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The last real Jaguar sports car was the XKE.  Built back in the 1970s, the Jaguar XKE was the quintessential British sports car.  Today, Jaguar relives the legend with the new 2014 F-Type, a car built with the feeling and excitement of a true thoroughbred British sports car.

The 2014 Jaguar F-Type offers some great features.  First, like the old XKE models, the F-Type it is a front-engine, rear wheel-driven, two seater with an ultra-light aluminum body.  When it comes to power, the owner can choose between a variety of engines  The base $70,000 car gets a supercharged 3.0-liter V6  for 340 horsepower, 161 mph and zero to 62 mph in 5.3 seconds, while the $81,000 V6 S gets the same engine boosted to 395 hp and acceleration from zero to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds.

Step up to the $92,000 F-Type with the V8 S and you get sill extensions like a flying squirrel’s wings, plus bold quad pipes jutting out the back. The engine is a supercharged V8 pumping out 495 hp and a whopping 460 pound-feet of torque. Zero to 62 mph takes just 4.3 seconds with this baby and the top speed is 186 mph. Hard to believe but the folks at Reedman Jaguar in PA  tell us that Jag is working on even hotter R and RS models.

The F-Type comes standard with dynamic stability control (DSC). What’s that? DSC is a computerized technology that improves the safety of a vehicle by detecting and reducing loss of traction. When DSC detects loss of steering control, it automatically applies the brakes to help “steer” the vehicle where the driver intends to go. For example, the braking is automatically applied to wheels individually, such as the outer front wheel to counter oversteer or the inner rear wheel to counter. It should be noted that DSC does not improve a vehicle’s cornering performance; instead, it helps to minimize the loss of control when a car is about to spin.

The Jag F-Type is a fabulous-looking car in the metal. Not radical, but crisp, cultured and contemporary. Certainly there are historical Jaguar references in the design for the die-hards to spot. And for purists,  interior is stunning also. The twin instrument dials are analog affairs with a retro-looking typeface and are stylish and easy to read.  The rocker switches click satisfyingly and the rotary dials move with the sort of precision that suggest precision manufacturing.

All in all, virtually every journalist falls in love when they drive an F-Type. Compared to the loud and heavy sports cars, the F-type is nimble, precise and a joy to drive.  I know I want one!