Jaguar Art of Performance Tour

It’s a bright sunny afternoon far away from the hustle bustle of busy Mumbai streets on a weekday. The time is peak afternoon, when one would usually come back to his/her work station after a sumptuous afternoon meal and struggling to stay awake in front of the monitor to finish off day’s chores.

MotorOctane team on the other hand is perched on a mountain table top in the bright sun and braving the rising heat on a tarmac meant for small aeroplanes take offs and landings. And once in a while you do hear the strong exhaust note of a Jaguar F-Type Coupe sprinting across the kilometre long airstrip making us forget all about the sun & the heat in a jiffy.

Jaguar India recently announced a brand experience program called the ‘Art of Performance’, inviting existing as well as prospective customers of Jaguar range of cars on offer in the country. It is a series of 32 such customer experience events spread over the next 12 months, lined up to cover all major cities in India. One wide gaze at the open surroundings & we could spot every Jaguar currently on offer in the Indian market. Pick any & you would notice the seductively crafted sheet metal with beautiful curves and immaculately balanced proportions. We are super elated & all set for a late afternoon date with some of the finest looking set of wheels, let’s see if it spins as fast as it can melt some hearts.

The XE, XF, XJ, F-Pace and the F-Type collectively form a complete bouquet of offerings from Jaguar India aiming to address varying customer expectations relating to Lifestyle, Luxury and a Sporty performance. We started off with a straight line acceleration test on a F Type Coupe equipped with a V8, and later followed by multiple slylem rounds on each of the available cars having differently tuned chassis & suspension settings. The leaping forward stance of the car with clean elegant lines makes the car stand out in the crowd. Light aluminium bonded riveted construction together with a balanced vehicle weight distribution gives agility to the cars. The fine leather fitments on the interiors & natural wood veneer in the XJ is one of the best in luxury. Sink into the plush leather seats and you feel as if cocooned in luxury.

Where on side, the XE did feel very agile and easy to make its way through the cones. It had sprinted acceleration too. On the other hand, the XF did feel heavier, but what it added was more comfort factor. Easy to move around, the XF did feel a lot more luxurious and plush making you feel special. On the other hand, the XJ feels plush and makes the chosen one. A sedan that will want to sit at the back making you feel so much more comfortable. It gets all the bells and whistles that one wishes to own at home, in your car. I wasn’t certain if the XJ could be driven in this manner. I was surprised to learn how quickly this long wheelbase sedan moved around without any hindrance. Despite being more than 5 metres, it was a joy to drive the XJ around. Well, it comes down its aluminium construction that makes it ultra light in weight. The F-PACE does feel sporty and is very easy to drive, with a clear view of the road.

Then it was the turn of the F-TYPE. A car that competes with the Porsche 911. A two-seater 1+1 car that has been designed for driving pleasure. Nothing could have more fun than the F-TYPE. This coupe even kept us entertained with its exhaust note. Press the exhaust button, you are in for a treat. The roar is louder and it is so much joy to listen to it.

The entire experience was very nicely planned with professional drive instructors supervising drive tests ensured complete guest safety. If you are considering owning a Jaguar in the near future, this is the best opportunity for understanding & experiencing the various range options. An event not to be missed for sure. The best bit was that the instructors encouraged us to move faster rather than suggesting us to slow down.

Jaguar Art of Perforamnce Tour Image Gallery