Hello all,
long time lurker on these forums and I finally made the jump to a Jaguar.
My past cars have included:
2004 C32
2005 Audi s4 6mt
2008 Corvette z51 6mt
2011 BMW m3 6mt


I was a little apprehensive about not getting a manual car this go around but the glowing reviews on the zf8 transmission eased some of my fears. Driving the Jag sealed the deal.


Originally my intentions were to get the new m4 but the more I found out the more I was disappointed. The engine sounds like garbage, increased size, less than impressive interior. It just seemed like BMW was going for mass appeal...increased MPG...softer mentality. I absolutely loved the previous v8 in my 2011 m3.


So I have arrived here in the Coupe R and it is absolutely amazing. Every time you get in the car you feel special, even when its not moving! Interior finishing is bar none. I got the suede headliner and its a nice touch. The seats are the best seat I have ever sat in. They remind me of the porsche gt3 rs seats but way more comfortable. Perhaps my only complaint is that I wish the paddle shifters were slightly taller making it easy to shift while firmly holding the steering wheel. Steering wheel is perfect thickness and the flat bottom always draw questions from passengers. The stereo was a concern for me as I've seen some complaint on this forum. I honestly cant tell what the problem is, the speakers are solid, I've gone up to 65% volume (which is very loud) and zero distortion. Maybe my build was a later version and Jaguar corrected this.


The transmission is certainly no PDK or DCT but its pretty damn good. And to be honest those transmissions are only fully utilized on the track. There is certainly some weight behind this car but its not glaring or hindering. The car feels very planted. I'm still getting acquainted with the driving dynamics but the tail pops out very predictably and correcting it is equally so. The traction control on allows for some horse play but its not overbearing, perfect balance. I haven't gone fully off yet.


Overall I'm very happy. pictures below.

 

Welcome and congrats on the R! Beautiful car.

 

Congrats! Black R so mean looking. I agree, the M4s don't do it for me.

 

Congrats! Looks great. I have the stratus with black tornado and in certain lighting, it looks black like yours. Enjoy it because it's a great ride!

 

Congrats! You're really gonna enjoy your Jag. A wise choice, heh. (I drove the F82 M4. Not bad, but it was no F-Type. Wait until your R is broken-in and you meet the torque-monster within.)

On the F-Type's ZF8, I really like its close-gearing and especially its "instant-on" accel. It doesn't have that momentary lag my last three dual-clutches had (including my '13 E92 M3) from a standing-start. That lag really got to me. Give it some instant pedal and it was like saying:

"Wait a minute!! You want 1st gear? Uh, right NOW?"

If I have to go Auto, give me a torque converter any day . It may be (or not) a few micro-sec's behind a good DC on the track, but the Jag has quick enough shifts for most of us I'd imagine.

Again, congrats!

 

Seriously beautiful! Congratulations and welcome to the forum.
Thanks for the pictures too!

 

that's nice..... very nice!

 

Looks great. Sounds like you are enjoying yours as much as I am mine.