Runway Testing - Jaguar Art Of Performance At Aamby Valley Airstrip

No matter how many times you see a sports car, it always makes the child inside you (who used to collect posters from automotive magazines) jump out in awe. This Friday, I felt like a 10-year old again driving Jaguars through a couple of obstacle courses, including going flat out on a runway in the F-Type R! 

As a part of the 2017-2018 Art of Performance Tour, Jaguar had lined up the XE (2.0-litre petrol - 237PS), XF (2.0-litre petrol - 237PS), XJ (2.0-litre petrol - 237PS), F-Pace SUV (2.0-litre diesel - 177PS) and the F-Type Coupe R (Supercharged 5.0-litre V8 - 543PS) and Convertible (Supercharged 3.0-litre V6 - 380PS) at the Aamby Valley, Lonavala. Apart from the F-Type, we drove all other cars via a 'lane change and brake' activity and a slalom course, while the F-Type R and F-Type Coupe were reserved only for the runway dash. The Art of Performance at Aamby Valley was held from April 7-9. The next Art of Performance Tour will take place in Pune on April 22-23 and then in Ahmedabad on May 6-7. 

Grace, Space and Pace - Jaguar claims that historically, these are the factors on which its cars are based upon, and for the current lineup release, we have little to complain. The three sedans, XE, XF and the XJ, look elegant with a typical Jaguar attitude. The F-Pace is Jaguar's first performance SUV and it represents the 'Space' where the F-Type sports car takes care of the 'Pace.’ 

Under the guidance of the lead instructor and renowned racer Rayomand Banajee, we set out for the first activity, which for me was the lane change and brake test. I knew that the sedans will be able to tackle this with ease so I hopped into the F-Pace first to put it to the test. After a quick demo by the instructor, it was my turn. In the short acceleration stretch, I managed to reach about 55kmph and then made a violent lane change to the right and braked. As expected, the three of us in the F-Pace went left and right as the SUV exhibited body roll but, to our surprise, it was nothing close to what an SUV of that size should. It was stable and under control in the entire activity. Tushar, who was sitting in the rear seat, felt more of the roll but nothing worth upsetting him either. 

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Next, we repeated the same activity in the three sedans and the one which stole the show was the XJL. At first, we were passengers in the rear seats, holding tightly expecting the 5.2-metre long sedan to vigorously throw us around. But what we experienced was a minor left-right movement, which was further nullified by the beautifully contoured rear seats - which, by the way, were also massaging us at the same time. Surprised at the rear seat, I was curious as to see what it will be like to drive. So, I took the driver's seat and flicked it into another lane at about 60kmph. The car barely had a problem and in no way felt like it weighs 2.3 tonnes. It was hard to stop smiling after having flicked the luxury saloon with such ease. The XE was impressive with its agility whereas the XF was slightly less composed.

Next up was the slalom course. A succession of hard left and right turns meant to be manoeuvred as fast as possible. Again, I hopped in the F-Pace first, this time confident of its ability to handle well. The F-Pace was well in control initially but as the speeds increased, it started to dance around a little, resulting in me running over a few cones. In the slalom course as well, the XE was the one which has the best dynamics, easily tackling the left-right combinations. The most fun at the course though was the XF, easily flicking its tail around while being under control. The XJ maintained its composure throughout the course and very elegantly completed the course without breaking a sweat. 

Done with the civilised acts we walked up the F-Type R Coupe, shining brightly under the hot summer sun for the power show. We had been witnessing the F-Type making flat out runs throughout the day, producing its iconic rumble which made heads turn every time it went by. Now, it was my turn. People have been hitting 200-plus kmph on the 400-metre straight and I was curious to see what speed I could hit. After carefully adjusting my driving position, I lined up on the starting point. I requested my instructor to keep calling out speeds as and when we hit them and he was generous enough to say yes. 3..2..1.. and we were off. The acceleration pins you down in the bucket seat and before you know it, the car is over 100kmph already and approaching 150kmph. The sound from the 5.0-litre V8 makes you forget all of your favourite songs and puts you right into the zone. Just a little while after he called out 180, I couldn't help myself and took a peek at the speedo and it was already approaching 200kmph. The car was gulping away the runway and then very soon we reached the brakeing zone. As he tells me, we must have hit around 210kmph, my personal fastest on a car. We went on a second run as well but this time, we did not focus on the speed and just enjoyed the experience. 

After experiencing these cars going through such agility and performance tests, you come to realise how much more character they pack besides just being a comfortable luxury statement. The XJL despite being a chauffeur-driven car still packs loads of performance and the F-Pace SUV is surprisingly agile. The F-Type though was the star of the show. With is powerful sound and a refined engine, it puts you in a different world altogether. The XE is the best handler of the sedans and the XF was the most fun with its happy tail.

Recommended Read

- Jaguar F-Type R Coupe: Review