You need to test drive the P380. I think you will be disappointed. Though, I did not graduate from any particularly high powered street cars, I found the V6S (same as the P380) at 380hp to be underwhelming. With a pulley and tune it is now at 450hp, which I find plenty exhilarating.

 

I don't think the P380 is underwhelming, but I would advise you not to test drive the V8!

 

 

 

Note that the F-type is also a bit of a porker - ~3800 lbs, depending on model.

 

Gearbox in RC F that I test drove was absolutely abysmal, so while car might have lots of power, it is mostly unrealized. F-type has an excellent gearbox, so even with less power it will feel quicker in most circumstances.

The way to get a deal is to find 2018 model and make an offer to the dealer to take it off the lot. All quotes you are going to get by walking into dealership going to be unrealistic wishful thinking on dealer's part.

 

I came out of a 5 litre supercharged XKR into the 380hp V6 S. I have to say that the S felt restrained when I first drove it compared to the R, though a lot of that was in the gearing - you have to push the S harder and it doesnt lose control like the XKR did. The S actually suits my driving better, I can get much more out of it and on a track I am much better in an S than a F Type R (and monumentally better than I was in the XKR though that was a softer car overall). The main thing is that the S driven normally doesnt feel like a fast car until you punch it. I think if you are like me, the only things you would miss are quad pipes and the v8 sound. The v6 is very noisy and sounds great, but it isnt the same sound.

 

The RC F has an 8 speed torque converted transmission. It feels pretty sluggish down low. Once you start getting it up in the 6-7k RPM range, it bangs through the gears pretty great, and it's a lot of fun. Unfortunately, running at that RPM in normal driving isn't going to happen very much. I'm glad to hear that the transmission on the F Type is much better. I've been emailing dealerships around the country for an R. I know the money factor, residuals, incentives, etc. but nobody wants to move on them. I even hired a broker, and he hasn't had any luck. This time last year, there were people getting Rs in the $800/month range, but Jaguar didn't produce as many of them this year, so there seem to be fewer of them and fewer incentives.

I do love the sound of a V8, but the F Type probably has the best sounding V6 exhaust note I've ever heard. I know it's going to be an adjustment, but I think I'll enjoy it. I'm a fairly spirited driver in everyday driving, and I haven't tracked any of the cars I've owned. I know I'm not using them to their full potential, but my goal was something that looks gorgeous, sounds nice, and has more performance than most of the cars I'm going to see on a daily basis. I think the V6 model checks most of those boxes. The other reason I love the F Type is that, around here, everyone and their brother drives a BMW, Mercedes, Audi, or something similar. There are very few Jaguars, especially F Types. If I see one a month, it's a miracle.

 

For reference - 11 months ago my '17 R lease came in just under $800/month for 39 months & 10K miles/year & required $3K down to get the monthly that low but remember that this is for a v8 (550HP) that originally retailed for $112K so you CAN probably get a similar deal on one of the left-over '18 Rs and get pretty close to your price point!

I bought @ Crown & they have a number of new R's listed as available in a similar price range so you should be able to make this happen near your target
https://www.crownjaguar.com/new-inventory/index.htm?search=&saveFacetState=true&model=F-TYPE&lastFacetInteracted=inventory-listing1-facet-anchor-model-2
Ask for Bud Hawkins

 

 

I agree with scm - don't drive the R if you haven't decided to buy one. I wouldn't go back to my previous S.

 

I was coming from a 2010 XKR, so anything less than a V8 would have left me dissatisfied, even though you can't really use all the performance - it was the principle of the thing for me!

 

I used to have a 335i N54 tuned with about 450 cvs and 700 NM. I thought about buying a P380 but I have your same doubt. listening to the R changed everything. After 2 months with the R I have no doubt that a P380 would have disappointed me (it runs just like my 335i with its 306 HP!). I know I would not go slower on the mountain with a V6 but I wanted the car to intimidate me when I started it, when accelerating straight and seeing behind its 4 leaks