Chris Okula - Contributor
In today’s world of eco-friendly cars and sensible engineering, the F-Type SVR Stands out like a Jaguar in a chicken coupe. The SVR is the ultimate version of Jaguar’s coupe and represents one of the maddest creations ever to wear the Jaguar badge. It’s faster, louder, and ever more powerful than a normal F-type R coupe and bucks all the trends that are leading the automotive world toward a more sensible future of autonomous electric cars. After spending some time with this beast on the back roads of Monticello in New York, I’m happy to report that the old ways are alive and well.
When comparing the SVR to a “Normal F-Type R”, the first things you notice are the tweaked aero bits needed to increase cooling and the top speed to around 200mph. The fixed rear wing and carbon-fiber roof are there to aid performance and impress your neighbors making them vital additions on this trim. The new exterior makes this car stand out even more than its siblings and gives you the needed modifications so you’re not confused with the hoards of other F-Type owners. Stepping inside the interior has a light sprinkling of SVR badges and touches of Alcantara on the steering wheel for added grip, the F-Type interior was always a nice place to be but the SVR is the best of the breed.
Once you push the start button of the SVR you get a clear answer of where your extra money has gone and where the rest will go as the 575 horsepower V8 turns the simple act of burning fuel into theater. The exhaust on all F-Types sounds incredible but nothing compares to the even louder SVR, the simple act of driving through a parking lot turns any driver into a musician. It’s hilarious how easily you can evoke a salvo of snaps and crackles from the sport exhaust in “Loud Mode” and how addicting this act becomes . Its sounds like your being chased by a WWII artillery bombardment when you accelerate and speed is a mere side effect to the production of an exhaust symphony.
During my time with the SVR, it became clear that cars like this will not exist in the near future, massive supercharged V8s aren’t exactly in vogue these days and soon they may be lost forever. The SVR is more than a loud exhaust and flashy exterior, it’s the distillation of years of experience in manipulating the internal combustion engine for maximum enjoyment.
As I drove through winding back roads and the main drags of Monticello it became clear why the world needs cars like this. The joy a car like this brings to those who get it is worth every penny, from the dumbass with the massive grin on his face in the driver’s seat to the audience on the streets, the F-Type changes our world for the better.
This is a car that still has it faults, like the lack of rear visibility aided by the new fixed rear wing, or the exhaust that will not shut up like someone who actually tells you How they are. It would not be a good daily driver unless you hate your neighbors and think they should sleep less and the attention of onlookers gets old very quickly. It’s porky curb weight doesn’t make it the most nimble track car but it’s perfectly at home on normal roads.
During my drive, I burned more fuel in this exhaust popcorn machine than a Prius owner uses in a year and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The experience of burning fossil fuels for pure enjoyment is what brings all car enthusiasts together and the SVR is one the greatest instruments built so far.
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