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I just returned from a 3-week road trip with my 2016 F-Type R. I took it to Car Week in Monterey / Pebble Beach CA, driving just shy of 5,000 miles through 9 states. On the trip, I got to drive through plains, mountains, deserts, cities, and coastal highways, visit several car museums, see lots of family and friends, take a virtual wingsuit flight, put my car in a car show, and see literally thousands of fantastic cars, several hundred of which were one-of-a-kind. I even got to drive the full length of Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway! (pic below).
The F-Type though! Even in Monterey during Car Week, I got complements left and right about the car. It "fit in" fine everywhere I went, even Pebble Beach. On the drive, it was all-day comfortable and managed nearly 30mpg at a sustained 85mph for hours (Utah and Nevada). At that speed, it barely broke a sweat (1,800 rpm) and had plenty of reserve speed if needed. It also had plenty of room for a solo trip. I had all the clothes I needed for all types of weather for three weeks (100F at home, 55F in CA) and I still had room for a beverage cooler, snacks, cleaning supplies and a vacuum (car show prep), a folding chair, emergency tools and compressor, plus a folding electric bike and helmet. The car never missed a beat and it was a gorgeous, capable beast of a car the whole time. My recommendation to you is to get out there and take yours on a road trip!
I did a 3-week drive around Portugal 3 years ago and found the same, the car was a peach the whole time whatever the roads, whatever the weather. Never once got out of the car feeling tired and never once stopped smiling (or laughing like a child through the tunnels on the drive from/to the port at Santander in Spain ).
I did 3 weeks, 5000 miles in the pandemic summer of 2020. I had golf clubs rather than a bike. Agreed, it’s great. In the Great Plains, I got off I-80 and took secondary highways - fewer semis, more tractors. The well in the trunk was perfect for some sizable rocks I brought back.
I think that it's as a GT that the F-Type really shines. My longest day so far is only about 320 miles, but I wouldn't balk at going farther. That trip was pretty much a drive across the state with my mother to my aunt's 90th birthday party, then return home afterwards. The Central Valley is pretty boring, but the miles go by quickly. With the 6MT I wasn't getting that kind of mileage, but it still has that sweet spot around 85mph.
Yep, road trips is definitely one of the things that the F-Type does best and was built for. I make a bunch of road trips here in central Europe every year and just crossed France in the F-Type yesterday. It's brilliant both on highways and mountain passes and can even handle pretty messed up country side roads which lower and stiffer sports cars would have issues with. Luggage space in the coupé is pretty awesome for two persons even without removing the trunk cover.
The only area it falls short in compared to even more GT focused cars like the XK is the in cabin wind and road noise, even on silky smooth French highways. High speed autobahn runs are also clearly more noisy than in larger GT cars. That's fine though and the price you pay for having much more fun than in an XK once you hit a mountain pass.
I did 3 weeks, 5000 miles in the pandemic summer of 2020. I had golf clubs rather than a bike. Agreed, it’s great. In the Great Plains, I got off I-80 and took secondary highways - fewer semis, more tractors. The well in the trunk was perfect for some sizable rocks I brought back.
Chimney Rock, on the Oregon Trail in western Nebraska
Watch out of the rattlesnakes there. The visitors center puts out some "No Kidding" signs. Don't tempt fate.
Can't believe people, on foot, did that route across the US>
Pretty cool place. I remember the sign. I also remember the story of the bad storm that hit travelers there. Tornado killed a bunch of people in the 1800s. Super rare.
Lastly, I remember traveling during Sugarbeet harvest. Everyone harvesting through the night. Farms that went for miles and miles.
On Friday, they have football (reduced size squads) where the football team has to leave the day before to get to the "stadium". Brings a new meaning to "distance", even for someone from Texas.
Last weekend was the first time since buying mine that I had a chance to stretch the car’s legs a bit and go on a longer trip with it. I was driving a ways to get to a classic car show here in my province.
You are not kidding, this thing is SO comfortable on a longer run. I honestly didn’t realize how good it was in that way. Most of my use is short runs with the windows open listening to the exhaust note ;-0 But, yeah, throw this thing into quiet mode with the windows up and it is pretty unbelievable for comfort. No doubt.
It surprised me how comfortable the seats remained as well, with them being as thin as they are.
It surprised me how comfortable the seats remained as well, with them being as thin as they are.
I discovered ages ago that seats that feel comfortable in a showroom often aren't after half an hour's driving, whereas "firmer" seats give much better long term support when actually using them.
I discovered ages ago that seats that feel comfortable in a showroom often aren't after half an hour's driving, whereas "firmer" seats give much better long term support when actually using them.
I've found that motorcycle saddles that are firm tend to feel the same at the end of a long day as they did at the start. Squishier ones are great at the start but just get worse as the day goes on. I once did 4500 miles over 17 days on a Ducati 748. I think it unlikely I'll ever replicate that, but the saddle gave me no grief.
For the F-Type I sat in both Sport and Performance seats and didn't notice the firmness, just that one seemed to really fit me better. My longest day so far in the F-Type is only about six hours of driving, with a lengthy break in the middle. The only complaints I had were traffic and pavement conditions.
F-Type Is A Great GT
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