WHEN I FIRST SAT DOWN AT MY LAPTOP W way back in March of 2021 and opened the Jaguar Land Rover configurator to spec what turned out to be KN71 LWR, I did so dreaming of taking our future Fast Fleet F-type on a long road trip.
I didn't know where that trip would be to, but I knew that if I was to appreciate what this car is all about - and do justice to what is, in all probability, Jaguar's last combustion-engined sports GT - it needed to be beyond our shores.
It took a while to materialise, but that trip came in the form of a recent jaunt to Switzerland to visit family. It's a journey Mrs M and I have done on countless occasions. Many times by car, but more often by plane, as I somewhat ashamedly confessed in my column in evo 302. This time around, with airports in chaos and cheap flights apparently a thing of the past, it didn't even take Man Maths to decide it would be cheaper, less stressful and far more enjoyable to jump in the Jag.
With no kids to cart around, an impractical two-seater is a fine way to slice through Europe. The F-type's boot is a reasonable size, but the depth tapers due to the rakish fastback styling. You can just about fit a couple of carry-on cases in there if you push them right up against the rear bulkhead, but anything else needs to be slim or squashy if you're to make the most of what space there is. The almost total lack of stowage space in the cabin doesn't help.
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Evo UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Evo UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
RENAULT SPORT MÉGANE R26 R
It's possibly the greatest hot hatch ever made, but it took true dedication and extreme measures to create it. This is the story of how the Mégane R26.R came to be
THE ART OF THE ESTATE
Fast estates have always been cool, but today they can take many forms. We pitch Peugeot's updated hybrid 508 PSE against Skoda's more conventional but equally compelling Octavia vRS
HYBRID WORKING
Bentley's new Continental GT will be its most powerful and most advanced road car to date. A drive of a pre-production example provides our first taste of its new V8 hybrid powertrain
THE LONG GOODBYE
After powering Bentleys for more than 20 years, the magnificent W12 engine has finally ceased production. We go for a farewell drive in the model where it all began - and look forward to the new Crewe generation
A DESIGN FOR LIFE
As a star of the very first issue of evo, Audi's design icon is a car entwined with this magazine's history. But now it's no more. We drive an early Mk1 quattro alongside a late Mk3 RS to find out if it enters retirement with grace
BACK ON TRACK?
After the slightly under-achieving M4 CSL, could the new M4 CS be the sweet-spot in the M3/M4 range?
FAMILY AFFAIR
Thirty years ago, the McLaren F1 set new benchmarks with its speed and purity; now Gordon Murray's latest supercar, the GMA T.50, promises to do the same. We drive them back to back
Aston Martin DBX707
Much-needed interior overhaul, plus other mid-life updates, ready the DBX for its second act
Radical SR1 XXR
Radical's entry-level racing car has been re-released in enhanced XXR guise. We find out just how good it is in the most revealing way - by racing it
VW Golf R
The Mk8 Golf R has never really wowed us. But can the Mk8.5 change all that? A drive in a prototype version provides some clues
