Behind the Scenes: 2016 Jaguar F-Type R vs Ford Mustang GT Review [Video]

2016 Jaguar F-Type and 2015 Ford Mustang GT
2016 Jaguar F-Type and 2015 Ford Mustang GT

TFLcar recently mashed up a 2015 Ford Mustang GT against a 2016 Jaguar F-Type R convertible around the track at IMI Motorsports Park in Dacono, Colo. This video goes behind the scenes of that shoot to see what it’s like to take two high-performance vehicles around the track.

TFL test driver and IndyCar racer Justin Wilson takes Roman Mica around the track in both cars, describing how each car performs in this can’t-miss video.

While these two cars definitely don’t compete against each other in the market – the Mustang retailing for $46,085, the Jaguar almost triple that at $121,345 – they both have a similar heart. They both feature 5.0-liter V-8 engines, but from there the similarities end.

The naturally-aspirated 5.0 in the Mustang GT is rated at 435 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, both pretty stout numbers for an engine without forced induction. The V-8’s power is fed through a conventional six-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels.

2016 Jaguar F-Type and 2015 Ford Mustang GT

The Jag’s 5.0 is supercharged to the tune of 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque. Like all new F-Types, the test car uses Jaguar’s all-wheel-drive system, which is a rear-biased system that can send nearly half the power to the front wheels when needed, but is designed to respond like rear wheel drive. Unlike the Ford, the Jaguar has an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

In the track test video, the Jaguar came out on top both on lap times and in the drag race, but the Mustang held its own despite the large price gap. Wilson credits the new Mustang’s independent rear suspension that keeps the car more planted mid-turn and eliminates the old car’s tendency to drift around corners.

Check out the full behind-the-scenes video of the 2016 Jaguar F-Type convertible and the 2015 Ford Mustang:

And here is the full track test mashup video: