I was on my way back from getting a much needed haircut this morning, dressed down very casually (jeans, football jersey) when I decided to stop by a Jaguar dealership. A lot of luxury dealership sales people act like snobs and ignore you unless you're dressed a certain way (or look a certain way). Everyone in this dealership ignored me except one guy. He saw my clothes, then saw my gorgeous GS350 and decided maybe I was worth talking to.

Anyway, "Mike" immediately offered me a test drive in the only car with a Jaguar nameplate that is of the slightest interest to me - my dream car - the new Jaguar F-Type Coupe. They didn't have a Type R on the lot but they did have a Type S.

Wow, what a car! This thing beats the hell out of Vette, and I like it more than Porsche. I got it out on the road and dropped into "Dynamic mode." Holy Cow! The steering stiffened. it was glued to the road. And you can hear the growl a mile away. It's an arrogant sounding, "I'm badass and you aren't" type of growl. RWD only. I haven't driven a RWD car in decades (I'm mostly an AWD type guy). This machine was awesome, and it was the middle level of the new 2015 F-Type Coupe. They have the base model, the S and the R, in the coupe. I would never go for the convertible. The Coupe is much stiffer than the convertible. The former is a sports car; the latter a roadster.

Sigh! It stickered at 92K. Oh well. I can dream.

 

Fun car YES. Overpriced versus Corvette if you want bang for your buck. BUT way better looking coupe. Love the tuned exhaust too. But I will take a GS F.... someday

 

Historically, Jags have always had electrical and wiring issues. I wonder if that continues today?

 

RC-F anyone?

 

Maybe so, but for me Corvette lacks head-turning panache. Corvette is Chevrolet. Chevrolet is what every poor, blue collar kid aspires to. I know because I was a poor kid who grew up in a blue collar home and drove cheap, used Chevys as a teen. No shame in that, but it's too common. No international cachet. We'll see 20 of those on the road for every Jaguar F-Type Coupe, maybe 50. The price of the Jag keeps it from becoming as common. And I don't think the Vette sounds like the new Jag.

 

A Corvette common and not a head turner? I think that's a stretch lol.

 

The Jag F-type is amazing and the exhaust note on the V-8 is numbing....Amazing vehicle.... I also do feel the pricing is quite high but they pitch it as a 911 competitor..

 

If you want to WOW then drive the GTR

 

This thread deserves a pic of this gorgeous vehicle! But, interior is weak-looking from a design and materials standpoint. Looks and feels more Corvette/Viper than high-end premium GT.

 

It's waaay too expensive. Should be $70k decently loaded.

 

I dont understand the interior. Does Jaguar think that the passengers are blind and don't need visuals of the HVAC and nav?

 

It's actually not hard to understand at all. All the information is contained within the screens in the dials. I like it and doesn't bother me at all when I drive it. You also have a climate screen in the touchscreen system.

 

F-Type doesn't get enough love mainly because of the price tag and stigma of Jaguar reliability. Otherwise its a fantastic coupe/roadster based on its looks, drive and feeling it gives the driver.

CL moderator Brociouz's dad recently purchased F-Type V8 S Convertible in Firesand Metallic. What a hoot

similar to this

 

I think he's talking about that grab handle blocking the passenger's view of the center stack. I agree it looks like a bad idea.

 

So I guess they were right to ignore you then..

Just kidding Sounds like it was a nice test drive though. Love all the new Jags. Most luxurious looking cars on the road IMO