Finally starting to get a few more KMs on the car here...Man, I gotta say, all these comments I've seen in videos/articles/reviews over time about these F-types "not handling well", or "has body roll"...etc...Well, not all reviews said that, it seemed to be a mixed bag...Some thought the handling was excellent, others would make the comments...I always found it confusing how such different comments could be made about the same car...

I have no idea what the nay sayers are talking about man, as this thing is on rails as far as I'm concerned...Flat as a pancake...Point and shoot...Maybe the previous gen car is that much more sloppy? Not sure, but these newer variants --> Unbelievable handling as far as I'm concerned...

I didn't really care about the comments, as I wasn't buying a track car anyway, but its handling characteristics have most definitely exceeded my expectations...Maybe it's just that the reviews had those expectations so low that anything would look good...lol ;-0 In all seriousness, this thing is incredible.

Perhaps it would show up on a track etc, but man if you are pushing past the limits of this thing on the street you are doing things you shouldn't be for sure ;-0

I just love the feel of this car.

 

The commentators will invariably make a comment comparing the F-Type to the 911. It is de riguer to disparage the Jaguar in comparison…after all every auto journalist has been trained to say/write that the Porsche is perfect, the absolute acme of automobile handling. However the very fact that they are making the comparison tells you how precise the handling is in the Jaguar…and most agree that the V6S is better balanced than the V8 F-Type (covering my head for protection here…).

Smiling with satisfaction while driving my F-Type (always smiling because it brings joy), I have often wondered how anyone could want more. The full combination of beauty, luxury, comfort, power, and handling can’t be equaled by any Porsche in my opinion. And then you add rarity…Simply unbeatable.

 

1. Do the naysayers really have an F?
2. Do they know how to drive in the true sense of the word?
I have come to appreciate the electric assist in my 2017 and am still amazed at the handling of my 69 E type.

 

Well, I suppose they don't need to own one to have an opinion, but I can't help but feel that a lot of reviewers seem to have a bias of sorts against the F-type. I have no clear proof of that, just a feeling that I've always had in quite a few cases. I feel that it probably follows the typical bandwagon mentality out there that's always still seems on about how unreliable Jags are, yada yada etc..

I've owned the F-type only a very short time and its handling chops were evident pretty much immediately to me.

E-type. Yum.

 

I've driven my F type V6 S on track days at Goodwood a number of times, and it's never let go or alarmed me. Very few people go past me, and it's normally because they are better drivers if they do, not because their car handles better.

Incidentally, I also take my E round Goodwood and it's pretty damn good for the age! (1969)

Here's the E at Goodwood with the inside wheel just starting to go a bit light at the chicane, but still quite level and holding on. Still on the standard 185 tyres

 

Jag used to have "Art of Performance" days out here pre COVID, you'd get to drive several on the track, usually XE S, F Type R (RWD and AWD), F Type V6S and 400 and XJR, then have a hot lap with a "real" driver. I did a few of them locally on a small, tight track and once on a big track (Lakeside near Brisbane). The XE was the surprise package, so balanced you felt like you couldnt lose control if you tried, although of course it has the 340hp V6 so you could drive closer to its limit. I reckon the F type 400 was the pick of the litter for me, handled beautifully, I never felt it get away from me. But on the straight on the bigger track the sixes had their ***** handed to them by the R's. With forged rims and 21's I reckon a decent driver would be able to keep up to a 911 in mine. I'm not that driver, lol

 

DMeister, sounds like you got the right car then. It's all really relative and a matter of expectations. As pointed out, most reviewers compare to the handling of some Porsche. The F-Type is a road car and has handling capabilities way beyond what a decent driver can use on public roads so yes, every F-Type does handle very well. Then there are also handling differences between the F-Type models (btw there's only one gen of the F-Type, just with two different facelifts) and I think most whining about the handling has concerned V8 cars, especially with AWD.

My stock RWD V6S is a joy on the Nürburgring but definitely no track car and clearly softer than other cars with similar weight and power but which are much more track oriented, like a friend's M2C. If I was into tracking I'd surely want even sharper handling but for road use any sharper handling or more straight line grunt is totally irrelevant.

 

I absolutely agree with the car journalist bias. The bias that I hate the most is about the weight. Literally only comparable lighter car I think of are 911/caymans. V6 rwd is the the same or lighter than amg gt, lc500, superfast, m2, m4, etc. and yet these cars never got the "it is too heavy" hatery.
Also, 99.9% of journalists does not weight the cars, and often give you dry weight, with no options, which is the number automakers love the most because it is the smallest. It is a joke.

 

This happens to every single sports car, i think i have heard people call it the 911 paradox or something. No sports car escape the fate of being pitted with the 911, and more often than not falls short one way or another.

i take it as a compliment tbh, it’s probably better than people saying hey your car handles better than a Rav 4!

I’m content with the f type as a whole, but I’d be lying calling it perfect.

a halo version would have made things better, amg black series style, project 7 was pretty cool but i don’t think it differed much mechanically.

 

F-Types are sporting GT cars, not all out sports cars like a Cayman, 911, or any Lotus. But that's OK, they are optimized for street first giving great dynamics, comfort, sound etc. These cars do pretty well at the track also, but likely won't hold up to hard laps as well as some other cars, but that's not what they are designed to do. If you're a track junkie, buy an Exige and call it a day, but you won't be as happy in daily driving as you are in your F-Type. Biggest thing I miss in mine is a manual transmission, otherwise my 2015R is a fantastic car.

 

It would not matter what car you buy. It would not be perfect. Regardless of price level.

I got into an interesting conversation with the PPF guy that did the full body PPF on my car. He has people bringing $100k to Multi million dollar cars to him for work. One thing they all have in common is they are particular about their cars. As he put it, you have to be particular if you are going to the extent of PPF. Makes sense.

He said to me that almost every car he works on has problems and imperfections. Doesn’t matter if it’s an F-type or Ferrari. I believe him. It makes complete sense to me and mirrors my experience in buying new cars.

 

Is a 911 really an all out sports car these days? I’m not so sure. Less and less is what I keep reading. I have a friend with a Carrera S. Beautiful car, just not for me personally. If I had tons of cash I would have one just because, but not when choices need to be made.

That’s another thing I find fascinating…This myth that’s perpetuated that Porsches are perfect…What a farce that is…I heavily considered a 911 before purchasing my 2024 R. In doing so I spent some time in the Porsche forums. That’s when you see that they are far from perfect, and that Porsche marketing money is incredibly effective at being able to make it look like they are, have the reviewers never say negative things, etc…

 

Personally, I don't care if 'x' car is faster to 60mph, or 'y' car is faster around the Nordschleife, or 'z' car is the last word in luxury (until a new word gets added to the dictionary for the next generation of said car!), my F-Type makes me smile every time I look at it, every time I start the engine, every time I push the loud pedal, everytime I take a corner, everytime I sit on a motorway (or freeway) soaking up the miles, or just sit indoors smiling at the realisation that I have one of the prettiest cars ever made sat right there on my driveway.

As for flaws, as the saying goes "the grass is always greener the other side of the fence".

 

I did not like the heavy feeling and body roll from my car and took care of it. Just like it doesn't hurt to have a little more power, lowering the car with stiffer springs considerably flattened the car out and made a huge difference for me. Whereas I live in a area where I can't do much speed-wise [and really don't have that inclination at this point in my life], taking super tight turns at any speed is slot-car like and this is the aspect of driving a sports car I have always enjoyed the most.

 

I agree, the line drawn and expectations for what a sports car is dependent on personal perspective for sure. Many internet wars have been waged over this topic What is considered hardcore today is soft in conparison to some sports cars 30 years ago. Any factory street car, even an Exige, is cushy compared to anything purpose built for track work.

They're all compromises - just so happens the 911 has been a common benchmark because it's been around and been pretty good for so long. I think Jaguar hits a really nice niche. Certainly not as precise at the helm as a 911 IMHO but that's OK, it does so many things better than the 911 I think. The sheer aesthetic appeal alone is just hard to match (thank you Ian). I applaud Jaguar for building such a classy car that also hides a truly animal nature.

For me, I love it, just wish the V8 cars had a really good crisp 6 speed manual. Maybe a touch lighter. Love the automatic in the car, but just driving around Italy this week in a Jeep Avenger manual of all things reminded me how much I love manual transmissions.

 

I'd say the spiciest ones (GT3?) can be considered an all out sports car, but not the more normal ones which are GT biased although less than the F-Type.

The only thing I don't agree about is that the 911 is a beautiful car. I'm a sucker for brilliant design which is one of the reasons to why i have an F-Type and I just never found any Porsche beautiful. Well designed yes, but never beautiful or fascinating. At its core the 911 is just an over conservative evolution of a cheap practical car design for the masses, initially commissioned by an angry little dictator in Germany in the 30ies. The Germans know their engineering but nobody designs cars like the Italians and Brits.

 

Oh yeah, the GT3 is all business for sure…Should have been clearer…You said what I was thinking but just didn’t say…A standardish Carerra is a totally different animal for sure…No doubt…

I personally think that the design of the modern 911s is timeless and incredible looking, especially in person with a nice spec…One passed me in the F-type just the other day and I was thinking how great it looked…

I just feel the vibe of the car overall is just not for me (almost too refined), and I feel the value proposition on those things is not there any more with the insane price increase over the last relatively short while. Add in the fact that they sound worse than a vacuum cleaner out of the box and, yeah, not as appealing as the F-type for me personally…

I know they’ll hold their value better blah blah than an F-type, but I’m not one of these types that tries to make any depreciating asset an appreciating one. They all suck massive money out of our wallets. Period. To think otherwise is delusional. To not get the car that inspires/resonates with you the most is to miss the point of this car enthusiast sickness we’ve all been inflicted with.

 

The F-Type's handling is excellent, as long as the tires are good, preferably Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.

It is a front-engine / RWD or RWD-biased AWD car, and so it doesn't have the extra gravity of the rear-engined 911 that provides unusually unique dry traction at all times. The upside to the F-Type's FR setup is that the front doesn't get light even at Autobahn speeds (100 mph+), and the F-Type is structurally and aerodynamically more stable on the straight line fast cruising than rear-engined 911s.

Having said all that, my P450 RWD had an MSRP of $78,500 back in 2022, and my incoming 992.1 Carrera T has an MSRP of $133K (USD). That's a difference of $54.5K USD, so in this context of value, the F-Type is an incredible car that drives uniquely in its own ways with an irreplaceable charm (e.g. bespoke aluminum chassis, bespoke double wishbone suspension, bespoke AJ133 engine, Ducati-tuned factory exhaust during development, Ian Callum design, etc.).

 

delete

 

Opinions are like…

I remember when I bought my first—of two—Gen 1 NSX’s. Countless reviews stated that it lacked soul, etc., etc., etc. I totally disagreed then and now. Now you can’t touch a Gen 1 NSX for less than $100,000. What mattered to me then and now (with my soon-to-be 10-year old V6S) was how I feel about it.

From the first day I laid eyes on the F-Type (and my 2015 sitting on the lot) in 2014 to today, I couldn’t lust, love and enjoy it more.

Any [negative] review be damned!