By: IOL Motoring Staff
Pretoria, 21 July 2015 - Jaguar's updated F-Type R Coupé with all-wheel drive and electronic power steering is now available in South Africa.
Visually there's very little difference; the aluminium clamshell bonnet gets a deeper central power bulge and there are distinctive new side vents, further apart and further forward than on the rear-wheel drive models.
More importantly, the additional centre coupling, drive shafts and front differential have added only 80kg to the weight of the car.
Under normal driving conditions car's driveline system sends 100 percent of the torque to the rear wheels but, as the rear wheels approach the grip limit, the electronic centre coupling transfers torque to the front axle to improve traction and keep oversteer within the bounds of sanity.
Even before the rear breaks away, however, torque vectoring selectively brakes the inside wheels to reduce understeer and keep the car on the ideal line through the bends, stabilising the car during sudden manoeuvres such as emergency lane changes.
The all-wheel F-Type R’s 405kW/680Nm supercharged V8 and standard eight-speed paddle-shift transmission take it from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds and on to an electromically limited top speed of 298km/h.
UPGRADES AND EXTRAS
There are more upgrades inside: the instrument cluster gets new dials and gauges, navigation routing is much faster than before and SD card-based mapping is available for the first time.
There's also the option of a new Sport Design Pack, including a special splitter, side sills, venture and for the Coupé but not the F-Type convertible, a fixed rear spoiler.
And finally, there's an special-order carbon-fibre roof option for the Coupé that's 4.25kg lighter than the standard aluminium pressing, and finished in glossy clear-coat to show off the distinctive carbon-fibre weave.
PRICE
The F-Type R Coupé AWD is available now, starting at R1 760 187 including VAT and CO2 taxes.