![\"Box_fr_3-4\"](\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/43f0ad4d54beecd4c6b1cc6e388031adf2e37a32\/c=170-0-2901-2048&r=x404&c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2015\/12\/23\/DetroitNews\/B99336666Z.1_20151223204526_000_GS3NNOKM.1-0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Making my Christmas list was tough this year, Santa. I\u2019m not asking for too much. No exotic, $300K Lambos or McLarens. Just the usual, humble request: The best two-seater sports car under six-figures.<\/p>\n
But this year\u2019s choice was more difficult.<\/p>\n
To the perennial World War struggle between Germany\u2019s\u00a0Porsche Boxster\/Cayman GTS<\/a>\u00a0and America\u2019s Corvette Z06 for best sub-$100,000 sports car, add a Brit:\u00a0The 2016 Jaguar F-Type S Coupe.<\/a>\u00a0Like the 1940s battle for aerial superiority between Messerschmitt, Mustang, and Spitfire, the threesome pits superior engineering from three distinct automotive cultures.<\/p>\n Yet while the Porsche (knife-edge handling) and the Corvette (shock-and-awe power) conform to national stereotypes, the Englishman is decidedly at odds with the proper London gentleman.<\/p>\n This is not the tea-and-crumpets Jag of recent decades, but a howling, ripping good ride worthy of a James Bond car chase.<\/p>\n We boys love our toys, but don\u2019t put a Jaguar F-Type on\u00a0your<\/em>\u00a0list if you be the shy type. Under new, Indian ownership, the cat is back as a world-class performance car and Jaguar wants the whole world to know it.<\/p>\n Push the starter button and the Jag explodes with a growl, its supercharged V-6 pulse racing. Back off after a prolonged sprint and the F will cackle and fart under deceleration. A farting Brit? Don\u2019t tell the queen. Granted, this coupe is no window-rattling Corvette V-8 which will wake up the neighborhood if lit off in the early AM. But when the Jag clears its throat it does make you look around to apologize. It\u2019s all very over the top, but that\u2019s the intent. An announcement that Jaguar means business again. Like the obnoxious roar of the Porsche 911-fighting,\u00a0$103,225 F-Type R\u2019s 550-horsepower V-8<\/a>, the $96,245 S wants to pick a fight.<\/p>\n Dollar-for-dollar, turn-for-turn, uppercut-for-uppercut, this cat goes toe-to-toe with the segment legends. The Jag\u2019s calling card is slinky good looks.<\/p>\n Its behind will stop grown men in their tracks. Like its namesake, the F\u2019s muscular haunches are crouched, ready to strike. A tapered greenhouse is its spine. Many before it have penned the look \u2014 Chrysler Crossfire, Stingray, Mustang \u2014 but none has done it better. Jags are by definition pretty, but this carnivore is more cut, more purposeful.<\/p>\n Like its American rival, the Jaguar\u2019s headlights are slit, menacing and laced with glowing LEDs. The front-engine cars share tilt-forward hoods, big hinged rear decks that could hold Santa\u2019s bag, center-mounted pipes the size of frigate cannons and shark-like mouths.<\/p>\n But from smiling muzzle to rounded haunches, the Brit is more feline \u2014 more organic \u2014 than Chevy\u2019s sharp-edged Terminator. The Jaguar\u2019s hips are rounded, muscular \u2014 uninterrupted by the \u2019Vette\u2019s cyborg inlets. And the Detroit muscle car\u2019s hood bulge betrays the 6.2-liter monster that lies beneath.<\/p>\n The Brit\u2019s interior is also strikingly like the American. Unlike the Boxster\/Cayman and its long console sleeve of buttons, the Jag\/\u2019Vette maximize console space with a balanced mix of shifter, buttons and storage. Both cabins are festooned with huge OH, CRAP! handles so that passengers can hang on when the demon red-mist seizes the pilot. The Porsche\u2019s interior, by contrast, hints at no such drama. The lines are simple, functional. Emotion is for weak, English-speaking types.<\/p>\n As pleasing as they are ergonomically, the Jag and \u2019Vette gearshifts can be maddening. The Jaguar\u2019s eight-speed automatic unit, like the Corvette\u2019s seven-speed manual, is compact \u2014 no long shift gates here. But that requires always pressing a button to operate, meaning you are constantly looking at the shifter to make sure you snatch FORWARD and not REVERSE lest you vault backward through traffic at 60 mph.<\/p>\n At least the gearbox is an appropriately named \u201cQuickshift\u201d wonder so addictive I routinely selected sport mode to sprint up and down Telegraph Road, squeezing off upshifts like rifle shots. The \u2019Vette\u2019s seven-speed box will make even the purest motorhead question manuals. It\u2019s too-short gates mean routine mis-shifts or, worse, buckets of neutrals.<\/p>\n The Vette also betrays its working-class Chevy roots with an oily interior odor and floor mats that often snagged my brake-foot heel. Still, the Jaguar makes\u00a0faux<\/em>pas<\/em>surprising for its lineage. Like no voice recognition system, a head-scratching oversight when you consider even a Honda Civic compact \u2014 at one third the F-Type\u2019s price \u2014 has one. And consider the Jaguar\u2019s gorgeous, full-length moon roof, which can\u2019t even be cracked open for air.<\/p>\n The most conservatively tailored of the three, the\u00a0Boxster\/Cayman GTS<\/a>\u00a0saves its emotion for the asphalt. On the Autobahn race track outside Chicago, this mid-engine athlete put on a handling clinic. Lighter than the \u2019Vette by 400 pounds and 700 pounds less than the Jaguar, the Cayman\u2019s balance (though a convertible, the Boxster GTS is just 55 pounds heavier) allows for high grip in the corners and early throttle on exit, its flat-6 mill wailing with joy.<\/p>\n To be sure the Jaguar is no slouch in the handling department. Part of its porkiness is due to an AWD system that delivers planted handling (and winter-time capability that would put reindeer to shame). Despite its girth, the F-Type feels much smaller than it is. Like the 325-horse Cayman S I sampled, its 380 horsepower is plenty on tight, rural Michigan roads.<\/p>\n That cackling sound you hear is the Z06 laughing. Just 300-something ponies?<\/p>\n Jaguar\u2019s coupe offers a ride worthy of a Bond film cameo.\u00a0(Photo: Henry Payne)<\/p>\n The Corvette\u2019s hood bulge betrays its 6.2-liter, 650 horsepower engine, a performance league the Jag and Porsche don\u2019t play in.\u00a0(Photo: Photos by Henry Payne \/ The Detroit News)<\/p>\n With 650 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque, and gargantuan grip from Michelin Super Sports,\u00a0the Z06<\/a>\u00a0plays in a different performance league. The \u2019Vette will eat the Cayman and Jaguar for lunch on track, then get back in the buffet line for a McLaren or Lamborghini. If you haven\u2019t heard, the Z06 destroyed both Euro-exotics in\u00a0Car & Driver\u2019s 2015 Lightning Lap competition.<\/a><\/p>\n Yet, the Z06\u2019s supercar performance at the raceway makes it feel like a tornado in a tea pot on the street. I could explore the envelope of the 6-cylinder Cayman and F-Type on Southeast Michigan\u2019s curvier roads, while the Z06 never felt happy unless it was on a track. Like a lion in the Detroit Zoo, the Z06 is a caged creature \u2014 a predator that dreams of returning to GM\u2019s vast Milford proving grounds where it was raised.<\/p>\n Three extraordinary predators for different tastes.<\/p>\n Corvette, the King of the Beasts. The Boxster\/Cayman a cheetah cutting through a herd of sedans. And for those who tire of the more common American and German, there is the elegant Englishman.<\/p>\n My choice? The Boxster GTS. And in your favorite color, Santa: Red.<\/p>\n \u201915 Porsche Boxster\/Cayman S or GTS<\/p>\n Vehicle type:\u00a0Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger sports car<\/p>\n Price:\u00a0$74,495 ($79,855 Boxster GTS\/$97,890 Cayman S as tested)<\/p>\n Power plant:\u00a03.4-liter, boxer 6-cylinder<\/p>\n Power:\u00a0330 horsepower, 273 pound-feet of torque (Boxster GTS); 325 horsepower, 272 pound-feet of torque (Boxster GTS);<\/p>\n Transmission:\u00a06-speed manual (Boxster GTS); 7-speed PDK automatic (Cayman S)<\/p>\n Performance:\u00a00-60 mph, 4.7 seconds (manufacturer)<\/p>\n Weight:\u00a02,965 pounds<\/p>\n Fuel economy:\u00a0EPA 19 city\/26 highway\/22 combined (manual)<\/p>\n Report card<\/p>\n Highs:\u00a0Precise handling; most affordable on the list<\/p>\n Lows:\u00a0Won\u2019t fit in my stocking; flimsy cup-holders for egg nog<\/p>\n Overall:\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n \u201916 Jaguar F-Type S AWD Coupe<\/p>\n Vehicle type:\u00a0Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, two-passenger sports car<\/p>\n Price:\u00a0$85,795 ($96,245 as tested)<\/p>\n Power plant:\u00a03.0-liter, supercharged V-6<\/p>\n Power:\u00a0380 horsepower, 339 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n Transmission:\u00a08-speed automatic<\/p>\n Performance:\u00a00-60 mph, 4.9 seconds (manufacturer)<\/p>\n Weight:\u00a03,691 pounds<\/p>\n Fuel economy:\u00a0EPA fuel economy 18 city\/26 highway\/21 combined<\/p>\n Report card<\/p>\n Highs:\u00a0AWD grip; could stare at her all day<\/p>\n Lows:\u00a0Voice recognition, please; won\u2019t fit down the chimney<\/p>\n Overall: \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n \u201915 Chevrolet Corvette Z06<\/p>\n Vehicle type:\u00a0Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger sports car<\/p>\n Price:\u00a0$78,000 base ($85,565 removable hardtop as tested)<\/p>\n Power plant:\u00a06.2-liter, supercharged V-8<\/p>\n Power:\u00a0650 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n Transmission:\u00a0Seven-speed manual (as tested); Eight-speed automatic with steering-mounted paddle shifters<\/p>\n Performance:\u00a00-60 mph: 2.95 seconds with automatic; 3.2 seconds with manual (manufacturer).<\/p>\n Weight:\u00a03,524 pounds<\/p>\n Fuel economy:\u00a0EPA 13 mpg city\/23 mpg highway (automatic); 15 mpg city\/22 mpg highway (manual as tested)<\/p>\n Report card<\/p>\n Highs:\u00a0The torque of 650 reindeer; exotic supercar-slayer<\/p>\n Lows:\u00a0Manual (shifter) labor; awesome power will get you arrested on Christmas<\/p>\n Overall:\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Making my Christmas list was tough this year, Santa. I\u2019m not asking for too much. No exotic, $300K Lambos or McLarens. Just the usual, humble request: The best two-seater sports car under six-figures. But this year\u2019s choice was more difficult. To the perennial World War struggle between Germany\u2019s\u00a0Porsche Boxster\/Cayman GTS\u00a0and America\u2019s Corvette Z06 for best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17750"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17750"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17753,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17750\/revisions\/17753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Z06_red_hood\"](\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/9e35cbe43772e176b751f075eb61bea591337d65\/c=516-0-3612-2322&r=x408&c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2015\/12\/23\/DetroitNews\/B99336666Z.1_20151223204526_000_GS3NNOIN.1-0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Jaguar\u2019s](\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/9e35cbe43772e176b751f075eb61bea591337d65\/c=516-0-3612-2322&r=x408&c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2015\/12\/23\/DetroitNews\/B99336666Z.1_20151223204526_000_GS3NNOOP.1-0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n