need help! decision between base and V6S
 

Hi. Looking at a few. Ignoring colours, I have the choice between the f type, (loaded options including performance seats, flat bottomed wheel, painted calipers) and a V6S with heaps of options. The S is quite a bit more in price but I've driven it and it was very nice. It has everything the other one has and a bit more.

I'm not worried about performance so much, it is more the ride. The base is on 20"s. I cant test drive it because it is interstate. Is the base on 20"s a good mix?

Foosh, take it away! It's all yours.

What do you mean by not being worried about the performance? What do you want to the car to be able to do, and how do you want to be able to drive it? The biggest things you are giving up with the base is the electronic differential and the adaptive suspension. The power difference is easy to get back, the other two aren't. Both ride well in my opinion even on 20's. I preferred the ride of the S more though. It felt tighter but not jarring.

Cheers. Ultimately I wont drive the car near its limits whether it is the S or the base. I wont need adaptive suspension (because I'll never dial it up). With speed I was happy with the base and in any event my time with the XKR has left me with only a few points on my license so I dont really belt away. So I want to be able to have a lot of fun up to say 65mph (about 110kph for us). My understanding is that the benefit of the S is felt more over 60mph.

The choices are IRR for the S (which I like) and black for the base (which I like in the metal but I dont like to look after). There is a decent price differential, though the base has a year less warranty.

In fact, the more I look at the numbers I think that the benefits of the S are probably better resale, preferred colour, new car, longer warranty, it is probably worth the premium.

Thanks for the input...

Sounds like you've made your choice! Color is definitely important too. The last thing you want is to which is was something else every time you look at it. Been there, done that, never again!

I'd look for an IRR base (or whatever color you fancy) if you don't want the S features - the price differential (esp in OZ) is probably quite significant(?)

I don't think a loaded w/ options base is good value. Options just don't pay back well in terms of resale value. On the other hand, a stripped base is arguably the best value if over the top HP is not on your priority list. Such cars have held their value remarkably well compared to other models. The power difference between the base and the V6S only manifests itself on the top end of the power band.

FWIW, the base is great on 20s.

Thanks all. I ended up going with the IRR mainly because I like the colour. We live in a hot, dry climate and black can be quite a bitch to keep clean. That said, black looks awesome moreso in the metal than in pictures, so I would have been happy with that if the price on the IRR wasnt something I could cop. Ultimately as a 15 compliance it is what I would have paid for a base f type with the minimum features I'd have wanted and in the colour I'd like (silver or red).

So it is V6S, IRR, performance seats memory stage 2, and premium leather, roof, tint, black sports whatever design pack, black centrifuge wheels. And a couple of other things, parking pack, BLIS, DAB.

Should have it in a few days. I have really enjoyed my XKR which is just an awesome car and really practical too, but I think that the f type is going to be a winner as well.

If resale is a big factor than these cars never make sense, Subaru's do! Best buy on F Type appears to be a one year old CPO, usually at least $20k less.

I 100% agree with this. The only exception is vision package, as I see it necessary due to bad blind spots if you have coupe.

As far as comfort - S comes with adjustable suspension. This allows for a softer ride off-track, without compromising on-track performance.

Others might disagree, but if comfort is a priority don't go above 19 inch rims. As base + 20 inch will result in a appropriate for a sports car harsh ride.

Yes, I do disagree, and I wonder what basis you have to say that. I do have extensive experience w/ the two extremes on the same car.

My base came w/ std. 18" wheels and tires. After 2K miles, I bought a used set of 20" Gyrodynes. The ride is NOT significantly more harsh, but the car feels significantly more planted, and turn in is much crisper.

Where I live, we go through a lot of freeze and thaw cycles. Consequently, roads here are... inadequate. When I was shopping for F-type, I test drove base coupe with 20inches directly followed by S with 19 inches. I could tell the difference in ride softness and it factored into my decision. YMMV.

I personally don't mind harsh ride, I am used to driving sports cars with track-tuned suspension and by comparison F-type is outright pleasant. OP specifically asked about comfort, so I responded how to maximize it. To get softest possible ride out of F-type you need to get largest possible sidewall (18 or 19 inch rims depending on calipers) and get one equipped with adjustable suspension.

Yes, that's generally true, but there is one exception in the F-Type family. I purchased a stripped, 2014 base new, near the beginning of the 15 model year. I paid $62K, and it had less than 100 miles on it.

When the manual came out the following year (2016), I was very interested in trading for one. My dealer offered $57K in trade 15 months after I took delivery. That's a very good trade resale value for any marque, and yes, the deal did include a healthy 8% discount (including JLRNA rebate) on the 2016 manual near the beginning of that model year.

I ended up not doing that deal because I felt the clutch slippage and engagement issues on my test drive.

others who know better will chime in but the adaptive suspension in normal mode is softer than the non-adjustable one in the base. So you might actually enjoy that better from a cruising perspective. The suspension in my V8S in normal mode is quite stiffer than my XKRS and the car is more nervous too partially maybe because of the shorter wheel base.

Minor correction/clarification: the base doesn't have a limited slip differential, and the V6S has a mechanical LSD. The V8s have the electronic LSD.

+1 on this. I traded a '15 Base Coupe w/19" wheels for an '16 R Coupe w/ 20" wheels. It also has the adaptive suspension. The R rides softer and handles better... less jittery.

Cheers. Sounds as though I made the right choice. I thought that the ride in the S on 19"s was quite lovely, and that is in a car with less than 400km on it. I didnt appreciate that the ride with adaptive dampeners is softer than the base.

Thanks for the input, all.

That would be the dampers, rather than the wheel size. I test drove a base with 19" wheels and a V8 with 20" wheels. The low speed ride on the latter was the more compliant.

HTH...

The electronic differential is on the V8. The V6S has a mechanical LSD.

The base V6 can spin its wheels in 3rd with the traction control on, so whether you need an LSD is more about where and how you drive...

+1