SHIFT USED CARS REVIEWS UPDATE

The all-wheel-drive option is less about turning F-Type into an all-season sports car and more about expanding its performance envelope, all the while “maintaining the purity of the F-Type experience,” according to chief program engineer David Tite. Weight drops 23 pounds from the F-Type’s eight-speed torque-converter automatic. It’s installed with a dual-mass flywheel to improve NVH and a single-plate dry clutch. While the pump does add a small amount of weight, it reduces drag losses and requires substantially less lubricant. A small mechanical pump sprays oil on the gear teeth, bearings and synchronizer rings. Supplied by ZF, the F-Type six-speed has an aluminum case and pressurized lubrication, rather than the typical oil bath/splash process. It shouldn’t imply that the manual is an old-school lug. Jag has passed on electronic trickery such as rev matching and launch control, but that’s a function of purity of purpose.

It’s aimed primarily at the United States, which remains the world’s largest market for manual transmissions, thank you. The new six-speed manual will be offered only with the F-Type’s 3.0-liter V6 -still available at 340 hp in the base model and 380 hp in the V6 S. Yet two big-ticket items are most likely to turn an enthusiast driver’s head: optional all-wheel-drive and a conventional manual transmission.

SHIFT USED CARS REVIEWS UPDATE

The ’16 F-Type update starts with a longer warranty, free scheduled maintenance, some mechanical improvements and more features and equipment for the money. In the context of Jaguar’s financial struggles through many preceding decades, this proactive approach seems almost like extravagance. For 2016, just two years in, Jag is revamping F-Type in an effort to keep it fresh and enhance its appeal. It launched the F-Type as a roadster for 2014 and added the coupe for ’15.

Shift used cars reviews