I was anxiously waiting for the delivery person at 13:30 hours as the email suggested the drop-off time with a buffer of 15 minutes. Quite agreeable as it was the time for the schools to call a day. I can see the moms are flocking early for the usual display of their dresses, fashion galore and banting.

Yet today seems to be too different as the delivery guy who was donned in a special outfit, was a trained Jaguar personnel. Very soon I got a call from an unidentified number, it was him, the deliveryman – confirming the location to deliver my weekend drive, the Jaguar F Type Coupe!

Back in 2011 at the Frankfurt motor show, Jaguar unwrapped the covers C-X16 Concept. A near production ready, codenamed X152, went straight into the production only to be called as F Type. A fresh beginning as a spiritual successor to bring back the Type nameplate after the timeless classic, the E Type. For the matter of fact, unlike other cars, Jaguar launched F Type as a convertible first than the usual coupe version.

Head Turner – 9.0/ 10

Without an iota of doubt, F Type is the most stunning car I’ve seen in the recent times. If I look at the new Stingray Corvette, the rear-end of the car reminds me of the late Brandon Lee in The Crow! If I look at the Porsche 911, well, it’s always been there. So I turned myself to the Lamborghini Huracan, even though it’s toned down still it’s an extreme design. However, F Type is an eye candy, it’s just perfect! Yet, I still find that Jaguar couldn’t break any new ground with its signature J-blade LED lights on the edges of the headlights as they are quite synonymous with Dodge Viper and now with the Chevrolet Corvette.

The F Type is modeled on 3 lines that made up the silhouette of the car. Jaguar’s design director, Ian Callum calls these lines as heartlines. The first two heart lines are common with F-TYPE Convertible: from the muscular front and rear wings, the third heartline defines the sweeping Coupé roof profile and falls above the rear bulbous haunches of the car. The result is spectacular. I lost the count of times when people were giving F Type a long stare, which is beyond the second look. This short and stubby with the dark gaping front grille and closely packed shiny dual exhausts at the rear center is an attention grabber. On one occasion after dropping my daughter at her school, the additionally positioned royal guard stopped me to let pass the far off kids to cross the road. I felt that it’s just because he wanted to have a closer look at the F Type.

With inspiration taken from the jet-fighter, the cabin is driver focus. Jaguar design engineers did a good job keeping the dashboard simple and clean by ditching an abundance of buttons for any distractions. This is the base trim F Type Coupe, with two classic large dials and a center screen. There are few other to control aircon system. Black leather all around and contrasting red color stitching on the comfortable seats and cool blue ambient light on the dash and low lighting in the foot well completes the premium cabin feel.

The Basic Ride – 7.5/ 10

Like a multi-role jet fighter, F Type was designed to take on many counterparts. From Porsche Boxster/ Cayman to Chevrolet Corvette and then getting serious with 911. Our tester was the base trim level Jaguar F Type, fitted with a Supercharged 3.0 V6 tuned to produce a good 340hp and 332 lb/ ft of torque. The engine is mated to a ‘QuickShift’ 8-speed transmission that can be manually controlled via paddle shifter behind the steering wheel.

Select the toggle switch in dynamic driving mode, tap the accelerator and you can hit 0-60 in impressive 5.3 seconds with orgasmic sound belting out from the twin sports exhausts. And if you have a long road and wallet full cash Jag F Type will take no time to reach electronically limited 161mph!

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Press the Play button to listen the Jaguar F Type Sound

I however resorted to smart thinking and avoided the rush of blood reaching the brain’s limbic system and controlled my emotions. There’s a reason to back up the logic-over-emotions. Adhering to legality and being realistic with empty pocket aside our tester, even though is fitted with 19″ Propeller 5 Twin Spoke alloy wheels with 245/40R-19 tires at the front and SUV-sized 275/35R-19 tires at the rear, F Type Coupe is a happy fish-tailing contender. The presence of body roll and lack of driver-selectable dynamic ride/ chassis setup, driving on the open twisty road with camber changes exposes the weakness. The setup that proves good for city driving where the suspensions were soaking the speed bumper even in the shopping mall was struggling on the mountainous roads of Kalba. A warning sign constantly flickering in my mind takes away the fun factor.

My co-driver, racer-boy Naveed Mushtaq was critical about the whole outcome. Read the boxed note as he summarized it in his log book.

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, they say. Difficult proposition when you have a gorgeous F-Type to dissect. Ian Callum’s recreation of the legendary E-type seduces you visually freezing out all other senses. Sadly though, irrespective of all the style and charisma in front of me, my rationale kicked in once we hit the road.

It’s a peach of an engine, the Super Charged 3.0l V6. Pulling like a train in any gear, but the excessively loud exhaust prevents you from enjoying the addictive supercharged whine. Resonating through the cabin, a few lost decibels would be a huge gain in the thrill factor.

The base car offers a cosseting ride in the city. But a lack of dynamic ride control exposes weak links during spirited driving. My final impression being the setup was a bit soft to exploit the coupe’s stiff chassis. Different damping modes are available on much cheaper alternatives so I think Jaguar should be adding that as standard on a premium product

My overall impression being a lack of refinement, from wind noise at high speeds to touch screen interface graphics, although I will reserve final judgement until we get to drive its more powerful siblings.

Safety – 8.0/ 10

Jaguar F-Type Coupe comes with all the basic safety features that will ensure to keep the driving safe and pleasureful without nagging intrusions. If you’re expecting that will warn you if the comet is falling, I assure you that it will not. Our tester is spec’d with blind spot monitoring, reverse park camera, Emergency Brake Assist and Dynamic Stability Control (with Trac DSC mode).

Buyer’s Guide to the Galaxy – 7.5/ 10

The base Jaguar starts at a lofty AED 295,000. In a highly competitive world, The F Type Coupe is a premium badge, the interior is premium to feel. Loaded with essential kit, Meridian sound system to Bluetooth mobile connectivity and satnav. Bi-function HID Xenon headlamps with washers and LED signature lights. Sports seats with leather and Suedecloth on top with contrast stitching. Rides on 19″ Propeller 5 Twin alloy wheels, yet the balance swings towards the heavy price order for a pure trim with a GT ride! That’s just the beginning as Jaguar offer more serious models that add more than S and R decals. And perhaps the balance will swing back more towards a rewarding experience for the bucks!

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