Jag Test Drive

Jaguar's long-awaited F-Type roadster is big on drama and performance

Jaguar has introduced its first new sports car in 40 years, so it's no wonder that a lot of auto enthusiasts and sports car lovers are intrigued. What's the new Jag like? Here's our report.

What is it?
F-Type is the long, long anticipated small roadster that fits in below the Jaguar XK. Like the XK, it uses an advanced aluminum chassis construction, but the F-Type has sportier intentions, and it is smaller in every dimension (the overall length a foot shorter). It arrives at a time when Jaguar is in a much better place and has a confident vision, which shows throughout the car.

What's under the hood?
Three models are available: a 340hp supercharged V6, a 380hp V6 S model, and a 495hp supercharged V8 in the V8 S. For our test, we drove the V6 S model.

Observations
The F-Type is fast, and it has tons of grip— basically what you'd expect from a $80,000-plus sports roadster. One of the most impressive aspects is the 8-speed ZF automatic transmission, which offers shockingly fast shifts (up or down) with no hesitation. It can be controlled with gold adonized paddles behind the steering wheel (the gold bits are inspired by the EuroFighter jet) and is just an incredible piece of engineering.

But the most impressive aspect is the sound. With the dynamic exhaust enabled, it will howl, bark and snarl like an un-mufflered rally car. It's an incredibly raw sound, particularly on mid-throttle upshifts and hard downshifts.

Styling
The design of the F-Type is what happens when Jaguar's master stylist Ian Callum is given the resources to make the most stunning Jaguar sports car possible. The result is pretty fantastic.

It was originally previewed in the CX-16 Coupe concept, and it remains true to the concept car's design, albeit in roadster form. There are beautiful details everywhere — vents in the hood, razor-thin LED tail lamps, and beautiful crystal-like gauge needles.

Comfort
The interior of the F-Type is solidly made, and most of the things you touch are wrapped in leather. Ride quality is compliant, and wind noise is well-controlled, even with the top down at speeds of 75 mph and above.

Utility
Not much to speak of. The trunk is somewhat deep, and thankfully the convertible top doesn't cut into the cargo space when the top is open or closed, but it's very shallow. Pack lightly.

Efficiency?
The V6 S model is EPA rated at 19 mpg city and 27 mph highway.

What's good?
"Sounds just like a racing car" is the most overused and often inaccurate trope that could be written about a car, but the F-Type really sounds like a racing car. It's quick and very comfortable for extended periods of time. There's too much to list.

What's not?
The trunk is tiny. And the cartoonishly thick steering wheel might be a tad too thick. We may have reached peak thick steering wheel in these last few years.

How much does it cost?
The standard F-Type starts at $69,000. From there, the S model costs $81,000, and the 186-mph V8 S begins at $92,000.

Our verdict
Jaguar has taken a different road from its German competitors. They've built a fast car that's not necessarily for the track; it's a beautiful car capable of so much more than boulevard cruising. If you're looking for aural drama and visual panache, it is unmatched by cars twice its price.

How we'd buy it
The mid-level V6 S model adds a limited-slip diff, bigger brakes, the active exhaust and a few other goodies, which might make it our pick. Opt for the performance seats, which are superb. You may want to pick a less subtle color than our Stratus Grey example — perhaps Italian Racing Red or Polaris White.

We test drove the new Jaguar F-Type convertible, which just arrived at dealerships.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

We test drove the new Jaguar F-Type convertible, which just arrived at dealerships.

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You're Grounded

American and Southwest airlines ban humanoid robots as passengers

Photo courtesy of Elite Event Robotics/Instagram

Bebop the robot, owned by Dallas-based Elite Event Robotics, flew in May on a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland, California, to San Diego.

Dallas-Fort Worth's two major hometown airlines are drawing a hard line between human and humanoid: American Airlines and Southwest Airlines won’t permit human-like or animal-like robots to board flights as passengers.

Fort Worth-based American and Dallas-based Southwest recently adopted bans on robotic passengers after two incidents in which human-like robots joined flesh-and-blood passengers on Southwest flights.

In May, Aaron Mehdizadeh, owner of The Robot Studio rental company in Dallas, was heading from Las Vegas to Dallas Love Field with 3.5-foot-tall Stewie, according to CBS News Texas. Rather than shipping Stewie as cargo, Mehdizadeh bought the robot its own seat using a type of ticket often purchased for fragile items such as wedding dresses and equipment.

But because Stewie was technically a carry-on item, the robot wasn’t supposed to occupy a seat, according to eWeek. Crew members wound up disconnecting Stewie’s battery and relocating the robot to a window seat before takeoff.

Mehdizadeh pushed back on Southwest’s stance regarding the battery, telling CBS News Texas that Stewie’s power supply is a standard battery that’s similar to one for a laptop.

Stewie isn’t the only robot making mischief in the skies. In May, a 70-pound, human-like robot named Bebop caused a stir on a Southwest flight from Oakland, California, to San Diego.

The robot prompted a nearly one-hour flight delay after crew members realized it violated restrictions on large carry-ons and raised concerns about the battery, San Francisco TV station KGO reported. Dallas-based Elite Event Robotics owns Bebop.

Southwest seized Bebop’s lithium-ion battery, but the airline did let Bebop take the San Diego-bound flight.

Southwest’s new robot policy prohibits human-like or animal-like robots from riding in an airplane cabin or as checked baggage, no matter their size or purpose. All other robots, including toys, must fit in a carry-on size bag and comply with battery restrictions, the airline says.

In a statement sent to CultureMap, a Southwest spokeswoman says the airline “has taken a strong stance on this issue and has led the U.S. airline industry with our battery policy.”

“The robot policy is a further evolution of a [safety] journey we have been on for several months. This move was not in response to any single incident,” the spokeswoman adds. “To eliminate confusion, the policy applies to all similar devices, regardless of size.”

Lithium-ion batteries can overheat, catch on fire, or explode on airplanes.

American’s new robot policy, which took effect Monday, August 17, is similar to Southwest’s. The policy prohibits human-like and animal-like robots from sitting in a purchased seat, being stored in an overhead bin or traveling as checked baggage. The ban applies to U.S., international, and regional flights.

“While there have been no known events involving this type of robot on any American flight, this policy was developed following a comprehensive review of safety risks associated with these devices, including the large lithium-ion batteries that power them,” the airline said in an internal memo obtained by the View From the Wing travel blog.

American gate agents have been told not to allow a passenger accompanied by a robot to board a plane or to let a robot travel as a checked item, the memo says.

If a robot is discovered after check-in, American employees are supposed to follow the Federal Aviation Administration’s “undeclared dangerous goods” procedures. These procedures cover hazardous shipments like lithium-ion batteries, explosives, flammable liquids, and compressed gases that lack required warning labels or shipping documents.

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