Page 22 - Motor Trend (May 2020)

NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP
Intake FIRST DRIVE
2021 Jaguar F-Type R
any things have changed for the
F-Type R, chief among them rear
Msuspension components. You can
think of it as a mashup of things gleaned
from the previous SVR version and Jag’s
skunkworksy Project 8.
The engine in the new R is the SVR
version of Jag’s thunderous V-8: 575
horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. The
transmission is the same ZF eight-speed
automatic, now using the same shift logic
as the Project 8.
The obvious squinty headlights, slightly
revamped sills, a new side vent, and a
reshaped rear bumper are about the
extent of the exterior changes. Inside,
the big news is a 12.3-inch TFT screen
that replaces the lovely, deeply binnacled
analog gauges from the old car.
Another big change for 2021 is the
“more rounded, more mature” exhaust
note. The (admittedly) juvenile noise has
been declawed, and the R’s glorious cold
start has been (partially) neutered. “Quiet” squishy. Worse still, under heavy braking
mode is the default, even when you start
the car, but it can be switched off.
Now, about that rear end. There are
new springs at all four corners, and the
electronic variable dampers have been
retuned. The front and rear anti-roll bars
22 MOTORTREND.COM MAY 2020
have also been redesigned. The rear upper
control arms are new, as are the upper
and lower ball joints, and the knuckles
are stiffer. The electric power steering
has been recalibrated, the wheels get new
bearings, the electronically controlled
rear differential has been reworked, the
stability control is revamped, and the
AWD is more rear-biased. The rear tires
are wider (from 295 to 305), too.
The results? I’m impressed. The
F-Type R ate up the curves. Even in a
light drizzle, for the first time ever in
a V-8-powered F-Type, I felt confident
going hard into a corner and getting on
the power right before/at/after the apex.
Likewise, the steering feel—which was
numbed pretty badly when the R went
AWD—felt OK.
The standard steel brakes, however,
didn’t. Not only did the stoppers’ effective-
ness seem worse than it should have been,
but the pedal itself was also vague and
the R’s back end dances around.
Although the Jaguar sports sharper
looks and better handling, much of the
previous iteration’s youthful exuberance
has been bred out of the new version.
Jonny Lieberman
TREND I 05.20
MIKE CONNOR
MT CONFIDENTIAL
Daimler is going big on screens.
Literally. Photos of the interior of the next
Mercedes-Benz S-Class, code-named
W223, show the car will have a single
freestanding screen in front of the driver
for the instrument display and a central
Tesla-sized touchscreen in a housing
that dramatically sweeps up from the
center console to rest against the dash.
Word out of Stuttgart is the W223 will also
include the next-generation MBUX digital
interface, which will have the highest
level of functionality and the broadest
range of custom screen settings yet seen
from Daimler. But the new S-Class, which
will make its public debut later this year,
won’t be the company’s king of screens.
That honor, sources say, will go to the
EQS, the S-Class-sized electric-powered
sedan that’s expected to appear in 2021.
Insiders who have seen the car say the
entire dash—from side to side and down
to the center console—looks like one
large screen. Whispers from VW Group
hint at ongoing arguments over the
relevance of Audi’s MLB architecture,
which packages a longitudinally
mounted engine ahead of the front
axle. The configuration allowed Audi to
produce both front- and all-wheel-drive
versions at relatively low cost. However,
the setup makes meeting modern safety
regulations more of a challenge because
of the proximity of the engine to the
impact zone. It also adversely affects
vehicle dynamics, putting more weight
on the front axle, and it forces designers
to adopt front-drive vehicle proportions.
“The Audi architecture is only valuable if a
front-drive car is needed, but there is little
demand these days for front-wheel-drive
Audi A6s or A8s,” one insider grumbled.
They suggested the Porsche-developed,
rear-drive-focused MSB architecture
would be a better, more cost-effective fit
for Audi’s premium sedans, but Ingolstadt
refuses to budge. Honda Civic Type R
boss Hideki Kakinuma sees no reason
why the iconic Type R label could
not be affixed to an electric vehicle.
“Yes, of course an electric Type R is
possible,” Kakinuma says. But any electric
propulsion system would have to provide
the performance the company requires
from a Type R–branded vehicle, and at a
reasonable price. “If all the base concept
and philosophy of being a Type R is
fulfilled with an electric powertrain … sure,
this can happen.”