SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
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This is a first sight/reveal report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. There was no driving experience . We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get a test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.

Sexier: 2020 Jaguar F-Type range

Six shades of kinky

Pics by Jaguar@Motorpress
Posted: August 20, 2020

It’s basically just a facelift, say the salespeople; with typical British understatement. Its new grille is wider and deeper with a hexagonal mesh pattern, its new-look headlights and tail lamps are now LED across the range, bumpers were subtly reshaped and, inside, the central vents remain hidden until called out. Less subtle are Jaguar Leaper motifs on the fender vents and “Jaguar Est. 1935” markings on centre console, glove box and seat belt guides.

There are also, for the first production year only, First Edition versions of the mid-range three-litre AWD models, both coupé and convertible. Added features include 20” Diamond Turned wheels, special scripting on tread plates and instrument panel and Windsor leather performance seats in Ebony or Mars Red. Choose from three special colours; Fuji White, Santorini Black and Eiger Grey. All at no extra charge. 

True F-Type fans will know most of this already but I feel obliged to "mansplain" a few things for those who don’t:
•    Those mysterious engine codes, P300, P380 and P575, indicate DIN-horsepower; PS or Pferdestärke,
•    R-Dynamic, as applied to the two- and three-litre versions, refers to a free appearance pack on South African models,
•    R, on its own, needs no explanation,
•    Pixel LEDs, standard on five-litre R cars or a R41 400 option on lesser models, is an understated way of saying Adaptive Driving Beam. Meaning: You can leave the headlights on highbeam continuously while driving after dark but as soon as the car’s in-built sensors detect the lights of another vehicle, approaching or retreating, they selectively turn off some of the LEDs. That splits the main beam pattern vertically and horizontally, to create up to four shadowed areas, to avoid dazzling vehicles up ahead. This headlight option incorporates Bending Lights that operate at higher speeds to direct the main beams toward the direction of steering,
•    Apart from First Editions, we have eight models - four each in Coupé and in Convertible – two-litre P300 comes as RWD only, three-litre P380 can be had as RWD or as AWD while five-litre P575 is AWD-only,
•    Price differences between equivalent coupés and convertibles are negligible,
•    F-Type is a true two-seater; no kiddie seat, no parcel shelf, no oddments box. The seats back up against the rear wall. That’s it, apart from a speaker grid occupying some of the space between them,
•    F-Types come in a choice of 27 colours, of which 25 are added-cost options. These include six varieties of grey or silver. Shades of kinky.

Standard kit on all models includes an eight-speed ZF gearbox; six airbags (you really couldn’t fit in more if you tried); a shipload of safety kit; a 12.3-inch HD TFT instrument cluster with reconfigurable graphics; satnav; lightweight, slimline seats with six-way adjusters; alloy wheels; spacesaver spare; keyless entry and start and active exhaust system with switchable sound effects. Coupés sport panoramic sunroofs as well.
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Options? There is a Germanesque encyclopaedia of goodies to be had, at prices ranging from doable to ambitious. And, like the Germans, some of those options are items that civilian cars include without charge. Life’s like that, unfortunately.

Finally: F-Type is really not practical. I am 1.85 metres tall and couldn’t fit comfortably into the coupé because there’s not enough headroom, like a Ferrari California T that I once wrote about. Explains why 6’4” Tom Selleck, in Magnum PI, never raised the roof on Robin Masters’ gorgeous 308.

Your mother may not like it. Your kid’s girlfriend’s mother definitely won’t. But coupés and convertibles don’t require peer approval. They’re special cars for special people with special requirements.

No driving experience; I sussed out a showroom P380 at Jaguar Hillcrest.

The numbers

Base prices range from R 1 243 000 to R2 422 700
Specifications -
1) P300 with 2.0 four-cylinder Ingenium engine: Power 221 kW at 5500 rpm. Torque 400 Nm between 1500 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 5.7 seconds
Maximum speed: 250 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 8.1 l/100 km
Tank: 63 litres

2) P380 with 3.0 V6 engine: Power, 280 kW at 6250 rpm. Torque 460 Nm between 4500 and 5000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 4.9 seconds (RWD), 5.1 seconds (AWD)
Maximum speed: 275 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 8.9 l/100 km
Tank: 70 litres

3) P575 with 5.0 V8 engine: Power 423 kW at 6500 rpm. Torque 700 Nm between 3500 and 5000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 3.7 seconds
Maximum speed: 300 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 11.0 l/100 km
Tank: 70 litres

All models -
Luggage: 299 litres coupé and 233 litres convertible
Ground clearance: From 100 mm
Turning circle: RWD, 10.63 metres. AWD, 11.27 metres
Warranty: 3 years
Servicing and maintenance: 5 years, 100 000 km

Convertible pics are all of the P380 First Edition

Coupe pics are all of the P575 R

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.