I often think about this, and decided this weekend to really engage with my 15 S, and concluded the following:


1. - This car moves very fast, and not sure how fast one wants to go? Even under the best of conditions I was only able to push the "pony" so far, before having to back off of the accelerator due to the "911" factor. It is super fast and torque is unbelievable.


2. - The features of the car and inclusions are awesome. If I was to go up to the 8, it would have to be the 16, with the xtra 10,000 mile warranty, and a few other goodies that changed. However


3. - Is the upgrade really worth the money? Only if there was a huge deal on the upgrade, and currently there are "zero" deals, i.e. JLR incentives, and I don't expect this too soon (in my humble guess).


4. - I am overjoyed with my current buggy, and have to admit that I couldn't justify throwing that much more money at this point (depreciation on my "S", and price delta on the 8).


5. - Finally not saying one is better than the other or not so, but rather once indulged with a car that is this new, the depreciation brings you negative on the trade, and the delta between net trade, positive tax impact, and cost of a new buggy.....the net net is grossly throwing money down a sewer for marginal return. The fear I have is doing something on a whim, and as was stated earlier....."more, more, more", costs a lot.

 

JSOB 15-37R offers a $2500 JLR incentive for the 2016 F-Types. You just need a JCNA membership number.

 

Decided to pull the trigger and ordered a Storm Grey R Coupe today. My dealer was able to change an existing allocation order and delivery should take place in early October. Thanks again for all of your input. Between your views and the media reviews the choice to upgrade was clear.

 

Congratulations! You will love the extra power. It's addictive .

 

I had the pleasure of driving the R for several days (and have test drove the S) when my 2016 model Ftype 340 was in for some works, as much as I enjoyed the experience (wow it is fast and loud), I couldn't wait to get my own car back and would NOT change for the R full time. Definitely worth chumming up your local dealer for a test drive of the R, but unless you want to go track days, don't bother..... if I was to upgrade, then I would consider the S but would be hard pushed to give up my 340 tbh...

P.S. also driven the XJ, and that is luxury.

 

Way down on most people's list, but if it's truly your only car, the FTR fuel economy may be a bit painful.


But since you already pulled the trigger, I won't mention it.

 

At my age, life is far too short for the F-Type not to be the daily driver. The concept of delayed gratification has rapidly diminishing returns.

 

Thanks DJS, but this is not my only car. So fuel economy is pretty much last on the list.

 

This week my '16 R Coupe arrived and I traded in my '15 Base Coupe. I have to say the difference between the 2 is night and day... it's like driving a different car. Besides the obvious power difference, the ride and handling is very different.

In what could be a plus to some, and a minus to others: I find that the R actually requires less driver engagement which I relate to the EPAS, torque vector by braking, ELSD & Adaptive Dynamics. The lack of these systems required more driver attention in the Base Coupe and left the ride stiffer.

The power is effortless in the R Coupe and it corners like a dream. The exhaust is absolutely thunderous upon acceleration, but quieter than the Base Coupe at cruising speed. The R coupe exhibits a bit more road noise though which I would attribute to the wider, lower profile tires.

Beyond that, there are a few differences in the cabin between MY15 & MY16.

Perhaps the "S" hits a sweet spot between the marked differences of a Base Coupe and an R Coupe, but overall I am very pleased with my decision to upgrade and once again thank you all for your input.


And PS...... no issues with the Meridian 770W. It sounds great and better than my previous 380W. My build was late September in the 30K VIN #'s. So maybe they have it sorted now.

 

Congrats! Now get out and drive!

 

Awesome congrats! I am one of those that thinks its nuts Jaguar even made a V6 version of this sexy beast but its obvious there is a calling for it. For me its all or nothing... Plus we are on this planet for how long???? Exactly... ENJOY IT WHILE IT LAST!!! That sound! The ***** to the wall acceleration!

What I probably love most about owning my FTR is informing people of what it is. The jaw drops and thumbs up I get when I pass people or pull into parking lots, sure the V6 get those too but when you get out of the car and people ask "what the heck is that thing?" you can reply with "550HP, 0-60 in 3.6 sec, 1/4 mile in 11.7, etc" and they are staring like they've seen an alien. I wouldnt have it any other way.

 

I totally agree. The only other thing I have to add, is that by the time you (I) option out an S with everything you (I) wanted, it was only $10k more for the R. Sure 10k isn't a drop in the bucket, but when you're nearing 100k, whats 10% more over the life of the car?

 

As an additional point, for resale purposes, options usually depreciate much faster than the rest of the car, and many options lose all value after a while. So a fully loaded S will depreciate faster than a base model S of the same model year until they approach roughly the same residual value. At least that's how it works for most vehicles.

So the $10K difference at purchase time will become a lot wider as the car ages, since the base R model should depreciate a bit slower relative to a fully loaded S. At least in theory.

 

If your point is true (and I have no reason to doubt) I fully loaded S will depreciate faster than an R (since the R comes with very few options), so the 10K price over the life of the car including depreciation may make the R a better buy than the fully optioned S.

 

+1. Unfortunately for some of us, ALL means a manual transmission as well. If the FTR is ever made available with an MT, I'll be upgrading. Otherwise they'll be prying the FTS out of my cold dead hands.

 

I haven't driven the R, but I have driven the V8S convertible. I opted for the V6S for a number of reasons. Cost (insurance included) was one reason: this was a bit of a stretch, but I wanted a car like this while I could still properly enjoy it.

The main reason though was that the V8S could too easily overpower traction, plus I could feel the extra weight in the nose. It didn't have the balance of the 6. There are times I want the overkill power for acceleration, but we have some lovely serpentine roads around here, and I think the V6S (manual transmission, of course) is a better choice for them.

I'm wondering what the turbocharged I6 will be like. It'll almost certainly be lighter, and that's always better.

 

I wouldn't be holding my breath. If what one of the upper level executive Jaguar reps who was at the New Orleans FPace event and Driving academy is true, the V6 isn't going away any time soon.

 

I think JLR was pretty smart in the creation of F-Type variants. The V6 in either form... Base, S, automatic or manual is a truly an engaging drivers car; while the R is an absolute muscled beast. It's a car with a broad enthusiast and demographic appeal... just look at the press reviews.

I have been fortunate enough to have had several classic muscle and nice, sporty cars throughout my life, but I can honestly say that none have garnered as many comments, drawn as many stares, or turned as many heads (from men, women and children alike) as my 2 F-Types.

Attention is NOT the reason why I chose this car (it can be a bit much at times) but it truly is a beautiful and amazing vehicle. It's the only car I have ever driven that makes me smile and giggle every time I am behind the wheel.

Choose the variant that suits you best.... either way, the F stands for... F*** yeah!!

 

Bigger issue than the ground clearance is the summer tires.

 

If you've never had a car with FTR-type power, I get why one would conclude that there's "no other choice." It's something every car enthusiast has to do at least once. If you've had a bunch of over-powered cars for street use, where you generally have no business actually using that kind of power, it's no longer a novelty and you start appreciating things other than raw power.

Having been there and done the monster V8 thing over the last 20 years or so, and having driven both F-Types, I walked away from the V8 having nothing to do with price, but because I vastly preferred the V6.