We drive Jaguar's shoutiest, priciest F-Type on UK roads for the first time. Does the addition of AWD mean there's now as much bite as there is bark? There are many things with which the Jaguar F-Type R has no issue. The first is noise - I'm still genuinely amazed that Jaguar gets away with the R being as loud as it is; it frightens elderly people and makes children cry, and driving the Convertible, you experience that noise in its purest form. Another is speed; the R's 186mph top speed is a staggering figure by any measure. The trouble is, its monumental performance has always felt a little distant in the real world, largely because on a soggy B-road in November, with the traction control switched off, it can feel like a hot rod competing in a rallycross stage. It has to be continually and closely managed in anything but Miami-like conditions. For its 2016 model year refresh, that could be a thing of the past - if you want it to be. S and R F-Types now get the option of an on-demand all-wheel drive system, while torque vectoring is now available as an option on the entry-level V6. Also included now is JLR's latest Incontrol multimedia system, while the bonnet has been raised slightly in order to house the AWD componentry. But most noticeable could be a swap from the previous generation's hydraulic steering rack to an EPAS system and a stiffer suspension set-up over rear-drive cars to better manage the extra weight.
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via AGYA