You are right, I cant remember anyone ever asking me about the s60R other than an enthusiast or someone who was asking why I got it over the usual (BMW) suspects. I think aside from the turning circle, the thing I got the most sick of was pretending it was funny when people asked why there wasnt a hat on the parcel shelf.

 

Funny you should say that.

I was sitting in a long traffic queue the other day, so long that I couldn't help but succumb to idle musing. I looked around at my fellow motorists, and thought "Why on earth doesn't everyone drive a cool sporty car? Why would anyone want to drive big ugly boats like THOSE?". After a bit of additional reflection, I was content to decide that, I don't need to know why, and it doesn't matter anyway.

 

The overwhelming majority of people see the automobile as nothing more than a transporting tool overlaid, sometimes, by an individual’s priorities for comfort, prestige, economy, etc. Based on the available vehicles, hardly anyone concerns themselves with aesthetics. Those of us who truly enjoy driving and appreciate the beauty of the rare few autos are in a very small minority.

 

Anyone who drives an F-Type is clearly altruistic - we're the only people who don't get to admire the beautiful looks when we're driving it. All we get to see are the ugly boxes selfish people drive.

As for "floating your boat" - well, you need water for that, not a great looking car!

 

After dismissing the F-Type Convertible when it was introduced as wildy impractical for my needs, I considered an F-Type Coupe when changing my last XK but eventually went with another (my current) XK Signature. My preference for normally aspirated XK rather than supercharged is simply because the XKR is a frustrating car to drive on crowded UK roads. If I lived in mainland Europe, XKR would be my first choice every time.

The itch didn't go away and I went to see an F-Type Coupe at my local Jaguar Dealer just before Christmas. Great design, great to drive BUT woefully under equiped in comparison with the Signature which has every option. Even throwing the various "packs" at it still leaves an interior that would be barely adequate on a vehicle costing half the price. It is "parts bin" design at the very worst.

Nonethless, I still like the F-Type. This latest experience has confirmed the way to go is as addition to the XK and not as a replacement. As others have stated in the this thread, two very different cars, each with their own appeal.

Graham

 

Where the F-Type scores over the XK(R) for me is the plethora of physical controls. I found my XKR frustrating when I had to use the toushscreen to operate the seat heaters/coolers and the steering wheel heater, especially when using the satnav. Physical controls can be used (safely!) by touch, not so a touchscreen. I also like the smaller screen in my F-Type with its 8 real buttons for the same reason.

 

Its the first time Jaguar used the Porsche business model of extras and less overall.
The essence of a Jaguar was you got more than others were offering and crucially it was not piecemeal. 2 levels of appointments at the most, and none under-equipped.
I understand that this was killing Jaguar and their generosity was lost on this modern competitive age.

When one thinks about it, the 5.0 XK was a rare phenomenon that occurred in that brief overlap period when one era ends and another one begins.
Even more exceptional, it was the full-strength guinea pig for all the parts that would go into many other cars in various dilutions.

 

The first F Type I test drove (2014 base vert) was very underwhelming - it looked cheap inside, the seats were hard, it was a pleasure getting back into the XKR. 2 years later I got bitten by the bug again, mainly because I had been teased by a cheap used 2014 DB9 and figured I could spend the same on a new F Type and have tech post WW2, by that stage we had the XE with the new infotainment which back then was good for a Jag, certainly much better than the XKR infotainment which was very dated with a truly awful stereo (shame on you B & W). The second one (which I bought) was specced with extended leather, the flash-o seats, lovely dark hex, interior black pack, ambient lighting etc. It was gorgeous inside, modern but not cheesy, quite classy, snug. It also had the updated screens and information between the dials. It was as nice as the XKR inside and had the pano roof as well. It really made a massive difference, and as much as I liked the XKR it made it very easy to step out of it.

But that meant that a car with a list price of about $160K had a driveaway price of nearly $200K which is insane, I would mention I bought a demo and got a much better price than that, but teh point is that it should have been list with all of those goodies anyway.

 

I happen to own both. I have a 12 XKR-S and a 15 F Type R.

They are different cars as everyone has already talked about. I would would agree with everyone above. The XKR-S is a good GT car which in the case of the S can also make a lot of noise. The ride is firm or if you put into dynamic is very firm. The S was my daily driver for 3 years, now it just kinda collects dust and only gets a few drives every year.. The back seats are functionally useless for anyone but a child. The car was very reliable with no unplanned maintenance. The Infotainment system is another matter. The system is poor in functionality and frustrating slow. As a daily driver I really only used the Sirius radio. never really used the sat nav as I know how to get to work and back and wherever I needed to go.

I very much enjoy the car and it gets lots of looks especially in French Racing Blue. Very few of them on the road where I live, maybe once a year I see another XKR.

 

Thanks for the inputs, everyone! I ended up coming across a pretty sweet deal on a '13 XFR with 27k miles that was too good to pass up, so I opted to go that route and retain the bit of additional functionality I had with the Volvo. Here it is in the wild! Ultimate Black on Red w/carbon interior trim.

 

Good luck with keeping it looking like that, I hope you have plenty of spare time for washing and polishing!

 

On that, I have been using a product called polish angel from germany. You start with a creme and then follow up with a spray wax. It is like it repels dust and what dust there is just washes off in the rain, no water marks at all. And it is a piece of **** to use, no pain for my pipe cleaner arms. I am washing my car about every 2 months instead of every 2 weeks. Very big recommendation, it is pretty much "where have you been all my life?"

 

ive seen the phrase “parts bin” used and numerous mentions of the features lacking in the f-type. I’m not an XK Expert, so can someone please provide some insight as to why the XK is far superior?

 

I had a 2011 XKR and when I first test drove an F Type I thought the F Type was pretty cheap looking in comparison. Essentially the XKR is very plush and absolutely slathered in good quality leather with sumptuous seats with like 85 adjustments and fancy trims (mine were walnut which I didnt like very much). It really couldnt have been more plush. The first F Type I drove had crappy hard seats with limited adjustment and a bit of shiny aluminium in the centre stack and some sort of nasty synthetic cover over the dash. Essentially Jaguar pared back on the standard inclusions to make them options. I really didnt like the car very much at all and was happy to get back into the XKR. The second F Type I drove had extended leather, fancy seats, better stereo, nice dark hex aluminium trim, interior black pack and a few other things. It made all the difference and made the XKR look pretty dated, even though the XKR still had some things that werent in the F Type. So I bought it.