Unlike the trio of German luxury car brands who have each had their own performance divisions, which have, for decades, created cars like Mercedes-AMGs, BMW Ms and Audi’s RSs, Jaguar LandRover’s attempt at offering souped-up special editions and high performance versions of its road-going cars is only just over a couple of years old. The Special Vehicle Operations division’s first output was the Range Rover Sport SVR and then came the Jag F-Type SVR.

Getting into the business of special, high performance vehicles was the right next step in its evolution for JLR; and the company isn’t losing any more time in the game. The F-Type SVR was born out of the Project 7 and soon the Project 8 influenced XE SV would become the fastest production Jag ever. There is more to come later this year from the SVO division, including the F-Pace SVR unveiled at the New York Auto Show earlier this week. In fact, JLR is planning to set up dealership outlets that will focus specifically on just its SVs.

 

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These are serious performance cars. But, somewhat similar to the claims made by Mercedes-AMG, Jaguar officials also mention that the intent with SVO vehicles is to offer the duality of track-level performance and everyday driving comfort. That is a claim that finds resonance with the F-Type SVR that I was piloting earlier this week on JLR’s proving grounds in Gaydon, UK. The F-Type SVR has been available for special orders from Indian customers from last year, but I was behind the wheel of the model year 2018 F-Type SVR — which promises even more performance and even better on-edge handling than the predecessor.

Design

 

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Sit down and drive The cabin gets additions like special edition SVR seats that are adjustable in 14 different ways

 

 

The F-Type was a breakthrough sportscar for Jaguar; its design and performance really setting up the brand to take on serious competitors in the business. For the F-Type SVR, the folks at the SVO division picked out the base model’s original design and its already light, but rigid chassis with its extensive use of aluminium. Performance boost for sports cars is best achieved by a combination of weight reduction and powertrain improvements. The regular F-Type all-wheel drive was already a taut, well-balanced sports car, but its amazing how light-weighting was still possible and from some unexpected components.

The SVR’s exhaust system is now Titanium and Inconel, the seat frames are now made out of magnesium and the new set of 20-inch forged alloy wheels save about 13 kg compared to the alloys in the regular F-Type. The rear suspension knuckles have been redesigned and constructed to be lighter than the conventional knuckles and the carbon-ceramic matrix braking system (optional addition) offers another 20 kg of weight reduction over the conventional F-Type.

The F-Type’s design has largely been retained for the SVR; much of the changes are focused on improving the aerodynamics. With one of the performance targets being a top speed of 320kmph, the F-Type SVR gets extra bits like an active carbon fibre rear spoiler with a wider and more elevated wing, a flat front underbody and additional, larger front fender and hood vents as part of its aero package. The car continues to look stunning in profile with its classic two-seater sports car proportions — the long bonnet, the elegantly curved roofline, the strong rear haunches and the low, compact stance — is now complemented by the SVR’s improvements.

The F-Type is offered with multiple engines and trim levels.

Performance

Not to be confused with the regular F-Type and its four-cylinder engine or the 400 Sport and its V6, the SVR features the 5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol engine found in the F-Type R, but tuned to deliver a higher 575 hp of peak power and 699.6 Nm of peak torque. In fact, the powertrain set-up is borrowed from the Project 7, with adjustments to the eight-speed gearbox and a whole new calibration for the car’s adaptive dynamics set-up. The all-wheel drive system is a carry over, but the algorithm for torque vectoring has been reworked to cut the possibility of understeer. A rework of the electric power steering’s set-up also means that the F-Type SVR’s wheel offers more feedback and a very likeable directness in response, best felt during high speed turn-ins.

At the Gaydon track, one of the first tests was on the high speed long track, which with its four lanes and long straights is strangely called the emissions circuit. The F-Type SVR’s visceral acceleration comes through with the needle racing to speeds of upto 280 kmph effortlessly. Its rated acceleration is 3.7 seconds for the 0-100 kmph run. On the track, I recorded 225kmph on the speedo with just about 2.6 km of the tarmac behind me. The F-Type was loud with its grunty exhaust note egging you on to keep engaging the engine. The SVR sounds louder, though the difference is probably marginal. For all those who have been woken up by an eager owner’s F-Type in the neighbourhood, the stat to keep in mind is that the exhaust note is a whisper short of the legal limit.

The F-Type SVR’s improved AWD settings and steering response come into play at the turns on the circuit, offering a huge jump in confidence levels. The four turns are mostly wide, sweeping ones, but it was the speeds at which the SVR could take them on that made the difference. With quick, measured corrections, the F-Type SVR could do much higher speeds than were recommended for the turns. The improvements to the suspension also make it surprisingly composed on bad roads, which was simulated in the next stretch of tarmac that I test drove the car on. With the setting expectedly focused on agile handling, the broken patches, rumbler strips and uneven tarmac on this track didn’t leave me with a sore backside; and for a change I was keen on putting those 265/35 Pirellis into the holes and not around them.

Bottomline

The F-Type SVR cabin gets some additions too, including the option of a carbon-fibre roof. There are some more trim elements in carbon-fibre within the cabin and then there are the new lozenge-quilted special edition SVR seats for the driver and passenger. These seats are now adjustable in 14 different ways too. Most other additions are subtler and focused on improving the materials on offer. The standard F-Type features for the cabin including the touchscreen infotainment system and the 10-speaker Meridian audio system are also standard in the SVR.

The fastest Jaguar just got better for its 2018 model year edition. It is certainly far more composed and predictable on the edge compared to the other F-Type models. But the F-Type SVR is certainly not for the average Joe looking for a luxury car. Prices will be ₹2.6 crore or thereabouts.

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