2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe
Just when we thought Jaguar had knocked it out of the park with the F-Type Roadster, comes this F-Type Coupe. Swinging deeper into the baseball analogies, Jaguar is driving this 2-seat fastback deep into the gap of their lineup making it a perfect 2-for-2, and upping their batting average with another high performance hit. In the process, going from wild card hopeful to a division leader. So let’s look at the highlights.
You might think the 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe is the more practical version of the wonderful F-type V8 S Roadster. Wrong! We think it’s really more like its evil twin.
If there’s such a thing as a go-against-the-grain British muscle car, this is it.
Now, engine choices are the same as the Roadster, with one slight difference. The supercharged V6 offerings carry over at 340 and 380-horsepower.
As for the V8, the supercharged 5.0-liter in the F-type V8 S was by no means underpowered, but Jag felt the Coupe could use more ponies, so it now rates 550-horsepower and 502 lb-ft. of torque. That’s a very healthy increase of 55-horsepower and 42 lb-ft.
Jag claims that’s enough to be the fastest Jaguar ever. And, with its all-aluminum structure, it is also the stiffest “cat” yet.
As for that practicality we mentioned, the cargo area is good for 11 cubic-ft., almost half again the roadster’s.
The aluminum body that hides the cargo space is beautifully executed. The front end is virtually the same as the Roadster, but the sweeping lines at the rear are as dynamic as anything on the road. A fixed-panel glass roof is an option.
That stiffer structure called for a stiffer suspension to be bolted to it. Add in Adaptive Dynamics, an active rear differential, and brake Torque Vectoring, and you’ve got a sweet handling 2-seater that’s a joy to behold and drive.
Even in relaxed cruising the Coupe feels tossable; ready to be a willing companion for any length adventure. All of our crew had high praise for its effortless performance, sharp handling, and the wonderful sounds that it makes; though some found the loud and aggressive exhaust note to have a fake aura to it, like it was trying a bit too hard.
The 8-speed Quickshift automatic transmission is the same as in the Roadster, but has updated software, helping it feel a whole lot more direct.
At our test track, it’s hard to say which experience we enjoyed more, listening to this cat growl at the line, or feeling it pounce off of it.
If all of the stars align just right and you find decent traction, you can hit 60 in 4.0-seconds, or perhaps less. And you can clear the quarter mile in 12.0 at 122 miles-per-hour.
Steering is very quick and the chassis super nimble, but with this many ponies punching the rears into action, oversteer is always in the wings; though the electronic differential tries its best to keep it hidden.
Push harder and it begs for more. You needle together corners like a bead stringer hopped up on Red Bull. Like any true performance car, higher speeds is where this F-Type Coupe feels most at home. Electronic intervention seeps in fairly quickly, but it does so almost seamlessly, helping more than holding you back.
The Coupe R’s standard Super Performance Braking System brought our car to a halt in just 110-feet from 60. You can upgrade to carbon ceramics, but we doubt they’ll provide the extra 12-grand’s worth of results.
Whether on track or road, the Coupe just feels better than the Roadster, but not so much so that it feels like an entirely different car; just a better version, even if it’s not the quietest car on the street. We knew the coupe was coming from the F-type’s beginnings, but it was hard for us to imagine that it would turn out this great.
Praises were not quite as high for the interior; beautiful to look at, but not the most intuitive to use, and things get cramped if you’re gifted with much height over 6-feet. Oh, well, nothing is perfect.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 16-City, 23-Highway, and 18-Combined. Our average of 22.8 miles-per-gallon of Premium exceeded expectations.
The base Coupe is actually $4,000 less than the Convertible at $65,925. However our R Coupe is at the top of the heap starting at $99,925.
So, if the F-type Roadster was a home run, than the 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe is truly a grand slam! We can easily see the Coupe quickly outselling the Roadster. It’s amazing what a small company can do with a bunch of cash for development, designers with a true sense of history, and engineers with an open mind. Jaguar is certainly aiming to please, and this one is way outta the park!
Specifications
- Engine: 5.0 liter
- Horsepower: 550
- Torque: 502 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 4.0 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 12.0 seconds @ 122 mph
- EPA: 16 mpg city/ 23 mpg highway
2025 Subaru WRX tS
Subaru’s “World Rally eXperimental” Gets Tecnica-Tuned Tech
Building on its global rally heritage, WRX has been a standalone Subaru nameplate, marketed separately from garden variety Impreza, for two generations now. And while the current WRX still lacks the full STI treatment, this WRX tS serves up some of that high-performance spice we’ve been longing for.
Before we go flat out into our Track Test of this 2025 Subaru WRX tS, lets open the Subaru dictionary so we’re all on the same page. “tS” stands for “tuned by STI;” and “STI” is an acronym for “Subaru Tecnica International,” the brand’s high-performance sub-group best known for upgrading the WRX— oh, that stands for “World Rally eXperimental,” in case you didn’t know.
All that said, STI has been largely dormant for this WRX generation, but this tS sprinkles more of their engineering magic into the mix. No, that doesn’t mean extra power, but does mean significant chassis-related improvements.
First, electronically controlled dampers, adjustable through the 11.6-inch tablet-style infotainment screen. That meant a softer “comfort” mode on the 10+ hour commute to and from Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway. But once we were there, it was the firmer “Sport+” setting all the way, heightening response from the WRX’s throttle and already quick dual-pinion power steering system. There’s still some body roll for rally-esque weight transfer, but it’s well sorted and provides the “toss-ability” you want in a WRX.
Though if you do autocross your tS, which we implore you to do, you might feel the six-piston front, two-piston rear Brembo brakes first. The bite is strong, giving good rotation in the corners and plenty of “halt” for this 3,400 lb. compact with minimal fade, keeping us on track all week…until some unfortunate winter weather passed overhead. No worries here, as Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system got us to the track for some powdered deserts: Frosted donuts served up Michelin style, a set of winter tires different from the grippy Bridgestone Potenza S007 rubber the tS typically rides on. Some prior hot laps of California’s Sonoma Raceway gave credence to those Bridgestones, and showed us what this hot-compact can do in ideal conditions.
It’s well sorted and provides the “toss-ability” you want in a WRX.
Other tS enhancements are cabin-based, namely these beautiful blue Recaros. Most of our staff appreciated their moderately-aggressive bolstering on both street and track. And they’re even heated, too. Another tS-only appointment is this 12.3-inch digital gauge display. It mimics the standard analog gauges with some additional info, but can switch to a navigation mode for more convenient route guidance.
We do wish our tS came in the new Galaxy Purple or the trademark World Rally Blue, but this Crystal White paint wasn’t too shabby, contrasting its Cherry Blossom Red badging and blacked-out lip spoiler. Otherwise, the tS is like any other WRX, down to the hood scoop funneling air to the top-mounted intercooler.
Underneath is the same turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four in all other trims, boxing at 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The freak winter weather stopped straight-line testing, but a 0-60 time estimate of 5.5 seconds is about as spry as you realistically need, pulling strong through most of the tach; though the 6,000 RPM redline required attentive shifting of the six-speed box, which the tS comes exclusively with. The throws are precise, if a little long, and the clutch is wonderfully weighted.
With discontinuation of the Base trim, pricing for the WRX now starts with Premium at $36,920. The tS is at the top of the lineup with the automatic-only GT, both starting at $46,875. All WRXs continue to be made in Gunma, Japan.
If you’re an enthusiast itching to do the tuning yourself, perhaps the 2025 Subaru WRX tS is not for you. But if you want a plug-and-play experience, this is it. While it won’t exactly bestow the loose-cannon, top-level driving skills exhibited by famous WRC drivers upon you, the tS moves this WRX’s game in a direction we’ve so desperately wanted Subaru to take.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.4-liter flat-four
- Tranmission: 6-speed manual
- Horsepower: 271
- Torque: 258 lb-ft