That's a novel thing,
isn't it? People should try that, this
manual gearbox thing. It's really rather pleasant. It's normally aspirated, and
it makes this noise. [CAR ENGINE] Which, it has to be said, is
a rather lovely noise. And I suspect over time, Aston
Martin has really learned how to set spring and damper rates
against the inevitable lack of stiffness in the chassis because
there's no roof. I'm not saying it's not actually
very good, because it is quite good. But the car just seems to
ride rather nicely. And it's well damped
for UK roads. I was expected to represent
this car as a bit of a dinosaur. And do you know what? I've had a lovely
two days in it. I think it looked beautiful
from the outside, too. And that has to be counted. It's not normally something
I care about. But in this test, looks
really count. This car feels its age
inside, though. You've got these rather
horrendous Vanquish-era air vents, which I think
are probably a Ford or a Volvo product. The ergonomics are all
over the place. It doesn't matter too
much because some of it looks quite funky. But the dials that move
backwards and the fact that when there's any sun in this
cabin, you cannot see any of the services whatsoever is
a pain in the back side. And the main control button you
use for all your computer stuff is hidden behind
the gear lever. So yes, it does feel old. It is getting old. But it's a very charming car. Trouble is, it's the most
expensive car in the test. But flip side, it's got an
Aston Martin badge on it. And I still think that probably
carries more kudos certainly than a Jaguar
badge and maybe even a Porsche badge. As I drive this car on the road,
I'm getting a bit more buffeted in here than I got in
the Jag and certainly the 911 with its wind deflector up. And I have to say, it is a sort
of 8 and 1/2 10ths car. If you drive it up to 8 and
1/2 10ths, it's very good. The steering response is
especially pleasant if you put the car accurately
on the road. And it's enjoyable. You don't really feel any creak
in its inner structure. Push a bit beyond that, which
I know is a bit ridiculous because it means you're
traveling at silly speeds, and you start to feel it slip a
bit behind the Jag, and especially the Porsche. It just can't match the
Porsche's feeling of almost being a coupe that happens to
have a very large sunroof. But I'm impressed. I thought this would feel
much, much older. And it doesn't. We all know the dangers of
something being overhyped, like the big night out organized
with your mates months in advance. When you do it, it's never
quite as good as those impromptu ones, is it? Well, the F-Type is the worst
kept secret of 2013. But on the road, it's
a damn fine thing. This is what's good about the
F-Type as a V8 S with 495 horsepower. Well, it's got 495 horsepower,
and it's not very big. It's a muscle car. It's naffing fast. Jaguar claims 0 to 100 miles an
hour in under nine seconds, and it's entirely believable. I love the way it looks. I love the image it presents. I love the fact that it can chop
between being a sort of leave it in drive, very, very
fast GT cruiser, but when you snap it into manual, this ZF
gearbox, such good manual shifts, you really have
something quite sharp. I love the fact that it's not
too stiffly sprung, and that it's well damped. And it rides really very
well over UK roads. I love the fact the structure's
really very stiff. And the steering column remains
resolutely in place, far better than in the XK. I like the cabin on the whole. It's a little bit trying
too hard in places. But it works well. And it's got some lovely
special touches. Listen to that noise. I mean, that's ridiculous. [CAR ENGINE] The noise? Well, the noise will be for
some people an utter celebration of everything
that's right about a sports car. For other people,
they'll hate it. It's too ostentatious
and too loud. There's a button here. You can turn the exhaust down. But even then, it's still
pretty raucous. Let's break it down then into
steering, chassis, engine, brakes, that kind of thing. Steering, really very little
feel whatsoever. But we're used to that
with modern cars. My problem is not with the
steering apparatus itself, which is fine, not brilliant. A Boxster steers better
than this car. Anyone that says it doesn't
is lying if you ask me. It's the steering
wheel itself. This larger steering wheel and
paddle set up is taken from the larger XJ Saloon. And it works fine there. But the center of the
wheel's very low. And the paddles are sort of
weird, rubberized finish, but painted gold. And their action is very
un-special, for want of a better phrase. I just thought the Jaguar could
have tried a bit harder, given how well the car actually
shifts, to give us something a bit more special. To me, it feels a
bit ordinary. And the steering hold
really is so thick. It doesn't need to
be this thick. I need to be a gorilla to
get my hands around it. I know. Make the obvious jokes now. Ride and handling, very, very
clever for UK roads. Difficult to fault at normal
speed, I have to say. The biggest problem I have
is how wide the car is. You see, it is a very wide car,
the F-Type, perhaps wider than is strictly necessary. And on UK roads, I'm aware of
it more than I want to be in what should be a
Boxster rival. Even in a 911, I don't think
about the width of the car the way I do this one. Brakes are pretty good. There's a general feeling of disconnection in the car, though. It's not really bad. But in both the Aston and the
Porsche, I just feel like I'm more connected to the road
than I am in this. You can take that either way. You can either say it gives
this better GT credentials than the other two. Or perhaps there's something
that's just slightly missing there. Not that it isn't exciting,
though, the noise, the sheer speed of it, and the character
of the car really shines through. Does it really need
to weigh well over 1,650 kilograms, though? That's the bit that
worries me. It's not a big car. And it's hundreds of kilograms
more than even the 911. I found that really weird. And when I get in the car, and I
start it up, and the exhaust makes that lovely, boomy burble,
and then, these air vents rise up out of the
dashboard, it does make you think, those were electric
motors doing that. Why does that need to happen? Is that necessary
in a sports car? Has Jaguar got its priorities
slightly wrong? I'm not sure. It's given us a car that's so
much more than a slightly cut down XK on the road, though. This is, for UK roads,
a very, very clever car, lovely indeed. [CAR ENGINE] How on Earth does Porsche make
a hybrid construction, ie, steel and aluminum car, that's
lighter than both of the all-aluminum British cars? I don't know. But this car is under
1,500 kilograms. And it's quite a big thing. And it's got four seats. That's alchemy, isn't it? [CAR ENGINE] On the road, the 911, I'm afraid
to say it, shines. It really does. The structure is the stiffest. It doesn't shimmy so
much over bumps. And therefore, it feels like
the suspension has a better chance of keeping the
wheels on the road. The steering column
is better located. So even though it's electric
and a bit arcade game like, this car can be placed more
accurately than the others. It also feels like
you're better connected to the road surface. And it just gets better
the harder you push. The engine-- the engine has a real zip
and a zing to it. Take it out to 7,500 RPM, and
you feel like you're in an expensive, special sports car. Which is interesting, because
quite often, I feel the 911 is a bit ordinary. This cabin, it's quite generic
Porsche, isn't it? Nicely put together,
nice materials. Like the exterior, very
nice, very pleasant. But not that special. I'm not sure the 911 is
the eye candy anymore. Now that the F-Type has come
along, I think it's making a few problems for Porsche. This seven-speed manual
gearbox is really improving, though. The first versions I drove a
couple of years ago really weren't very good. I tend to treat it as a six
speeder and just forget about that seventh ratio. But I'm quite enjoying using
this manual one. And again, as an open top car,
there's a bit more of a driving experience, I think it's
important that you can get a manual gearbox and
that Porsche deserve to be praised for that. It's very fast. It's agile. You can get two kids
in the back. It's got more luggage space
than the F-Type. It's just a cleverer car
than the F-Type. But it's lacking several things
that the Jaguar offers in the specialness department. Maybe if we go to a track,
we can explore that a little bit more. [CAR ENGINE] The Aston is the slowest
of the three cars. Just on power to weight
ratio, you can really feel it on the circuit. And it's got quite
long gearing. But for what I think of as a
very soft roadster, it's really very good around
[INAUDIBLE]. Now, you can be fooled into
thinking that the Aston understeers the most. It doesn't. It just doesn't have as much
power as the others. So to make it oversteer as I'm
trying there requires a load more throttle. And you can't use the momentum
as much as the others. I know this is irrelevant
for little roadsters. But it's worth having
a go, isn't it? There you go, use
the momentum. And suddenly, it feels
very rear driven. And it's a very pleasant
experience. The steering's nice and tight. As I said, on a bumpy circuit,
this thing acquits itself very, very well. Braking's good. The only thing with the Aston
is there's a slight mismatch between the control weights. The steering's not too heavy. The gear lever takes a right
old shove, though. The clutch is quite light, but
the throttle's quite heavy. You do get used to it, but
it's just slightly odd. Doesn't stop it being rather
good fun when it's moving around, though. This is so irrelevant,
isn't it? But we need to tell you
how these cars handle. So I have to go to a circuit
and skid them about. It's only correct, you know. Slow it down, and it's a long
sort of straight through [INAUDIBLE] going at a fair old lick now. Keep it pinned. It's a lovely, neutral
car, actually. Again, on the circuit, just like
on the road, it doesn't feel as old as it should do. And I really like the manual
gearbox, more simple interpretation of the genre. [CAR ENGINE] Yeah, this is a really
good car. The F-Type V8 S is loud, very
fast, and when you cock about with it, smoky. [LAUGHS] There's smoke everywhere
coming in the cabin. It's not subtle! Oh my god, it's exciting. We've got the suspension
stiffened up now. We're in a dynamic mode. And unlike the others, even in
fourth gear, too, you have to watch the throttle just in case
it starts to spool up. This one has an electronic
locking differential. But it feels quite
natural to me. It's 10 miles an hour faster
down the straight than the little Aston. It does feel a bit
more remote. The steering wheel's too
big and too heavy. But if you just look
at the throttle-- look at that! I could do that for days. Now, wait for the smoke to
come out of the cabin. There it comes! Why does it do that? I don't care. It's so exciting. I don't know what car
Jaguar set out to make with the F-Type. But I didn't expect
it to be this raw. This is not a Boxster rival
in that it's not delicate and neat. It's a thug of a car. And its character is really,
really addictive. Sensational fun, really
sensational fun. And if you drive it sensibly,
it's a very balanced chassis. It does have some understeer. But that's almost immaterial
in a car like this because it's got so much torque. There's the understeer. Move on the throttle. There's the oversteer. They are centimeters
of throttle apart. You choose your angle
in this car. That's a big angle. There's a complete mismatch at
work with the 911 convertible. When you see it on the road,
you just think, ugh, convertible 911. It's a girl's car. It must be rubbish and
flabby and wobbly. And then, you drive it. And honestly, it feels
possibly the most aggressive car here. The engine's razor-sharp. It's got a manual gearbox. And it is just fantastically
direct. Listen to that engine. I don't doubt that around
this circuit, it's the fastest car, too. I'm not timing them because it
makes no difference to me. But as a driving experience,
certainly, it's right up there. I'll just try and describe
it to you. The engine, normally aspirated, revving out to 7,500. Sounds superb, really great down
this straight, doing 130, matching the Jaguar
down there. We'll take third coming
into quarry. Second, we have a pendulum,
remember. So we can just get the back of
the car going and ride it all the way out. There are very few others
cars that could do that. And it's a fantastic feeling. It also feels that little bit
lighter than the others here. You can take liberties, too. It has that classic slight delay
at front axle that you get on a 911. Once you get up it, you can
neutralize the car and steer it on the throttle. Brakes, very good. Really good brake
pedal, as well. But it's the engine that
stands out, actually. It's so zingy. It wants to really crack on. This is, for me, the most
connected car here, as well. From the steering, even though
it's electric, to the chassis, to the feel that's coming
through my backside, this is the one that feels the
most sporting. Strange, isn't it? Because on the outside, it
looks like it should be cruising down The King's Road. [CAR ENGINE] And that's supposed to
be the unmanly 911. What's the GT3 going
to be like? The Aston Martin is the
oldest car here. It's the most expensive. And it's the slowest. So you won't be surprised to
hear the objectively, it's also the loser here. But for many people, if you're
looking for an attractive, normally aspirated car with a
manual gearbox, it might be the best car here. Because in this test, the
loser happens to be an extremely desirable machine. It acquitted itself far better
than I expected for something that old. This Jaguar, this is different
to what I expected, too. This is like a muscle car, a
small, British muscle car, all about torque and performance and
just hanging onto it and enjoying the ride. It's not subtle. It's not a Boxster rival. It's brutal. It's also quite expensive,
which means it had to be tested against the 911. This car is 97,000 pounds. And in many ways, it's
not special enough. But actually, if you delve
deeply into the driving experience, this is
the best car here. For me, the harder you push
it, the better it gets. And it's the most resolved. It's the car that clearly
has been developed with the most cash. But does that matter in
the final reckoning? For me, only one car here has
that absolutely killer show room appeal. And it's the F-Type. Oh, that's the smoke again. How does it do that? Why does smoke come out
of the footwell when you're doing skids? Answer me that one. I'm going to do another lap.
I can't decide which one I would theoretically buy.
I'd go the Porsche route
DRIVE should dedicate their entire budget to Chris Harris alone, if only so he could make fantastic 20 minute videos every time.
Seriously, I can count on one hand the number of youtube videos that are that long that I've watched through to the end.
He mixes subjective with objective so effortlessly, leaves you thinking, and has you wanting to take a drive right after watching his videos.
I can't wait to see what an F-type R coupe is going to be like!