I've been interested in the F-Type since I saw it the first time as it's a gorgeous car and it sounds like heaven. I finally went to a dealership to check it out last weekend and I think I fell in love. There's one problem, though: I have a '13 Viper GTS that I don't know if I can part with or not (not enough room for both).

I know the F-Type R is fast, but it's not as fast as a Viper. Has anyone else "downgraded" like this? I never really race so I don't think it will bother me, but I'm just curious if anyone else has any thoughts.

Also, what about taking the car on road trips? Is it comfortable? I hate sitting in the Viper for more than an hour as the seats are stiff and the position is weird. The F-Type's seats seemed to be much more comfortable, but I didn't take it on a test drive so I don't yet know how they feel out on the road.

Any input would be much appreciated!

 

Welcome! I have.

I went from a C6 Z06 to a base F-Type V6, which I preferred over the F-Type V8. Yes, it's a few ticks slower, but I don't notice that on the street, and it has more than enough to get in trouble. I don't miss the excess power one bit. If you're not going to the track and if you are halfway sensible, you're never going to use the capability of a Viper, Z06, or even an F-Type R.

I get a lot more pleasure out of the F-Type than any car I've ever owned. It has a unique character unlike anything else.

 

I can't comment on a power downgrade, but I can about road trips.

Thus far, I've taken a couple of longer road trips back and forth from the Philly suburbs to Manhattan with and without traffic, taking about 2 hours to 3 hours in either direction.

It's definitely a comfortable cruiser and I have no complaints whatsoever about the seats. I have the standard 14-way Sport Seats. Ergonomically, they're great and more comfortable than the sport seats I had in my Audi S4 (B8). Even though I deal with minor chronic lower back pain, the F Type has been perfect for me and it's definitely been kind to my back so far.

I don't have experience with the optional Performance seats, however, and I've seen some complain that the stitching seam along the spine may cause issues for some people.

 

The performance seats are very comfortable with bolster and lumber supports adjustable. Luggage in the convertible is a problem but that was a problem in my BMW roadster. You can stash quite a bit of soft stuff behind the seats with the top up(just don't try to open the top until you remove everything). Cup holders are a problem with manual shift but if you are highway cruising, should be usable.

 

I "downgraded" as well. I owned two Vipers - a Gen 2 GTS and a Gen 3 SRT-10 Coupe; neither was stock. I had a 2013 Gen 5 GTS order that I placed the week ordering opened. After waiting almost 8 months for the car to be built, watching the values of the car plummet, the mediocre to poor magazine reviews and the quality issues popping up with delivered cars, I canceled the order and placed an order for my F-Type V8 S. Never thought I'd own an old geezer brand like Jag (sorry Jaguar fans) but damned if it hasn't been one hell of a car. It's a little quicker that both my previous Vipers, but not as quick as your Gen 5. However, my F-Type is far superior in quality and engineering to either Viper I owned and from what I've seen on the Viper forums, it's probably superior to the Gen 5 in those aspect as well. Besides that, the Jag dealers know how to treat a customer spending near six figures on a car, that's something the vast majority of Dodge dealers have never figured out. All-in-all, I don't regret my decision to bail on my Viper order at all and my F-Type is just as much fun on the streets as my Vipers were and a hell of a lot more comfortable to cruise in.


Let me know if you have any more detailed questions.

 

I mildly downgraded from AMG to SV6. Less straight line speed but still plenty fast with better sound and trans. Merc a little more comfortable against performance seats, Jag holds me in better.

 

We did a 3K road trip to Washington DC and no problems with seat comfort.

 

I also did a nice long road trip. TX to PA and back again... it was a blast. I'm nearly 6'4" and I had to stop and stretch my legs every 3 hours, but the performance seats never caused any issues. I have the suede cloth interior and have never had any issues with the seat seam some others mention.

 

yep, i 'downgraded' from a 9sec r35 gtr to a rwd f-type r

kinda felt the gtr scene was heading south, and figured i'd trade jail time speed for noise & theatre at more sane speeds

glad we get the rwd option in Aus, otherwise i probably would have felt like the f-type in awd is just a slower version of a gtr and just as one dimensional in terms of on-grip handling

rwd provides another variable to the drive i wasn't experiencing in the gtr, and that is managing throttle mid corner and having some fun with the lower grip limits in the rear

for you it'd prob work the other way, going from a low grip rwd car to awd would equally provide something different, and a new learning curve to experience

if you're a car enthusiast, it's all about variety, change is good

 

Thanks for all of the input!

Are there any other differences between a '15 and '16 other than AWD? There are some pretty good deals out there on extremely low mileage '15s and I don't really need AWD, but if there are other improvements I may have to look at the '16.

 

I didn't downgrade - previous cars were a 3.2 Alfa Romeo Brera and a 235bhp supercharged R53 Mini Cooper S Works.

But, driving to work this morning I managed to inadvertently spin up the rear tyres on dry Tarmac. It's quick enough.

Bragging rights are for those making up for a cruel twist of nature...

 

Ha!

 

Do a forum search, this has been discussed in a few posts. Big difference IMO is that for 2016 Jaguar upped the warranty to 5 years / 60,000 miles, and added in a bunch of "options" as standard features, then raised the price accordingly. (The Pano roof is Standard on 2016...)

 

No significant changes for '16 other than V8Rs are only available in AWD in the US. There are also some relatively minor infotainment and display "enhancements"/changes that shouldn't affect the decision.

 

Yes, but they also included 5 year/60K mile servicing. Both the warranty and the servicing were convincing enough for me to go for a 2016 model.

 

The warranty might make a difference, but the extended service is only a few oil changes...

 

The only thing that would affect my decision is AWD vs. RWD.

The provided service and extra warranty (barring a 5th year catastrophic failure) don't come close to offsetting the substantial cost savings that could be negotiated on a 15 right now. With the substantial savings, one could purchase an extended warranty well beyond 5 years and still have money left over.

 

I went with a leftover 2015 that I found 600 miles from me...

While a I am down the warranty a year and service... The price differential made up for it. HUGE discounts to clear out 2105....

(Plus I REALLY wanted RWD)

 

I REALLY don't think I could wait that long for delivery...

 

Dont worry - the car is so fast you will be back to the future in no time!