2015-07-23Staff Report 2 The best just got even better. Jaguar’s F-TYPE R Coupé now gains all-wheel drive traction and Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS), helping it set new standards for dynamics and driver involvement. Its fundamentals remain true to Jaguar’s core DNA of refined power, perfect proportions, outstanding design, and lightweight construction – the addition of all-wheel drive has increased the F-TYPE’s weight by just 80kg. The result is a car with a greater breadth of dynamic capability, offering drivers a heightened sense of connection to the road “The all-wheel drive F-TYPE joins its land-speed record-setting stable mate as the flagship in the line-up,” says Lisa Mallett, Marketing and Communications Director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa. “Drivers will be able to enjoy tremendous amounts of grip in all conditions, without sacrificing the purity of the rear-wheel drive driving experience.” Integrating AWD required only subtle changes to the F-TYPE’s acclaimed styling – a prerequisite that Jaguar’s design and engineering teams worked side by side to achieve – and the enhancements give AWD F-TYPEs even more presence. The aluminium clamshell bonnet gains a deeper central power bulge. Either side are distinctive new vents, positioned further apart and further forward than those of rear-wheel drive F-TYPE models. From behind the wheel, drivers will quickly notice the extra dimension that AWD adds to performance, handling and road holding in all conditions – and especially on slippery road surfaces. The AWD system features Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD), a control system designed and developed in-house to exploit the maximum benefits of AWD without any compromise to Jaguar dynamics DNA. IDD is networked to the powertrain, rear differential and centre coupling and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system to provide optimum torque distribution. Operating on the torque-on-demand principle, the AWD system sends 100 per cent of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions. This maintains the F-TYPE’s rear-wheel drive handling characteristics and also reduces parasitic losses in the drivetrain. If the system determines that the rear wheels are approaching the limit of available grip the electronically controlled centre coupling transfers torque to the front axle, improving traction. Another benefit of AWD is the ability to vary the front: rear torque split to mitigate oversteer during fast cornering by providing yaw damping. Combined with even higher levels of feedback from the new EPAS system – a technology Jaguar’s chassis engineers have spent more than five years perfecting – the F-TYPE’s performance is now even more accessible and exploitable. The F-TYPE is the first Jaguar sports car to use EPAS, and the new system is fitted as standard to other F-TYPE models. Years of development have ensured that the technology is now mature enough to deliver the benchmark response and feel that drivers have come to expect. Since the system’s electric motor provides power assistance only when needed, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced.0 The Torque Vectoring by Braking (TVbB) function first developed for the F-TYPE R Coupé is now available on all F-TYPE models. Integrated into the DSC system, selectively braking the inside wheels mitigates understeer, helping the driver to take the ideal line through the bend. TVbB also helps to stabilise the car and minimise steering input during manoeuvres such as emergency lane changes. Customers who wish to make their F-TYPE look even more exclusive have the option of a Sport Design Pack: the bespoke splitter, sills, venturi and, for the Coupé, fixed rear spoiler, subtly enhance the styling without affecting the purity of line which sets the F-TYPE apart in the sports car segment. Applying composite technologies first developed in motorsport and aerospace, Jaguar has engineered a carbon-fibre roof option for the F-TYPE Coupé. At just 4.25kg, the carbon-fibre panel is even lighter than the aluminium pressing. The high-gloss lacquer finish leaves the distinctive ‘twill’ weave of the fibres clearly visible. The Jaguar F-TYPE R Coupé AWD is available now, with pricing starting at N$1 744 900. 2015-07-23Staff Report 2
