Jaguar: The V8 has ‘tonnes of life’ left

Despite the global crackdown on emissions, Jaguar has committed to sticking with a V8 for its performance vehicles, a move which will please dyed in the wool petrol heads.

Speaking to media at the launch of the Jaguar F-Pace SVR in Saint Tropez, director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, Jamal Hameedi, said the V8 engine will survive in the face of tightening emissions controls.

“Tonnes of life," he said, asked how much time the configuration has left.

"Tonnes of life. It’s not going to get killed by emissions regulations. Other companies may kill it, but there’s a long future for the V8,” Hameedi said of Jaguar Land Rover.

While the V8 may live on as a performance engine, the mix of technologies used to generate power may evolve, with hybridisation potentially on the horizon for Jaguar Land Rover's performance arm.

“I think the idea, the days of high-revving naturally aspirated V8s are numbered, but certainly I think there’s a lot between turbo technology and hybridisation, there’s a lot of life left in V8s.”

“We use superchargers. We like superchargers right now. You can get better efficiencies [with turbochargers], but it comes with lag and it changes the exhaust note," he continued.

"And the audio we have is pretty awesome. There are noises that come out of our engines that turbos can’t match."

Jaguar has chosen the Easter break to finally allow journalists behind the wheel of its manic 404kW F-Pace SVR SUV. With a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.3 seconds, it’s the epitome of V8 performance for the brand.

You can read our review of the F-Pace SVR on Tuesday when the global embargo lifts.

Would you buy a hybrid-boosted V8 performance car? Or would you prefer a traditional V8 engine?

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