When reading about cars, you’ll no doubt have come across the dreaded clichés of motoring literature. Terms like, “falls easily to hand”, “TARDIS-like interior” and “handles like it’s on rails” are so old hat, any good sub editor will strike them through, and wonder which work experience kid got to write his first road test.
Another common cliché is the assumption every sports car is far better with a manual gearbox. In the past, this has largely been true, and for quite a few reasons. Objectively, manual cars used to be faster because they transferred more of an engine’s power to the wheels than an inefficient torque convertor ‘slush box’.
Subjectively, an automatic also robbed the driver of control, shifting at the wrong moment in automatic mode, refusing to shift at the exact nanosecond you pulled one of its paddle shifters and generally changing gears with all the snappiness of an old Chocolate Labrador.
But, how times have changed. Dual-clutch gearboxes shift faster than any human and match the efficiency of a manual gearbox. And, clever mechanical changes and improved software has advanced ‘traditional’ automatic gearboxes to the point they can also shift in milliseconds one minute and allow mellow progress in city traffic the next.
So, Jaguar’s decision to fit a six-speed manual in the previously auto-only F-Type sports car came at an interesting time in the history of the car. Would motoring journos and petrolheads rejoice at the prospect of feeling each synchromesh engage under their moist left palm, or would there be a collective shrug of the shoulders? And what would it actually be like?
Well, having now driven the manual F-Type, we’re somewhat reticent to say, you’re better off with the automatic. Time marches on and all that. While we applaud Jaguar for giving us the choice, the manual simply doesn’t suit this the F-Type’s character quite as well as the ‘Quickshift’ automatic. Whereas the latter makes the 3.0-litre supercharged V6 engine feel effortlessly fast and relaxing all the time, with punctuated bursts of excitement when you snick the paddle shifters, the manual is hard work, all the time.
The manual does have a couple of advantages; it allows you to hold onto a tall gear and slowly wind out the engine, hearing its exhaust note gradually harden as you do, without fear of ‘kickdown’, and it costs around £1,800 less to buy. But, when this basic model costs more than £50k, that sum seems paltry considering it makes the F-Type feel more luxurious, faster and better to drive.
The model we tested was also notable for being the entry-level F-Type, with small – by Jaguar standards - 18-inch alloy wheels, a standard exhaust and just 335bhp, a power figure which makes it slower in the real-world than the hottest hot hatches.
And, while its acceleration (0-62mph comes up in 5.7 seconds) isn’t rabid, it could hardly be described as slow, and there are few times on the road when you push the accelerator into the carpet and feel disappointed. On track you may want for more power, but then, this is hardly a track car.
In fact, the first rung on the F-Type ladder feels more like a gentleman’s Grand Tourer, more in the mould of the old XK. In this respect it makes for stylish, brisk transport, and with the electric soft top stowed, it could feel like the perfect place to be on a British summer’s evening.