New Jaguar F-Type – Super Like!

A stylish test drive in collaboration with Muscats Motors

The new Jaguar F-TYPE is the latest in a distinguished bloodline of powerful, agile and distinctive sports cars. Combining exhilarating performance, accomplished handling and cutting-edge technology, it delivers an exceptional driver-focused experience. So when Muscats Motors invited me to take out this all-new beast for a basic test drive review, I was over the moon with excitement and couldn’t wait to see how this baby would speak to me!

Photos: Carlo Jourdan
Wearing: Mangano clothing
Eyewear: D & G @ Vision Opticians
Shoes: River Island

I don’t know if I have mentioned this to you in previous blog posts but prior to my blogging life and current entrepreneurial business in marketing, I spent 4 beautiful years working as Marketing and PR manager in the motoring industry. I also used to enjoy racing cars on professional race tracks in Sicily with car enthusiasts from all walks of life, a lot of whom are still very good friends of mine today. I used to own two souped up Mini Cooper S’s and I always had a lot of fun with them on and off the tracks lol!

The comradery that is shared between car lovers at car events – talking cars, cleaning cars, helping each other when in trouble – is the same type of love shared with those in a community who are fond of fashion and the arts for example. It is easier to connect and share experiences with people who are on your same “playing” field and these race track days were amazing for me for that! I miss them so much. When I fell pregnant, I had to sell my cars and replace them with a family car for safety and practicality, but cars will always be one of the many passions of mine and thankfully through the blog and some clients, I am trusted to review luxury cars and I get invited to motoring press events. Thank you so much!

When I got this opportunity to take out the JAGUAR F_TYPE, I set a meeting with my little artistic team to discuss how best to present our experience. For this photoshoot, inspired by the movie “The Matrix”, we thought of styling a modern aggressive look using Mangano Malta clothing. Hair was pulled back sleek at the top, leaving the sides loose for movement in the action shots and make up was designed to have smokey eyes and still a soft look for the day shots. The photos speak a million words so I will let you scroll through them while I talk about this hot car.

About the ALL_NEW JAGUAR F Type

At first glance, it is really sexy both at the front and most particularly at the rear. Mmmm… We took out a white coupe’ out for a drive to the South of Malta and wherever we drove with it, we certainly drew some attention to it by both locals and tourists. It has that classy sports car feel to it and a little roar when you press the gas pedals that made me (and Carlo) scream like little girls! (You might have seen us on Instagram Stories – Maybe not!) New multi-mode LED headlights grace the entire model range changing the intensity and focus of the beam to suit city and country driving and avoid damaging the remodelled, variant-specific bumpers.

LIGHTWEIGHT ALUMINIUM STRUCTURE

A lightweight aluminium body with a strong, stiff structure is the perfect platform for a sports car. The exterior panels combine robustness with greater formidability, which gives clarity and tightness to curves and feature lines. On Coupe’ models, the side pressing is one of the most technically advanced in the motor industry. It allows for cleaner lines with an extraordinarily beautiful, uninterrupted sweep from the front pillar to the trailing edge. This combination of advanced materials and innovative techniques has two advantages I learnt. It allowed Jaguar to reproduce the F-TYPE’s crisp, crafted lines exactly as the designers intended. And it delivers a vehicle with extraordinary structural integrity.

INTERIOR

Inside, Jag’s fitted ‘Slimline’ seats with magnesium-alloy fittings, which are apparently more comfortable than the old ones and a full 8 kg lighter. Perhaps much more important is the extra two inches of space that the new seats free up behind the seatback, allowing the long-legged among us to fit in more comfortably in the super coupe. With a redesigned steering wheel, the F-TYPE looks just as distinctive on the inside as it does on the outside.

ALL WHEEL DRIVE

The F-TYPE’s All Wheel Drive system combines the agility and character of Rear Wheel Drive with the increased security and traction provided by the All Wheel Drive. In normal driving, you can feel that the F-TYPE is predominantly RWD, but when needed, the system rapidly redistributes torque to the front axle, enabling it to maintain traction in all conditions.

TECHNOLOGY & DRIVER FOCUS

In F-TYPE you and the car become close. Every aspect of its 1+1 configuration is designed to create a bond. It wraps around you, taking your driving experience to greater heights. Both myself and photographer Carlo Jourdan drove this car during the day and we are different in size and we both felt this. The cockpit provides maximum visibility, minimal distractions and close-to-the-centre-of-gravity seating for a complete connection with the car. The low facia is free from clutter to increase the view ahead. The car has an easy to use 8 inch colour Touchscreen with touch Pro infotainment system. A brand-new satnav also graces the F-Type range, which could offer such innovative features and managing to maintain a Bluetooth connection for more than 38 minutes at a time. In all fairness, though, I’ve trialled this system in other JLR products, and it’s actually good. Well done Jaguar!

All in all, The F-Type is fun to drive, sounds fantastic and looks amazing. Jaguar Land Rover’s continued model development means the F-Type has gained technology, engines and styling tweaks throughout its life so far. All the better for keeping it relevant as Porsche evolves its Boxster and 911 ranges, clearly the cars Jag has in the centre of its bloodline.

The result is a great array of models. There are currently three different engines offering six different power outputs, while some models offer a choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearboxes, others letting you select an all-wheel-drive system instead of standard rear-wheel drive. There’s not a bad car in F-Type range and whichever one you choose, there’s something about the way an F-Type looks, feels and sounds that elevates it above the larger Jaguar XKs. It’s a great car and we give it a Big Like!